Click the links below for results from past events:

2010 Skaha Lake Downwind Race	34 Kb
2010 Length of the Lake	214 Kb
2010 Rattlesnake Island Small Boat	39 Kb
2010 Duel Big Boat	206 Kb
2010 Duel Small Boat	210 Kb
2009 Duel in the Desert OC-6	203 Kb
2009 Duel in the Desert Small Boat	210 Kb
2008 Length of the Lake	54 Kb
2008 Duel in the Desert	64 Kb
2008 Okanagan Small Boat Series	15 Kb
2006 Length of the Lake	59 Kb
2006 Duel in the Desert	62 Kb
2005 Length of the Lake	1232 Kb
2004 Length of the Lake	88 Kb
2004 Duel in the Desert	104 Kb
2009 Length of the Lake	312 Kb

Keith Major looked poised to continue the surf-ski domination of the Okanagan Small Boat Race Series in the last race of the season, held on Skaha Lake Sept. 25.  Leading for two thirds of the 11.2 km race, a momentary lapse saw three outrigger canoes pass him coming into the finish. “I was doing great, the boat was moving well in the big waves, and then I started admiring what a perfect day it was”, said Major, “next thing I know I can hear these crews bearing down on me amongst the sound of the wind and waves. I just couldn’t hold them off. It’s okay, I still had a great race in some of the best conditions I’ve raced in for the Okanagan”.

Conditions for the race saw winds close to 30 km/h, gusting to over 40 km/h from the south.  Race organizer, Andrew MacPhail, waited for the weather and wind forecast before deciding on the direction of the course, “this lake is perfect for a 'downwind style' race. The wind is almost always north or south. You just have to be patient”.  In this year’s event, paddlers left Okanagan Falls and raced back to Penticton.

Leanne Stanley and Sandra Mowat of Kelowna crossed the finish line first in a two-person outrigger in a time of 56 minutes 46 seconds. Top one person outrigger was Mike Bernemann of Vancouver in a time of 57:24. Local paddler Don Mulhall finished second at 58:57, followed close behind by top junior Brian MacPhail with a time of 1:00:19.

Other locals to finish were Ron Pronger (1:01:35), Clara Schirrmeister and Brenna KacKinder on a two person outrigger canoe (1:08:27) and Bev Boden (1:17:56)

Penticton Racing Canoe Club has no more races this season.  For more information, visit the CORA website.

The results:

Okanagan Small Boat Race Series 2010 - Skaha Lake Downwind Race

34 Kb

How Hard Was It?

The paddlers of the 2010 Length of the Lake enjoyed winds from the right direction!
There was surfing on multiple legs and every boat that started the 100 km race also finished it.
Huge kudos to those who ironed the distance.

Here are the results:

2010 Length of the Lake

214 Kb

Ever since a freak windstorm in Penticton several years ago, the Duel in the Desert outrigger canoe race has had a reputation as a beautiful race site, with potentially challenging, if not downright exhilarating conditions on Skaha lake. This year's conditions on saturday for the 6 person canoes presented another challenge, heat and no wind. "I've stopped stressing about the wind for this event. It is what it is!" said Don Mulhall, one of the organizers of the event. "As soon as the boats were off the water, the wind kicked up for the awards. While we were racing it was flat calm". The day started off with the novices and juniors on the shorter course, followed by the women, then the men's and mixed teams. Teams were racing on a 17 km course that took them down the east side of the lake, across to Kaleden, back up the west side of Skaha Lake to a buoy near the airport where teams would turn and head straight back toward the finish line near the Penticton marina.

False Creek Racing Canoe Club of Vancouver took top honours in the mens and women's division with times of 1 hour, 14 minutes; and 1 hour 26 minutes, respectively. Vancouver Ocean Sports took first in the novice (short course) at 39:22; and first in the mixed division at 1 hour, 19 minutes. Penticton was well represented with crews in the junior, novice, and mixed divisions. Penticton's two junior crews finished the short course in 42:09 and 57:29 with the PRCC novice crew finishing in 44:52. There were 9 teams in the long course mixed division. Penticton crews placed 4th (1 hour, 28 minutes) and 8th (1 hour, 31 minutes). Okanagan Surf Club - a team that included paddlers from Kelowna and Penticton, came second for the second year in a row, finishing in 1 hour, 17 minutes.

Sunday's small boat races began with the same flat conditions, as the KISU swim club dominated the junior division. "We had kids, some as young as 11 years old, racing in one and two person boats over a 5.3 km course" said Tina Hoeben, KISU coach and PRCC junior coach, "Some of these young paddlers are posting times that would put them right in with the adults." Brian MacPhail, a KISU swimmer, stepped up to the men's 11 km race and finished solidly in the middle of the pack at 57:58 - his first race at that distance. Other Penticton paddlers included Hoeben (1st place, masters) 1:01:32; Mulhall (3rd place, masters) 55:23; Brad Lee (2nd senior masters) 58:09. Wayne Still, paddling his first race on the long course, finished 2nd in the Kupuna division (for paddlers over 65 years of age) with a time of 1:05:42.

The location was praised by all visiting paddlers. Bob Stewart, from Canada's National Sprint Outrigger team, commented, "This is one of the top two race locations in Canada. It's perfect." Stewart will be joining local paddler, Ron Pronger as part of Team Canada heading to the World Outrigger Sprint Championships in New Caledonia next week. Both paddlers raced in Penticton.

For more information, call Don Mulhall at 250 488-3100, or www.pentictonoutrigger.com or www.canadianoutrigger.com Penticton Racing Canoe Club has an intro to outrigger paddling course starting May 17.