Curley Memorial Canoe Race

It is with sadness that the Curley Memorial Canoe Race Committee has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Curley Memorial Canoe Race.

Please Support Your Race Sponsors!!

27th Annual C-2 Race – Saturday, July 10, 2021  (Race details are tentative)

— $30.00 entry fee per team if Pre-Registered.
— $40.00 entry fee per team day of event, if not Pre-Registered
— Check-In Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. for both Expert-1 and Expert-2’s at Cooke Dam. If Pre-Registered, you must check-in at the registration table and sign a waiver.  To Pre-Register, download the C-2 Pre-Registration Form below.  Fill out the form and mail to:
Curley Memorial Canoe Race,  5218 Cedar Lake Road, Oscoda, MI.  48750
Make checks payable to Justin Griffith.  Pre-Registration forms must be received by July 8th. 2019.

— Race Course: Race starts at 9:00 a.m. at the embankment wall of Cooke Dam; canoers paddle upstream to round a buoy, and then come back to portage over the dam and continue downstream; canoers portage a second time at Foote Dam and then proceed to the Finish Line just upstream of the AuSable Inn. Expert-2’s will start first, with the Expert-1’s starting when the last Expert-2 team has portaged Cooke Dam.
— Winning time is about 2.5 hrs.
— The Pre-Race Briefing is MANDATORY for all racers.  A roll-call may be accomplished to verify attendance.
— Following the C-2 race, there is a MCRA Awards Picnic (approximately 1:00 p.m.), at the American Legion Pavilion, 349 S. State St., Oscoda.  A donation jar will be setup, and donation proceeds go to benefit the MCRA Canoers Memorial on River Rd.  Eating begins around 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. with awards following.
— Racers who fail to receive their prize at the Awards Picnic, will have their prize donated to the MCRA Canoers Memorial.
— Total Expert-1 & Expert-2 Prize Purse of $3,500; a minimum of the Top 50 Expert-1 teams, and the Top 10 Expert-2 teams will earn prizes.

C-2 Pre-Registration Entry Form

C-1 Race – Sunday, July 11, 2021 (Race details are tentative)

 C-1 Registration Form

• COOKE DAM: Due to work being accomplished at Cooke Dam, parking may not be available in the grassy area inside the loop near the dam.
• FOOTE DAM: Be advised, the portage at Foote Dam has been narrowed due to recent erosion-prevention and reinforcement construction to the seawall.  The seawall has been raised about 2 feet, but has an opening about 22′ wide with a concrete staircase.  Portaging over the seawall, which was the common method for many years, is prohibited.  Please use care and sportsmanlike conduct when/if portaging with other teams.
• FOOTE DAM: New portage stairs have been installed on the slope of the hill.  These stairs remain optional to use.
• FOOTE DAM: The dam and portage are closed off to all spectators.  Spectators are encouraged to view the race at new viewing platform next to Foote Dam, at Rea Road Bridge, the River Road Scenic Overlook near Footesite, at the U.S. Forest Service Whirlpool Boat Launch (a fee is required to park there), and the Finish Line Park.
• FOOTE DAM: Stairs have been installed at the bottom of the Foote Dam portage, at the re-entry to the river.  More information will be provided at the Pre-Race Briefing.
• EXITING THE RIVER:  Teams have the option to exit the river at either the AuSable Inn or at the North Country Canoe Rental (formerly known as the Sawyer Canoe property), approx. 300 yards downstream of the Mill Street Bridge.
• PARKING:  Parking will be available in the South parking lot at the AuSable Inn, as well as at the North Country Canoe Rental property.  The finish line for the C-2 Race will remain the same, just upstream of the Mill Street Bridge.  More information will be provided at the Pre-Race Briefing.  The parking lot on the North side of the AuSable Inn will be closed to paddlers the day of the race.
• Do not park in the AuSable River Trading Post parking lot across from the AuSable Inn!  Also, no food or beverage (especially alcoholic beverages) shall be consumed on AuSable Inn property unless purchased from the AuSable Inn. More information will be provided at the Pre-Race Briefing.

The Curley Memorial Canoe Race is a Michigan Canoe Racing Association sanctioned event.

Curley Memorial Champions