麻豆社区

The Down Under Dogs have a way of making things interesting.

The six-man voyageur canoe team from Australia took a plunge into the icy waters of the Yukon River on Wednesday morning when they got uprooted by an eddy.

That incident dropped them from first place to seventh but by the time they pulled into the Carmacks checkpoint they were once again paddling near the top of the pack, riding in second place.

Team Such a Blast left Carmacks with a nearly 20 minute window on the Aussies, who didn't help their cause by taking another dip into the water in the Five Finger Rapids on Thursday evening.

Paddling a little too far to the right through the passage, the Dogs caught a backwash off the rock face near a large eddy and rode two large waves before rolling on the third hit.

A Yukon River Quest safety boat was close to the scene and able to get the team safely to the shore at Tatchun Creek.

This time the team remained on land slightly longer than the 15 minute break they took the first time they capsized.

Within that time two more teams passed through, propelling the Aussies down the leader board.

Showing incredible resilience, the Dogs immediately found their rhythm when they got back into the water.

By the time they reached Fort Selkirk, about a five hour paddle from the rapids, they were once again in first place.

"It's very impressive,鈥� said Jeff Brady, River Quest board member.

"They made up a lot of ground pretty quickly.鈥�

The Dogs are made up of experienced paddlers, with each member having years of canoeing experience as outriggers in Australia.

They were rightfully exhausted when they arrived into Carmacks on Thursday morning but when they got back into the water seven hours later; they appeared to have rediscovered their energy.

The Five Finger Rapids are a dangerous stretch in the River Quest; the risk is amplified this year by the high water level and the speed of the current.

As of late Thursday night, 11 teams had scratched the race and another, Robert Ross of Kingston, Ont. also capsized through the rapids.

Ross, competing in the men's solo kayak division was helped to shore by another solo kayaker, Gus Oliveira of Salt Spring Island, B.C.