The possibility of a local winner in one of the top pro classes, as well as the opportunity for home viewing will bring some shine to the 63rd annual General Clinton Canoe Regatta this weekend, even if the sun does not do the same.
Hundreds of racers and as many as a thousand support participants are expected to race or assist as the General Clinton Canoe Regatta returns. The pro-class races are the centerpiece of a four-day celebration in Bainbridge. The 70-mile races begin at 6 a.m., Sunday, May 24, at Brookwood Point on Otsego Lake, north of Cooperstown, and end at Bainbridge’s Gen. Clinton Park.
It is expected to be a chilly, perhaps rainy, edition of the race.
However, viewers can stay home and see it as this year’s race will be livestreamed on YouTube.
“For the first time in the race’s history, the General Clinton Canoe Regatta will have an official live stream of the race,” said Paddler Media announcer and founder Betsy Ray in an email Friday, May 22. “I will be filming and commentating at different points along the course with Terry Kent, who is a Hall of Fame member, former Olympian, and Olympic venue announcer.
“It’s one of a few firsts for the race this year, along with the first test of GPS tracking and the first time there will be timing at mid-race checkpoints,” Ray said.
Ray said the race averaged more than 300 paddlers per year pre-COVID but struggled to regain its popularity in the first few years after the pandemic. Last year there were 279 paddlers, she said.
“Leading into the race’s 70th edition in 2032, the race has an ambitious goal to break the 1979 attendance record of 576 paddlers,” she said.
One aspect of this year’s race to watch is the C-2 class, where a local has not won in 45 years. Ryan Zaveral, who grew up in Mount Upton, is considered a threat to break that streak. Although Zaveral lives in Michigan now, his dad, Bob, still consults with the paddling business he founded in Wells Bridge, ZRE, and the family still lives for paddling.
Todd LeFever, a Unatego graduate who lives in Oneonta, has a chance to compete for a C-1 title, as well.
The Clinton Regatta is considered to be one of canoe racing’s “triple crown” along with the AuSable River Canyon Marathon in Michigan in July, and the La Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie in Quebec in September.
Ray said the Livestream is an attempt to spread the popularity of the internationally-known Clinton Regatta to race fans world-wide, while also raising its profile locally.
To follow the race on the new platforms:
– Live Stream on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/MtzgFtwJ4sE (search “Paddler Media General Clinton Live”)
– GPS Tracking (ten team test): https://yb.tl/GCCR2026
– Live Checkpoint Timings: http://tinyurl.com/GCCRLiveResults These are being provided by Ryan Matthews, who does the checkpoint timing for the AuSable River Canoe Marathon and has travelled from Michigan to do the timings this year.
Race coverage can also be heard locally on WCDO.
For those who wish to view the race live, there are several good spectator access points, include at the Phoenix Mills Bridge in Middlefield, the Compton Bridge Fishing Access Point in Milford, the Clintonville Bridge off of Clintonville Road, the Milford Bridge on 166 near the village, the Portlandville Bridge, the Goodyear Lake Dam, Colliersville Bridge/Public Boat Launch, the Emmonds Public Boat Launch, the Southside Dam and Oneonta Public Boat Launch in Oneonta, the Otego and Wells Bridge launches, several spots in Unadilla, the Sidney Bridge and the race finish at Gen. Clinton Park in Bainbridge.
Go to canoeregatta.org for more information.