Bob Daffe, the noted canoe and kayak-builder and coach was announced as the newest member of the Yukon Sports Hall of Fame yesterday afternoon in a ceremony outside of Sport Yukon.

Daffe’s friends and family were gathered outside to join in the celebration. Even the cars driving down Fourth Avenue got involved, honking their horns and cheering as they passed by.

Daffe entered the territory’s sports world in 1970, where he has remained a fixture up to the present. Since arriving, Daffe has been teaching others to paddle and has been building local white water paddling for more than four decades.

Since arriving in 1969, Daffe has been on the water. He began canoeing, then kayaking before finding his way to a raft.

For the past four decades, he’s been honing his skills in white water rafting and building the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club (YCKC).

Daffe built his own company and worked as a raft guide for many years - sharing his love of the Yukon with others.

Standing on the front steps of Sport Yukon, Daffe addressed the crowd.

“Thank you for nominating me it’s a great honour,” said Daffe. “All I want to say is it’s been a lot of fun. I didn’t know having so much fun was legal.”

He offered many thanks to those he has worked and volunteered with over the years and spoke to the future of canoeing and kayaking.

“I’d like to talk about the future of the club, the legacy that we are leaving behind,” said Daffe. “It’s great to see that the spirit of the club is still well alive moving on.”

After Daffe addressed the crowd, he was formally welcomed to the Yukon Sports Hall of Fame by Marg White, who handed him the award. As he accepted a chorus of “yeah Bob” rang out.

Daffe shared his love of paddling with his son Kevin - who at eight-years-old paddled down the Tatshenshini River solo in a kayak. Kevin was immersed in the water world and with his father’s coaching, he became the Yukon’s first international paddling athlete joining the Canadian Junior Team in 1999.

Daffe was also an athlete in his own right. He has competed in many of the annual Water Rodeos hosted by the YCKC. Daffe placed all over the podium in many disciplines including slalom/technical, freestyle/wave and downriver.

Not only has Daffe spent many years coaching future paddlers. He has also dedicated his time to teaching people about river safety and has been consulted on the hazards and how to mitigate them.

Currently, Daffe is working on an art history project with the YCKC.

Historic river maps by unknown artists have been digitized and retouched with a copy going to Yukon Archives.

For those reasons and many more, Daffe was a deserving entrant into the Yukon Sport Hall of Fame for 2019.