Passy, St. George canoe races now canceled Low water plagues annual events

The Passagassawaukeag and St. George river races set for this weekend have both been cancelled for the season because of low water.

Neither race had ever been cancelled outright, according to Passy organizer Dale Cross. This year would have marked the 34th annual running of the Passy and the 28th edition of the St. George.

The Passy race was to be held Saturday starting at the Littlefield Farm in Waldo. The St. George, which had been postponed last weekend because of low water, was to be held Sunday starting in Searsmont.

“It really stinks,” said Cross, who has headed up the Passy for the past 23 years and has raced in it for the last 29. “It seems like we’ve always found a way to do it, but this is a unique situation.”

Cross, the executive director of the Waldo County YMCA, which is the race sponsor, said locals who live near the Passagassawaukeag have reported water levels close to what they would be in August – that is, just a few inches.

“You could walk down the river,” Cross said.

About 35 boats had already been registered for the race, but most people register in the days leading up to the race and on race day itself.

The next eastern Maine races are set for April 8 and April 9. The Souadabscook Stream Sprint and Race will be held April 8 in Hampden, followed by the April 9 Marsh Stream Sprint and Race in Frankfort.

“I hope everyone else’s races come off OK,” Cross said.

The races have been postponed in the past, as the St. George was this year, but never cancelled. About four or five years ago the Passy race was held on the St. George because the Passagassawaukeag was still frozen, Cross added.