Canoeing - Ten Facts

With Anthony’s Nose as the back drop, canoeing is one of the places to enjoy Lake George where one hones their skills as you paddle around the peninsula.

1. The earliest known canoe artifact is the Pesse Canoe in the Netherlands. Carbon dated between 8040 and 7510 BC.

2. Canoeing was originally a form of long distance transportation in North America, the Amazon basin and Polynesia, as well as many other countries.

3. The sport of canoeing first appeared in the Olympic games at Paris, 1924.

4. Canoe made its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

5. North American Indian ancestors would fashion their canoes from birch bark. The joints were held together using the root of white pine trees. They would also need to apply hot pine or spruce resin to ensure their canoes did not let water on board.

6. In Canada, the canoe has been a theme in history and folklore, and is a symbol of Canadian identity From 1935 to 1986 the Canadian silver dollar depicted a canoe with the Northern Lights in the background.

7. The basic parts of a canoe include the bow, stern, hull, keel, deck, gunwales, thwarts, yoke, and if equipped, the seats.

8. If you have been to canoeing at camp you will know the parts of the paddle by the song we sing, grip, neck, shaft, throat, blade and tip.

9. There are eight types of canoeing; expedition, wilderness tripping, river, recreational, whitewater, racing, fishing and freighter.

10. The average speed of a canoe is 3 mph.