2024 is the 50th Anniversary of the D and R Canal State Park.  In commemoration of that, we are holding a Spring paddling race! May 4th at 10 AM.

As per the famous song, a day for a mule pulling a barge on the Canal was 15 miles. Can you complete half of a mule-day on the D and R canal?  If so, join us for the 8-mile "half-mule" race, which will run upstream 4 miles from Turning Basin Park in Princeton, NJ to a buoy near "the tunnel" and back (counterclockwise turn) and return to Turning Basin Park.

Race day safety checks and waiver signing will start at 9 AM. Race waves will start at 10 AM. Racers may be split into waves based on expected speed due to start line constraints.

If you're not up for 8 miles, you can still join us for the short course 1 mile race. (upstream 0.5 miles and back). The 1 Mile race will start after the last wave of half-mule racers.

Instead of T-Shirts, we will have Car/Fridge Magnets for the first 50 registrants.

Trophy to the first man and first woman for the half-mule course. Bragging rights to the rest. (Note that we do have 5 total Half-Mule trophies. Will have to determine what classes beyond first man/woman they go to based on registrants. Hoping it will end up being first man/woman canoe/kayak and then first tandem.)

WARNING: the canal is notorious for leaves and weeds. It may not be fun to bring an Ocean rudder or a boat with a straight up and down bow unless you want the challenge.  (This will be a lot less than the fall/winter, but there is still plenty to catch on your nose.) If you have a boat with a gentle upwards rake at the bow, I'd suggest you bring that. (Note from Alan - I ran the canal just last weekend and didn't catch a single weed or leaf, so this warning may be overblown.  I hope the leaf and weed enthusiasts are not too disappointed.)

All proceeds from the race will go to the Canal Watch organization to support projects within the D and R Canal Park.

Registration: No race day registration. All registration must be done online prior to May 2nd.
Due to bridges, Stand-up paddleboard registration is limited to the 1-mile event. If a Prone sup wants to do it, let me know and I will open a category for you. (Same goes for any other unlisted paddlecraft.)

Weather: The race will be cancelled in the case of flooding or lightning. There will be no refunds for a cancellation. The race will occur in spite of rain or low temperature. 

Safety: All racers will be required to have a life jacket in the boat or on their person, hydration, and a pealess whistle. All racers will be required to fill out a waiver. All racers (or team captains for tandems) will be required to attend the captains meeting.

Racing rules:

1. Don't be a jerk.

2. Keep RIGHT when paddling past paddlers going the other way. 

3. Counterclockwise turns.

4. Cross-class drafting is allowed and encouraged.

5. Must have a life jacket in the boat and accessible (or wearing it)

6. Must have a whistle (per our insurance)

Mandatory pre-race meeting - We will hold the meeting at 8 PM on May 3rd ( the Friday night before the race).  There will be info about safety and the start. We will hold a safety meeting day of as well just to go back over the safety rules.

Race classes:

HPK-1 - Solo high performance kayak. (Surf skis, racing kayaks, etc)

HPK-2 - Tandem high performance kayak (Surf skis, racing kayaks, etc)

C-1 - Racing canoe solo.

C-2 - racing canoe tandem.

OC-1 - Outrigger canoe solo.

OC-2 - Outrigger canoe tandem.

Recreational - No strict definition for this, but you know if your boat is a rec boat or not.  (If you don't know, then it's probably a rec boat.)