麻豆社区

CARMACKS 鈥� A tempestuous Lake Laberge failed to hamper a British kayak duo from grabbing an early lead in the 2014 Yukon River Quest.

Shaun 鈥楶ercy' Thrower and Steve King of Herefordshire, U.K., arrived in the Carmacks checkpoint just after 8:30 a.m. today, more than 40 minutes ahead of second-place paddler Dave Hutchison.

The duo were able to get out of their Tomaree Double sea kayak under their own power, and left the dock immediately for a hot shower.

Afterwards, they spoke with the Star while enjoying a breakfast of egg sandwiches followed by hamburgers.

Thrower, 53, is a four-time race veteran. He and 41-year-old paddling partner King broke hard from the start line to see if anyone could keep up their pace.

None could.

The duo 鈥� known as 鈥楾wo Numbnuts' 鈥� saw their early lead evaporate slightly on Lake Laberge, where they had to stop four times to bail water from their boat.

"It was basically sinking,鈥� said Thrower. "It probably cost us five minutes each time. Riding the waves and that was fine. It was just the boat; we didn't realize it was so low.鈥�

Once back on the Yukon River, the two began paddling with more ferocity, stopping for a couple of minutes each hour to rest.

"We can only race ourselves and the river,鈥� Thrower said of their strategy going forward. "If someone's faster than us, we can't do anything about that.

"We didn't know what the voyageurs were going to turn up like this year ... It's a bit easier for us this year in the sense we haven't got the voyageurs to cope with.鈥�

King said this is already the longest race he's ever paddled. He also spotted some new wildlife on the riverbank en route to Carmacks 鈥� two grizzly bears, a moose and a troop of beavers.

Meanwhile, Hutchison needed help getting out of his kayak and left the dock on crutches. The 53-year-old explained that he had shattered his ankle in a climbing accident in 2008 鈥� an injury that hampers him on dry land, but apparently not in the water.

Hutchison said the metre-high swells on the lake actually helped him gain on the leaders.

"The lake was awesome,鈥� the Montana whitewater paddler said while his wife, Felicia, dried his chest and back with a warm towel. "It's what I was always hoping for in a race like this. That was perfect conditions for me, (but) I figured there'd be carnage. Flatwater paddlers aren't used to that.

"I caught waves all the way down the lake but they were from behind, so I was surfing the whole lake 鈥� just what I like doing,鈥� he said. "I was having fun and I was going fast. Those are both good things.鈥�

Hutchison hoped to catch the leaders on the lake, but when the waves died down, so did his advantage.

Once back on the river, the kayaker said he was fighting to find the current, as water levels are down this year.

Entering Carmacks in third just after 10:15 were Saskatchewan canoeists Clay Sewap and Jason Charles, followed by the first voyageur boat 鈥楾eam Ts'alvit,' which includes Yukoners Jim and Pam Boyde, Pauline Frost-Hanberg, Monique Levesque, Kim Outridge, Jake Paleczny, and Karen Mann.