The 45th annual New England Paddlesports Championship (NEPC) and Community Challenge brought dozens of competitive and recreational paddlers to Hinsdale/Brattleboro on July 28th for an event hosted by Connecticut River Conservancy and community partners.
Racers launched from Norm’s Marina on the Connecticut River, participating in 5-mile recreational and 12-mile competitive races. The 12-mile marathon race is one of the longer “marathon” courses in New England, with both earning paddlers points in the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association (NECKRA) Flatwater Point Series.
41 individuals and 32 vessels (18 singles; 9 doubles; 5 SUPS) competed in the races, and an additional 3 boats/6 individuals in the 1-mile Community Challenge. Some of the first-place finishers include Pam Browning from Athol, MA in the K-1 Rec Course, Karen Delury of Killington, VT in the SUP Competitive, and Del Cummings and Vikki Cummings of Meriden, CT in the C-2 Mixed 50+. Local long-time Brattleboro racer Michael Fairchild took first place in his single class this year having won in 2022 in C2 with regular partner Peter Heed of Keene, NH. All of the winning results are available here.
“We received some incredibly positive feedback about the races” said Gabriél Chevalier, Connecticut River Conservancy’s Recreation and Restoration Program Manager who designed the racecourse. “This event was all about celebrating the Connecticut River, the recreation community, and the many ways healthy rivers enrich our lives, so I’m thrilled that we were able to accomplish that.”
The event was made even more exciting with the presence of a Brattleboro Community Radio DJ team playing riverside jams. The WVEW 107.7 FM volunteers David Longsmith and Ian Kiesel kept the racers energized and provided commentary on the mic. Food trucks from J&B Curbside Café and Frisky Cow Gelato were also on site. Racers were celebrated with an awards ceremony and prizes, and spectators were entertained by an inflatable costume relay race, lawn games, and demonstrations including fly-casting by Trout Unlimited and a stream table by the Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District. Rescue, Inc. provided on-water safety with multiple safety boats and even members of their swift water rescue team.
As with all successful community events, the NEPC, Community Challenge, and riverside activities were made possible by the generosity of local sponsors and volunteers.
Event sponsors included the Savings Bank of Walpole, NorthStar Vermont Yankee Decommissioning, 802 Credit Union, Berkley & Veller Greenwood Country Realtors, Reed & Reed, Brattleboro Food Co-op, Richards Group, Brattleboro Savings and Loan/Park Place Financial Advisors, George’s Field Shopping Plaza, Hamshaw Lumber, Integrated Solar, Brattleboro Area Realty, and others. Additional community partners included Brattleboro Community Television, Brattleboro Community Radio, Brattleboro Reformer, Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, Rockingham Recon, The Marina Restaurant, and event hosts Norm’s Marina.
Lapping the Brattleboro-Hinsdale Island is a special feature of hosting the event and showcases an area of the local landscape that will change next year after traffic shifts to the new General John Stark Memorial Bridge. By next summer, the existing bridges and island will be free of traffic. Landscaping at the bridge landing on the NH side overlaps the entrance to Norm’s Marina and is scheduled to be completed by June 2025, just in time to welcome people for an even better NEPC and riverside activities in late July.
CRC looks forward to working with the communities and local partners to make this a premiere summer event for the towns and region. According to local champion and CRC’s Director of Development Brett Morrison,"The river is a long-underutilized asset. The race is a great opportunity to bring people to the area, to connect the local community to this amazing river resource, and to support CRC’s ongoing work to increase free public river access, improve habitat, and restore resiliency.”
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