The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club takes to the waves this weekend with its signature event, the Whitewater Rodeo.

Tonight, a freestyle competition, raft race, and packrafting challenge takes place at the Rotary Centennial Bridge. Registration is at 6 p.m. at the bridge.

Tomorrow, on the Tutshi River on the South Klondike, about 7 km before Log Cabin, intermediate and advanced whitewater races will take place. Registration is at 10 a.m.

The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club (YCKC) has been running for at least two decades now, according to Executive Director Lawrence Brennan – longer than he can remember, and he’s been paddling with the club for about 20 years now.

The club started in 1961 as the Yukon Voyageurs Club, then switched names in 1988.

Because of COVID, the club didn’t run an event last year.

“That’s probably the first time it’s been cancelled in … 20 years, if not longer,” says Brennan.

“If it cooperates in the next week, we should be back on.

“We’ve been paying attention to what the Chief Medical Officer of Health is saying, and the Yukon CDC (Communicable Disease Control). But with lifting restrictions, right now we’re feeling comfortable.

“If we have an outbreak in the next five days of course, we will shut down. But this being outdoor events, we’re feeling confident that we can do this safely.”

Of course, there will be COVID protocols in place.

“Social distancing for sure, especially since we’re outside,” says Brennan. “Of course we’ll have hand washing stations as well. It is a little difficult to do contact tracing, because there is a lot of public walking on the Millennium Trail that can stop and watch.”

Speaking of the pandemic, it’s resulted in an upward surge in paddling, with the sport riding a wave of popularity.

“I think one of the best things that we’ve realized with paddling through COVID is it’s a safe activity can-do during this time, and as such it’s exploded in popularity in the Yukon the last year and a half.

“This year all our programming has been full. We’ve been able to continue to safely run our program, even though we’ve had an outbreak earlier this summer. You look at the other private businesses in town that are teaching courses to Yukoners there that have never been as busy as in the last two years.”

Brennan explains how the events this weekend will work.

“It’s for a wide range of paddling disciplines. It’s going to be kind of a two-day event, which is the second time we’ve done this in the history. We did it once in 2019.

“Friday night we’re going to be down on the Yukon River, and we’re going to have freestyle – hard-shell freestyle events in the wave underneath the Rotary Centennial bridge. That’s for hard-shell closed boats, so it’ll be kayaks and C-1’s (closed canoes).

“We’re gonna have kind of a packraft champion of the wave of a kind of challenge, where it’s kind of like a kid playing King of the Hill, but kind of in the wave with our pack rafts … kind of knocking each other out … last person standing kind of event.

“And then we’ll finish up Friday night with a raft race from the Fish Ladder down to the intake, where we’ll have our awards at our new storage facility that we upgraded this summer, which is supported by CDF (Community Development Fund of Yukon) and built by the Youth Achievement Centre.

“And then Saturday morning we’ll be on the Tutshi River, which is down the South Klondike, about an hour and a half out of Whitehorse – seven kilometres this side of Log Cabin. About an hour and a half intermediate race through the canyon, which is starting about one p.m.

“Then we’ll have an advanced race – kind of the bigger drops lower down – around 2:30 p.m. These again are open to kayaks, pack rafts, canoes or OC1s (single-person outrigger canoes).

“Depending on how people are feeling for the day, with all this rain, the Tutshi’s come up the last couple days … so it’s going to be a game-time decision for some people if they’re going to do the advanced race or the intermediate race. But if you’re – especially with the Tutshi – if you’re comfortable paddling the craft that you have, by all means come out. If you’re comfortable paddling the Tutshi or comfortable paddling that type of white water, we’re welcoming all paddler crafts.”

As usual, when it comes to the white water of the Tutshi, it’s safety first.

“With our intermediate races, we’ll be in teams of two, and it’ll be a staggered start … so that way you know you have a second person … for safety.

“And then we’ll also have advanced racers following down behind each team of two. That’s kind of a second point of safety,” explains Brennan.

“We’ll have the same kind of staggered start for the advanced race. The Tutshi is just a little small volume to have a mass start race to do it safely and for people to have fun on it.”

The races on the Yukon River will be a little bit different.

“The raft race is gonna be a mass start, says Brennan. “First one across the finish line wins. And then the freestyle event will be on points. So we’ll have a couple of judges scoring each trick, depending on its difficulty and if you’re kind of able to link the tricks together, you get more points for that.

“And then the packraft competition is going to be … we’re not quite sure if it’s going to be last-man-standing or the person with the most time – most time they spend on the wave within the competition. As it’s only the second time we’re running this competition, we’re still kind of figuring a couple things out with it …the packraft Battle Royale.”

With Friday and Saturday’s events being so different, naturally, the qualifications for each event are different as well.

“With the Tutshi races, it is a little more difficult, so we want to make sure that people are capable. A big thing about paddling on the water is there is inherent risk, and we are always trying to mediate that risk, and part of that is making sure you paddle within your skill level.

“On Saturday morning we’ll do a warmup lap with everybody … before we race to make sure that everybody’s feeling good, and that everybody’s up to the challenge,” says Brennan.

“On Friday night, everybody’s welcome, even if you just want to enter the raft race. Each event costs five bucks and a YCKC membership as well, just to help us with insurance, and help us cover the costs of these events, since we are a non-profit society.”

Brennan is hoping for a good turnout for all the events.

“We’re gonna have four rafts, so hopefully we’ll have 20 to 30 people in the raft race. That’s probably the one that people have the most opportunity to participate (in) if they’re not feeling up for the rest of it.

“The freestyle, between the beginner, intermediate and advanced categories will probably have about 15 paddlers, and about the same with the packraft competition.

“And hopefully Saturday … in our inaugural race, we had 15 racers between kayaks, packrafts, and open canoes. So I’d like to see 15 to 20 again, I think, coming off this global pandemic, kind of our first social gathering. So … we’ll see.”

Of course, competitors will end up with some awesome prizes.

“This year we’re going to have Yukon Kayak club hoodies for the winner of each event … and we’re going to have door prizes from Yukon Brewing, Yukon Wet Adventures, Up North Adventures, Kanoe People,” says Brennan.

He also offers his take on the event.

“The whole point of this event is kind of like a celebration and showcase of paddling in the Yukon. As a non-profit, we have the flexibility to support a safe inclusive Yukon paddling community, and I think this is one of the staple events that’s going to help do that, going to help get people together, get us out for a paddle, share some laughs.

“And with the proximity of it to the intake and the Blue Bridge, it’s a great way for the general public to kind of see the fun we can have on the river, the physical, mental and emotional benefits of paddling, while obviously doing it safely.

“It is high water this year, and with more water comes more risks, but again, we are able to mitigate those risks through proper use of equipment, through understanding what the river’s doing, by taking… rescue courses.

“Yes, it’s a high-water year, but we can do this safely and enjoyably. Hopefully we inspire more people to try paddling next summer.”

“I am quite excited … we missed it last year, for sure. I remember as a kid learning to paddle the Yukon, this was like the big event of the summer.

“You see people you haven’t seen all summer, and, yeah, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” adds Brennan.

“I’m quite excited, too, for the addition of the race on the Tutshi, as well, which … there is easy access too for people who want to see steeper, bigger white water as well on Saturday.”