FAQ
Q. HOW LONG DOES THE RACE TAKE?
A. The fastest recorded time is just over 6 days, but it can take 10+ days; weather and river level dependent.
Q. WHAT ROUTE DOES THE RACE FOLLOW?
A. Beginning in Canada at Whitehorse (60°42’54.3″N 135°02’45.2″W), the race crosses into Alaska and ends at Dalton Highway Bridge, in the Arctic Circle (60°42’54.3″N 135°02’45.2″W).
Q. HOW DO I DEAL WITH BEARS?
A. Bring bear spray, the salmon are running this time of year. You will see bears, but hopefully not in camp. Use sensible bear precautions: cook away from your tent, keep your food separate from your tent and away from your boat, etc.
Store your food and boat some distance from your tent, have bear bells attached to food storage for warning. Further guidance will be provided in the race entry information pack issued to successful racers and at the pre race brief.
Q. how do i get to the yukon?
A. The easiest way is to fly from Calgary or Vancouver with most International carriers, then onto Whitehorse with Air North.
There are daily flights from Vancouver on Air Canada and Air North. There are also flights several times a week from Edmonton and Calgary on Air North, and during the summer, flights from Frankfurt on Conder Airlines. You can also get here by car or bus up the Alaska Highway, which has improved a great deal and is now a high class paved road.
Q. where does the race start?
A. The race starts in Whitehorse at the North end of the Rotary Park on a small beach on 19th July 2020. Directions will be provided in the Race Registration pack.
Q. where can i rent a canoe or kayak?
A. Kanoepeople in Whitehorse are the best place to start; they know the right Canoe and Kayak for the race and can offer all pre requisite advice and kit.
Q. where can i buy paddling or camping gear?
A. Paddles, are something you want to research and train with before the race; common brands are ZRE paddles and Wearner paddles for the disciplines.
Camping gear is a thing of personal choice. Travel light, travel far.
Q. what KIT IS MANDATORY?
A. All racers will be issued a mandatory kit list well in advance of the race.
Q. wHERE DO I GET A SPOT TRACKER FROM?
A. Spot trackers can be bought online and they must be registered upon purchase.
Q. where do i get mapping?
A. The Rourke map that should be familiar to people who have done the Yukon River Quest is good as far as Dawson. There is another Rourke map that takes you as far as Circle. Past Circle, there is a problem.
The river has never been mapped well, especially beyond Dawson city where the Gold Rush ended. The suggested method is to pull mapping from Google earth; grid and scale using latitude & longitude; then print onto waterproof paper.
Navigation is not to be underestimated; the river level may not be the same as what appears on Google earth. The annual river thaw has significant effect on the landscape and river direction.
Q. HOW DO I MEASURE MY OWN CANOE, KAYAK OR TANDEM SEA KAYAK?
A. Kayak (K20) – This race is for recreation or expedition-style sea kayaks only, with closed cockpits. Sit-on-tops or an outrigger type craft are not allowed.
Sea kayaks must have storage hatches capable of storing all the gear required for this race. Kayaks must be paddled with the use of double-blade paddles only.
The Yukon 1000 Canoe and Kayak Race has adopted the same boat measuring scheme as the Yukon River Quest. For Kayaks this includes a simple length to width ratio which is determined by dividing the total length of the kayak at the 4-inch waterline (excluding the rudder unless it is faired into the hull) by the midship width at the 4-inch waterline. Do not rely on other published ratios. In addition, there is a minimum overall width. Measure according to directions in the How to Measure section of the FAQs.
Tandem Sea Kayak
Maximum 4 waterline length-width ratio: 10.2
Minimum overall width at the widest point: 26 in.
Canoe (C2 )- The tandem canoe (C2) class allows any boat meeting the USCA Competition Cruiser specification. Note that this specification allows boats that are not necessarily the most suitable for the race. Make sure your boat can carry the required gear and is stable when fully loaded. Each canoe must start the race with an approved, full coverage spray skirt/deck. Canoes must be paddled with the use of single blade paddles only, and must not be equipped with rudders or skegs.
See http://www.uscanoe.com/Content Images and Docs/USCA Main Calendar/USCACompRules2009.pdf section V.A for the full Competition Cruiser specification.
Tandem Canoe Max. Length – 18 feet, 6 inches, stem to stern
Tandem Canoe Min. Width – 14 3/8% of the length (.14375 times the length) at the 4 inch water line, measured within 12 inches fore and aft of the center of the canoe.
Tandem Canoe Center Gunnel Min. height: 11½ in.
Tandem Canoe Min. Height at Bow: 15½ in.
This rule allows: stock canoes such as the Clipper and Wenonah Jensen 18 models; and canoes such as the Clipper Whitewater II and Wenonah Minnesota II models. However, all of the above listed boats must have their measurements listed on the application, and will be measured at the pre-race inspection to ensure they meet the specs above.