On your questions:
It sounds like you are in good shape.
Make sure your wheels go under the center of the yak, (not the rear). Also the bigger the diameter the better off you'll be.
If I were racing my kayak I would just take what you are taking, including a blow up paddle float, (which you probably are taking)
Also a skirt. If it is calm just keep it in a place where you can get at it for rough weather and gully washing rain storms.
And also a sponge.
wheels at Raquette Falls Carry You are not allowed to put on your wheels at the take out of Raquette Falls Carry. You must carry up the hill to the first campsite on the right before you can stop and mount your wheels. Its to keep the small beach at the take out from getting too congested. Especially if the water is high and there is no beach. The stairs will knock off any stern mounted wheels and its almost impossible to straddle the rocks at the beginning with the wider carts.
So practice getting out and picking up your kayak and carrying at least 100 yards up the steepest hill you can find, or an obliging stairway.
Jack’s advice about taking a skirt along is good. I wish Brian would make skirts mandatory when he makes PFDs mandatory on rough days. Emptying a swamped kayak on a rough lake is a time consuming task for the paddlers who come to the aid of a swamped kayaker.
For your pit crew; have them meet you somewhere along the first carry at Inlet from 5th to 6th Lake. You should not need anything by then, but its good to check in with them in case you forgot something. If they don’t have it, they can bring it to you at the Eighth Lake Campground Carry. The Brown’s Tract Carry is our planned hydration refill pit stop. And anything else that is needed can be air dropped from the bridge at Raquette Lake Village. We have taken air drops of sunglasses and Ibuprofen from the bridge. After that you are on your own to the finish line; a good third of the way. If you are running short on hydration, there is a pit stop on the Marion River Carry where you can get a drink of water. Your pit crew can not access you at that carry.
Thanks!!! This is all super helpful!! Can’t wait for the race super excited, still can’t believe I got in!! I’ll be training hard in the gym 5 days a week and paddling at least 3 days a week!! See you all in OLD FORGE!!!
Pit Crew Help Guys any good info for my pit crew for days 2 and 3? I know day one area pretty well and can show my pit crew where they need to go on that day, but I don’t know the area on day 2 and 3 at all. Any advice for that would be great. Thanks again!!
Not much access On day 2 there is not much access tot he course for the pit crew. You are on your own from the start to Raquette Falls. If they wish to paddle up from Axtons Landing or hike the 8 miles to the falls they can do a water drop at the put-in below the falls. Otherwise the only place for them to access the water is at Axton’s Landing. Either at the official pit stop at the mouth of Stony Creek or at Axton’s Landing downstream about a quarter mile. My crew drives in to the cable car crossing down from Axton’s and patiently waits there for us.
Then its 8 miles twisty downriver to the Crusher and the welcome sight of the orange Schwimflugels.
On day three, they can only get to you at the Bartlett Carry and the Rt.3 boat landing. Its a short day and you cam make it unsupported. Give the pit crew the day off and let them explore Saranac Lake Village.
Like Bill says, but I can add a bit more Last year our daughter met us at the Bartlett Carry, and it was great to just get the encouraging shouting from her.
Also at the route three boat landing your pit crew can be on the dock there and you can swing by and pick up anything you need and get some encouragement.
If they have a canoe or a kayak they can paddle out from there and go under the bridge and hang out until you come by.
In the past our stellar pit Crew of Rec Cross Randy and his wife has done that, and also our daughter has.
Pit crew location I wouldn’t advise a pit crew hang out under the Route 3 bridge in a canoe, as it can get very congested and even dangerous in that narrowing channel if multiple boats are battling it out for position. There are a couple of rocks to avoid and a bit of a turn to maneuver. Just beyond the bridge in front of the boat launch anywhere before the next turn would be ideal.
Pit crews are great for cheering you on but I’ve found after paddling 19 90-milers that I don’t have much need for resupply of food or water along the way. I always end up with too much left over at the end of the day. Besides, I also paddle the Cannonball-90 each year, doing the whole thing in a single day without any kind of pit crew support until the end. Plan properly for the temperature and it is easy to bring the right amount of food and water from the beginning without excessive weight.
My pit crew is also an official timer anyway, with need to get set up at the finish, so hanging out at carries is not really an option. Parking is always a problem unless they get there early.
IT IS ALMOST HERE!! Can’t thank you guys enough for all the info, I’m super excited now that we are only 3 days away!! I’m as ready as I’ll ever be and can’t wait to take on the 90 miler! See you all soon at the Starting Line!! Good Luck to ALL!!
Packing to go My scattered crew is assembling their gear in different towns and states. The Quaker Ladies are prepping in Philadelphia, Raymondo is getting ready in Sodus, NY. Ben in Tupper Lake NY. and Gearwoman and I are waxing the Minnesota IV in Rochester. We will all converge in Old Forge with Alex and Nettie who are setting up camp right now. Great to have good friends who will take the time to be pitcrew and feed and house us.
May Mother Nature smile on us and give us calm waters, mild breezes, clouds for shade, and 600 smiling happy companions on our journey.
See you in Old Forge. Jack L. and I will usually be found by the tennis court fence on the water side.
The wind was blowing like… a freight train so first the DEC put a half hour hold on the start.
Then they cancelled it when they came back and said there were 20 MPH winds with two foot white cap waves with higher gusts on Upper Saranac.
Just at the Fish Creek camp ground where we all were waiting, I was guessing the gusts were 25 to 30.
They made the right decision. It would have been slaughter for the C-1’s, the Placid boats, and the pro boats.
Even on day two the last five miles of Long Lake was a bear with strong quartering winds
We love this area ! We are staying today and going to float the Raquette river from The Crusher to Tupper Lake with Red Cross Randy, his wife Patty, and our no. 1 Pit crew, Cathy.
On day two Randy and Patty saw a big Bull Moose on the drive to the start
I saw the same moose on Day2, he was walking on the left side of the road. between Tupper and Long
my team was a little disappointed at being cancelled on day3, second time I have had that happen in my20 years of the 90. We wanted to test our new C4 in big water, since the Yukon race may open a C4 class next year. But I know the safety boats would have been very busy yesterday. A few years ago in only slightly better conditions, after we rounded the point onto Upper Saranac Lake, several of the first wave of Open Touring (non competitive class) boats were seen paddling back to return to the start.
We met him at the award ceremony. He was looking for you also. Cathy had just seen you and was leading him to where you were, but you had evidently moved and they couldn’t find you.
Did Great!!! Thanks Guys!! I had so much fun and a great time! I held my pace and did just about that I thought I would just under 8hrs day 1 and just under 7hrs day 2! Long lake was great everyone ran to shore I stayed in the middle and ran the wind and waves in my kayak. The carry was much harder then I thought!! slow going and couldn’t wait to get my wheels on at the top, then still had to stop and get it over tons of big rock and flipped it like 3 times as well!! I was super bummed they canceled day 3, but it was for the best! Just means I have to come back and do it next year!! I will diffidently be looking for a lighter faster boat for next year! Thanks again and see you on the water!!! It was great to meet you Jack, and sorry I missed you Bill!
note there are many races in NY throughout the year, beginning after ice-out in May. The final one is coming up this Saturday in Long Lake. They are A good way to get and keep in shape for the 90. your pit crew will like them too. The 70-mile General Clinton on the Susquehanna is the other big one that most serious paddlers like to do,along with a number of other relatively short races, just enough to keep your paddle wet all summer. Plus there's always the unofficial Cannonball-90 that some of us like to do every June, paddling the whole of the original classic route in a single day.
check Nymcra for a list of official races http://www.nymcra.org
Our pit crew, (daughter Cathy) can’t figure what she likes better: Pit crewing or racing.
She has raced it twice before in C-4’s and pitted for us twice.
She agreed to pit for us again next year, but since has had two different offers to race with others, so we will have to wait and see what she decides.
As soon as we got home we took off to the NC low country to race in the Lumber River 20 Miler, (last Saturday).
If you can picture something the exact same as Browns tract only two or three times as wide for 20 miles that is what it consists of, (loops, S curves and switchbacks)
At the awards ceremony they said that every single paddler including the winners at one time or another took a wrong turn and had to back track to get the right route.
The fun of it more than made up for the last day call off of the 90