Canoe Race Returns with a Splash

Naples is “back in the paddle!”

For decades, the Great Dock Canoe Race was a Naples fixture. First run in 1977, it began as a way for the staff at the Dock Restaurant to relax and unwind after the season. As the years passed, it grew and grew to become a major fixture of the “shoulder season,” attracting thousands of spectators and clogging Naples Bay with the spectator fleet.

The race succumbed to Covid-19 and the sale of the Dock and hadn’t been run since 2020. But Saturday, paddles were thumpin’ in the river again, just a little further upstream. With organization of the event taken over by the Young Professionals of Naples (YPN) group, the newly branded “Great Canoe Races of Naples” were headquartered at Baker Park off Goodlette Rd., with the “heats” or individual races running under the pedestrian footbridge across the Gordon River from the park, and about 50 vendors and organizations setting up shop on the lawn back at the park.

With the distance between those two energy centers it made for a lot of walking for organizers and those attempting to watch or chronicle the races.

“Yeah, there was a lot of back and forth,” said Matt Young of YPN. “We logged about 30,000 steps” for what was supposed to be a boat-centric event. Of course, the paddlers put in the miles as well.

Due to concerns about increased boat traffic on Naples Bay and limited spectator space, the City of Naples nixed the idea of continuing in the original course between the Dock at Crayton Cove and Tin City, where US 41 crosses the river, said Young. Upriver, there were still some power boats going by, but the new location made it easier for everyone to keep safe and not worry about wake or boat collisions.

There were a few gentle collisions between racing canoes, with widely varying levels of paddling skill among the racers, and a couple of deliberate splash fights as contestants waited for their heats. But the vibe was friendly and the day was beautiful, with the whole event taking place before the (inevitable?) summer rains poured down.

There were five races in all, beginning with a paddle board only two-lap event. Each lap equals seven tenths of a mile. This was followed by the “choose your vessel” race, where any hand-powered craft was welcome, for one lap.

First responders, including the Marco Island Police Department (MIPD), did one lap, followed by the “pro” canoeists, covering four laps or 2.8 miles, and finally the “ambitious amateur” free-for-all, with over 30 canoes splashing around one lap. That race got a little zooey, with paddlers trying to squeeze through between the mangroves and the bridge uprights, but many of the canoeists still managed to spare a wave and a smile for the spectators above.

Each lap of each race proceeded up the river upstream from the bridge, around the island that leads to the dock of the Conservancy of Naples, back under the bridge downstream, around a buoy, and back under the bridge again, finishing where they started. The Conservancy, credited by organizers as a major source of help, will be the beneficiary of proceeds from the canoe race, if there is money to give after covering expenses, including police coverage by the City of Naples.

In perhaps the most hotly contested category, the “practically professional” canoe race was won by Great Dock Canoe Race veteran Kim Kelsey, along with his partner Kenny Wilkinson. They completed their four laps in 28 minutes, 28 seconds, winning in spite of missing a buoy and having to return to round it. Kelsey was a perennial winner when the race was held on the bay. Watching them paddle, you could tell they were serious contestants by the hoses they had running to their mouths, so they could hydrate without having to put their paddles down.

Madison Hill and Miles Johnson won the amateur heat with a time of 7:35. “Choose your vessel” honors went to Gracie Seidel and Mark Trejo, representing the Conservancy. Among the first responders, one of the two Greater Naples fire-rescue teams, paddled by Corey Neilsen and John Richards, won with a time of 7:13, followed by MIPD paddlers Jonathan Gray and Cruz Gray. The paddleboard heat was won by Mark Athanacio with a time of 13 minutes even, beating two dozen other stand-up paddleboards, including Buzz Wentz, who paddled with his “super mutt” JJ.

Musical entertainment was provided by the Moonstone Riders and solo artist Matty Jollie. While the event was family-friendly, alcohol was for sale at multiple venues.

Hoping to break even, organizers are offering discounts on “merch” from the event that is still available, including caps, beverage coolers, and a variety of t-shirts. To find these, go online to naplescanoeraces.com. You can wear the swag when the event returns next year, which Matt Young says is definitely in the works.