On Sunday, the Willard Hanmer honored that tradition with one of the largest fields yet since its resurrection, with more than 100 paddlers. The Hanmer featured multiple classes and competitions, with canoes and kayaks taking part alongside the namesake crafts. Traditionally, the race has featured both flatwater and downriver events. This year, however, low water levels on the Saranac River forced a last-minute course change, with all events taking place on Lake Flower.

Despite the busy waters on a warm and sunny summer weekend, the race went off without a hitch. Saranac Lake Police Department Chief Darin Perotte and Sergeant Luke Cromp, along with state law enforcement officials, were on water patrol, making sure motorized craft didn’t come too close or create too much of a wake for the racers — many of whom were paddling fast but narrow canoes or kayaks more seceptile to capsize when encountering a rogue wave.

Local racer Tim Hasseltine said he found out Sunday morning about the course change. After running the downriver scenario through his mind the last six months, he said it was a quick mental pivot, but in the end, all was well.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It’s such a good tradition … there are some good young racers that are coming on.”

Four-time one-man guideboat race winner John Duprey, left, smiles with Chris Woodward after defending his title at the Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe Race in Saranac Lake on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Race organizer Kathy Dyer said part of keeping the Hanmer legacy alive is looking to the future. This year, the Saranac Lake Kiwanis Club sponsored all junior class paddlers, making the race free for those 16 and under. Lewis Hann posted the fastest time in the junior classes, paddling a Hornbeck ultra-light canoe. He credited his parents for getting him into paddling.

“What I love most about it is you can jump right into the water afterwards,” Hann said. “It doesn’t matter because you’re already a little wet.”

The guideboat has been an iconic part of the history here — with its eloquently ribbed hull, often sparkling with a delicate coat of varnish. It’s as much a piece of art as a wilderness touring boat. But it wasn’t always this way.

In the 1800s, the distinct boat was designed and pioneered in use in the Adirondacks. The original builders sought to blend the sturdiness and larger carrying capacity of rowboats, more common along the coast, with the nimble, lightweight nature of canoes.

That’s because the boats were being put to work, often to transport hunting or fishing parties, often of vacationers flocking to the Adirondacks to escape the hustle and bustle of large East Coast cities in the summer, and their guides — hence the name — deep into the wilderness. On one hand, the boats had to carry enough supplies to sustain the group for multiple days. On the other hand, they had to be lightweight enough for the guides to manage the numerous portages inherent to Adirondack waterways.

Ashley Doyle smiles after winning the one-woman guideboat race at the Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe Race in Saranac Lake on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“The guideboat is Saranac Lake,” said Chris Woodward, who owns the Woodward Boat Shop in Saranac Lake. In its fourth generation of ownership, it’s the only surviving guideboat shop of its kind today. It was founded in 1930 by famed Saranac Lake guideboat builder Willard Hanmer, who had picked up the trade from his father, Theodore. After Willard died in 1962, ownership was passed on to Carl Hathaway, who worked for Hanmer previously. In 1991, Hathaway handed ownership down to Woodward, his apprentice then, who has operated it since.

“It’s sort of a time capsule from the 1950s of a guideboat shop,” he said. “It’s been continuous guideboat building.”

In 1963, the Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe Race was founded in honor of Hanmer and to ensure that his legacy and craft live on. It ran for 50 years before taking a 10-year hiatus and resuming in 2022, led by the efforts of that mother-daughter organizer duo, Sue and Kathy Dyer. Woodward served as the emcee this year.

“I think it was absolutely wonderful,” Sue said. “There were a few problems but everybody forgave us and had a great time.”

When the last boat crossed the finish line on Sunday, and the awards were handed out, Sue said she was looking forward to catching a bit of rest before the planning starts again for next year’s Hanmer.

Andy Pickreign, bow, and Brendan Devito paddle toward the finish line in a two-person canoe at the Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe Race in Saranac Lake on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

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