More than 1,400 paddlers in 978 canoes and kayaks took part in the seventh annual Lock & Paddle event at the Peterborough Lift Lock on Saturday (July 19).
Peterborough photographer Sean Bruce was there and shared some of his photos with kawarthaNOW.
First organized by Parks Canada in 2016, the event was originally held on June 26 in partnership with The Canadian Canoe Museum to celebrate both the national historic site and National Canoe Day.
The inaugural event attempted to fit as many canoes and kayaks as possible into the two tubs at the world’s tallest hydraulic lift lock to be lifted 65 feet (20 metres) into the air and then back down.
For the 2016 event, 138 canoeists and kayakers broke the world record for the number of canoes and kayaks in a single lockage. In 2017, that record was broken again for Canada 150 celebrations, when 328 canoes and kayaks filled the two chambers in a single lockage.
In 2018, the objective was to get as many paddlers as possible through the Peterborough Lift Lock in a three-hour period, with 262 canoes and kayaks making the journey. In 2019, for the first time, the event was held in the evening and featured a lighted paddlecraft parade, lighted night-time lockage, and free overnight camping.
After a three-year absence due to the pandemic, the event returned in August 2023 when more than 600 people paddled 403 canoes and kayaks into the Peterborough Lift Lock’s two tubs. At that event, Parks Canada encouraged all participants to decorate their vessels and wear costumes.
As with last year’s event, this year’s Lock & Paddle again took place on Parks Day, which is celebrated on the third Saturday of July to celebrate Canada’s national, provincial, and territorial parks while encouraging people to enjoy and learn about these natural spaces.
As was the case last year, simultaneous events also took place at the Hartwells Lock on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa and the Saint-Gabriel Lock on the Lachine Canal in Montreal.
The Peterborough event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured live music with Peterborough Musicfest talent performing on a LeBoat, a kids’ zone, yoga sessions, a BBQ by the Bewdley & District Lions Club, giant games from The Boardwalk Board Game Lounge, and water safety and boat safety information offered by the City of Peterborough and Boating Ontario.
The lockage, which took place from noon until 4 p.m., saw a total of 978 canoes and kayaks lifted up and down the Peterborough Lift Lock over four hours.
The Canadian Canoe Museum also offered a special paddling experience in a traditional Voyageur canoe, where participants left the waterfront location of the new museum on Little Lake and travelled through Lock 20 – Ashburnham and onward to the Peterborough Lift Lock to participate in the event.
