2023 Manchester Canoe Race

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The Chelsea Amateur Radio Club traditionally officiates at the Manchester Canoe Race each Spring along the River Raisin. This year was no exception. See below for the photographs.

Shown here is a cover-all photograph of the start line. Canoes are lined up at the launch point to the left of the photo. Notice the all-important porta-potties in the distance very close to the start. As one might guess, before embarking on a roughly one-hour journey away from modern conveniences, it is necessary to “unload” if necessary.
Officiating at the start line are Chelsea Amateur Radio Club volunteers. Notice that the start line is clearly in view for them and that they are able to capture the precise second that any one canoe passes the official starting point once launched. Also notice the redundancy of volunteers to guarantee a maximum level of time-capture precision.
One of the functions of the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club at the 2023 Manchester Canoe Race is not only to officiate but to relay to authorities incidences where canoes are in need of professional assistance. In this photo, note the fallen tree crossing the river. The race promoters were not aware of this possible obstruction since it happened during the night before the event. It was not a problem but the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club was able to make the race promoters aware of a possible safety issue that they were not aware of.

Not visible in this photo are enumerated markers along the length of the race path. These enable professionals to locate canoes in need of assistance in a rapid fashion. Were we at the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club to become aware of such a need, we could report to authorities the precise location where the help was needed. For most serious incidences, 911 would of course be called. But there are other minor incidences where life or limb is not threatened but assistance would be beneficial. For those incidences, the local fire authority had its own volunteers on site to provide rapid aid.

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