Paddlers from across the province – and beyond – gathered at Skaha Lake Beach last weekend for the running of the 25th annual Duel in the Desert outrigger competition.
The 2025 edition of the two-day event proved more irresistible than usual. By the time the last paddle left the water Sunday afternoon, more than double the usual number of competitors had hit the lake.
The totals were a big deal for local organizing body Penticton Paddle Sports Association.
"Last year was a record-breaking year for the big boats (six-man crews) on Saturday," said PPS Race Director Don Mulhall after it was all over.
"We established a new record at 36. But this year we were 48, so clearly that’s a big jump.
"And the small boats Sunday (one- and two-person crews) were even better. We're normally 30 to 40. This year we were over 90."
Mulhall speculates the massive turnout had something to do with this country's current issues with America. Folks would rather compete at home than venture south where there's no shortage of races but also a president who wants to take over Canada among other things.
But that's not the only reason.
"When I looked around this weekend," said Mulhall, "I saw a lot of people I've never seen before racing. A lot of people looked new to this version of the sport (outrigger racing). It seems to be growing.
"And honestly, we do a pretty good job here. We're pretty organized as far as the race itself. Just like with our dragon boat stuff (PPS runs the mammoth Dragon Boat Festival that rolls out every September,) we take it seriously."
So, what are outrigger canoes? Think of a standard canoe but imagine that it’s sleeker, faster, much less heavy, and balanced off to one side by an attached pod called an "ama."
The best single-person outriggers these days can run $5,000-plus and weigh well under 18 lbs. And they'll cut through choppy waves like a hot knife through butter.
Watching a field of 90 of them do their thing is quite a kick.
"We've had several former Olympians come into the sport," said Mulhall. "Saturday's race was won by a men's 60-plus crew. Legends in paddling.
"Guys who've been around forever chose to come here to race. It was a beautiful thing to watch these guys beating all the open groups."
One of those legends was Pemberton's Hugh Fisher.
How legendary was he? Try two kayaking medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics – a Bronze in the two-man 500 meters and a Gold in the two-man 1,000 meters.
And those are just the top highlights of a paddling career that began in 1976 and featured a stint as provincial coach and inductions into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and Canada’s Sports Halls of Fame in 2000.
By the 1990s, Fisher was a doctor. But he never quit paddling.
"I've just always felt a great joy in paddling," he told PentictonNow Sunday. "I feel good out on the water. I feel peace out on the water."
But make no mistake. At the tender young age of 69, Fisher's still got it. He was part of Saturday's six-man winning team and then part of Sunday's two-man third-place team in a thrilling race that came right down to the wire.
"We made a few tactical errors on the way in," he laughed.
In November, Fisher will join up with a bunch of oldies but goldies to compete at a world-renowned outrigger festival in the Cook Islands.
Also on hand last weekend was 63-year-old Ellie Krahn of Chilliwack, who competed Sunday in the solo class.
Krahn, who transported her own 21-lb carbon fiber boat to the event on top of her SUV, got into paddling just a few years ago when other athletic pursuits got a bit too tough.
"When I was younger, I played baseball," she said, "but that became challenging. Too many quick, short movements that are hard on older bodies. So I started dragon boating after a friend introduced me.
"But then I transitioned to this and I love it way better. In this, you paddle both sides. It equalizes body movements and body mechanics. And you don’t get more developed on one side than the other."
Krahn wasn’t alone. Seems outrigger canoes attract a wide-ranging age group, and many of them are middle-aged and above.
Mulhall seized the opportunity to plug his organization's upcoming dragon boat lessons.
"If someone of any age is interested in getting into the sport, even if they’ve never done anything, we've still got our 'Learn to Dragon Boat" course coming up," he said.
"It begins May 20 and it's twice a week. And if you decide you like paddling, you can graduate into the six-person outrigger canoes."
Also coming up regionally later this year is the reappearance of a 100-kilometer relay-style ultra-distance race called "Length of the Lake."
As the name suggests, the event covers the entire length of Okanagan Lake, from Vernon to Penticton. The entire thing goes down Sunday, Aug. 31.
For more info on that, head here. For more info on Penticton Paddle Sports, head here.
