Registration Course Description Sponsors Local Information
The 2009 Whitewater Open Canoe AND Kayak Downriver Nationals
will be held on the
Lower Dead River, West Forks, Maine
July 1st-5th, 2009 |
RACE UPDATE - July 1, 2009
Due to high water in the Forks Area the race course has been changed to the Kennebec River, Carry Brook to the Ball Field in West Forks. This is about a 6-7 mile long course.
The location of the sprints will be either the East Outlet of the Kennebec at Moosehead Lake or on the Dead River from Salmon Stream to Route 201 at the Magic Falls takeout.
EXTRA FLOATATION IS BEING ALLOWED. The normal rules for floatation have been modified to allow unlimited floatation as long is it is properly tied into the boat and not extending above the gunnelwales.
The four days of racing for the 2009 National Championships are Thursday through Sunday; July 2nd-5th. The races will start after allowing sufficient time for the daily dam release to fill the river; starting time is 12 PM. The sprints are scheduled for Friday and downriver classes for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The day (1st of July) preceding the race is for practice.
The river level can be obtained by checking the web at:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/me/nwis/uv/?site_no=01044550&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
The USGS does not maintain water
temperature data for this stretch, but the water is quite warm in mid-July.
River Access: River access is via
private land access on maintained dirt roads.
Several local river guiding companies also provide regular shuttle access
to the put-ins. We will be planning to
mark access routes to the starting points with surveyor tape to ease the travel
for those who wish to set their own shuttles.
While there is not as much commercial rafting activity on the Dead River
as there is on the Yough or Zoar Gap, commercial rafting activities are
significant, so we will be starting our races early in the day, probably around
12PM. With such an early start it is
anticipated that the afternoons will be free for practice. There is no river use charge for competitors
or private paddlers.
Check-In and Race Facilities:
Race Headquarters will be located at West Forks Fish and Game Club,
which is located in front of Riverdriver’s Outfitters on Rt 201 downtown W
Forks. All competitors must be
registered by the day before they compete.
Headquarters will be open at least from 2:00 – 5:00 each day, July 3rd
(Wednesday) through July 5th (Saturday), and probably at other times
as well. Boat inspection will be in the
grassy area beside the big parking lot in back during the normal hours that
Headquarters is open each day. Awards
ceremonies will take place at Headquarters at 5:00 each day, except for the
last day (Sunday, July 6th) when they will be held earlier.
There are portable toilets at the Spencer Rips put-in site
and at Headquarters.
One and a half miles downstream of the finish line for the
races is a public access parking area and take out on river left. This is marked ‘Magic Falls Rafting’ on Rt
201 on the left .75 miles north of the village (just past a State Highway
maintenance lot). During race week, you
may park here while you are on the river (practicing or racing). All other take-outs are private property or
for guest use and require permission in advance.
The drive from Riverdriver’s Campground to the put-in above
Spencer Rips takes about an hour on well-maintained dirt roads. From Riverdriver’s to the access road below
Lower Poplar Falls is about a ½ mile drive. IT IS IMPERATIVE that all
competitors and their shuttle drivers approach these roads with caution in that
logging trucks may be actively sharing these narrow roads.
Event Schedule:
Wednesday
(July 1) Practice
OC-2
(10-16/25-up)
Friday
(July 3) Sprint Races
Classes: All Sprint classes
Saturday (July 4) Downriver Races
Classes: OC-1 Men & (10-12) &
(13-15)
OC-2
Women
Sunday
(July 5) Downriver Races
Classes: OC-1 Women
OC-2
Men & (10-12) & (13-15)
Course Descriptions: The Dead River is an interesting venue for whitewater open canoe racing. The Spencer Rips to the Lower Poplar Hill Falls stretch of the river consists of about 29 Class II and III rapids. The average drop is about 31 feet per mile and the expected releases are about 1,300 CFS. The river is relatively remote, though there are multiple access points maintained privately by logging companies. At the expected flow, the Dead River is more difficult than the French Broad, site of the 2008 Championships, and comparable in difficulty to the Youghiogheny River, site of the 2007 Championships. A superb source of information about this section of the Dead River is the American Whitewater site, see: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_787_
Downriver Course:
The downriver race will run from the standard put-in at Spencer Rips to
the access road below Lower Poplar Hill Falls, constituting 12.6 miles of class
II-III whitewater. Named rapids in the
first four miles include Spencer Rips, Quatro Wave Train, The Minefield, and
Haydens Rapid. Named rapids in the four
miles downstream of the Gravel Pit access include Enchanted Rapid, Elephant
Rock, and Pine Tree Beach Rapid. The
remaining rapids to the access road at the finish include Mile Long Rapid, Evil
Nasty Hole, Upper and Lower Spruce Ledges, and Upper and Lower Poplar Hill
Falls. At normal flow, there are no
mandatory portages, but many of the rapids can be portaged if a racer so
chooses. Any portage chosen should be
studied since the banks can be rocky and slippery. Racers may encounter some commercial rafting
traffic.
The location of the races for the
younger age group classes (10-12) and (13-15) will be determined at the time of
the event depending upon current conditions.
Assuming there is median flow at the time of the event, however, these
classes will race from the access road below Lower Poplar Hill Falls to
Downtown West Forks, Maine (2.2 miles).
This stretch consists of fast moving water and class 1 rapids/riffles.
Sprint Course:
The sprint races will cover approximately 1.2 miles of rapids, including
both Upper and Lower Poplar Hill Falls.
Some runs are likely to encounter some commercial rafting traffic.
LOCAL INFORMATION: Our racing venue is the Lower
Dead River located in Somerset County, ME, which is a prime outdoor recreation
area. It offers outstanding hiking,
biking, camping, fishing, rafting, and whitewater canoeing. Outstanding whitewater runs are available not
only on the Dead River, but also nearby Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers. Numerous outfitters in the area are available
to take inexperienced whitewater enthusiasts down the rivers.
Accommodations: Several resorts and campgrounds are located
in and near The Forks including Grand View Lodging, Enchanted Outfitters and
Lodge, and Riverdrivers Campground. See
http://www.forksarea.com/result.php?category=Lodging for additional
information.
There are a number of other campgrounds, motels and restaurants in and
near The Forks. See the last page of
this document for more camping and lodging accommodations.
Directions:
The Forks is easily accessible off highway 201 in
central/western Maine. Links to more
precise mapquest directions can be found at: http://www.forksarea.com/07-directions.html
Weather: Daytime temperatures can
be as hot as 95 degrees and the humidity can be high. However, it is also quite possible to have
daytime temperatures in the mid 60’s.
Afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon. The Dead River is wide at times and exposed
to the sun; racers need to be prepared.
The water temperature of the Dead River in July is warm. Be prepared for many biting insects
especially in the morning and late afternoon - evening
RUNNING OF THE
EVENT:
The event
will be conducted according to the American Canoe Association Whitewater Open
Canoe Downriver Racing Rules as modified March 2000.
Race Organization:
The ACA
2009 WWOCD National Championships will be hosted and sponsored by ACA New
England, an ACA Paddle America Club.
Race Chairperson: Clayton Cole 230 W. Corinth Road,
Corinth, ME 04427, 207-285-7356, FAX 285 7948
c1cole@roadrunner.com
Selected Other Race
Committee Members:
JR Mabee Safety
Officer
Terry Wescott Downriver Chairperson
Paul Cole Chief
Judge
ACA WWOC Downriver
Chair: Paul
Cole, 457 Main Street, Groveland, MA 01834, 978-375-3304, Paul.Cole@aspect.com
Motels:
Grand View Lodge 207-663-2229
Moxie Outdoor Adventures 800-866-6943
Northern Outdoor s
Adventure Resort 207-663-4466
Inn By the River 866-663-2181
Enchanted Outfitters 207-663-2238
Riverdrivers Outfitters
Kenebec River Cabins
There are also numerous campgrounds and cabin rentals around The Forks.
MORE
INFORMATION:
The Forks Area Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 1
West Forks, Maine 04985
http://www.forksarea.com/index.html