It's the first Saturday in February, the day of the ice canoe race in Rimouski. Arriving shortly before noon, we watched the various crews take in some last minute carbs and liquids in a cavernous but relatively warm building. Outside was cold - about 6 F, with a steady wind. The past three weeks, we've been cross-country skiing in colder weather, but because we were standing around waiting for the race to start (as opposed to moving about), we got fairly cold. The crew members, and other Canadians lingering about, seemed to take the cold in stride.
Ice canoes were once used to ferry people and supplies across the Saint Lawrence River, including from Levis to Quebec City, where the river is relatively narrow. In winter, these canoes would encounter both open water as well as large sheets of ice.
These days, ice canoeing is done mainly for sport, hence today's race. Each long narrow canoe has a crew of 5, with teams in today's race from various parts of Quebec Province, and perhaps beyond. The entire race appeared to be on ice today, but often the course involves both open water (paddling) as well as ice (crew members straddle the boat with one leg inside and the other outside pushing the boat forward). It's a pretty hardy bunch in these canoes.
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| Sunrise over snow-covered fields east of our house |
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| Ice canoes lined up before the noon race |
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Close up of one of the canoes; crew members typically have one leg in the boat,
the other leg pushes against the ice to move the boat forward |
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| An ice canoe crew member for a local Rimouski team being interviewed by the Press |
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Note the spiked shoes for getting traction on the ice
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A rescue squad preparing to get out on the ice
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| Looking towards Saint Fabian at sunset |
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