The Ruahine Swallow is now 1 for 1 in Maine following a winning debut at the Passagassawakeag River Race last Saturday. I paddled the Swallow (and managed not to get bucked off her) for a winning time of 45:19 over the 8 mile course. Bangor Daily News article here. Next in was Jeff Owen and Bucky Owen of Orono, paddling a canoe in the rec century division at 46:45. A little research showed not only the winning time, but the average times in all the divisions seemed several minutes slower this year. It’s true that absent from the race were some of the KI-1 heavy hitters — Fred Ludwig, Jeff Sands, Kenny Cushman — who have led the race in recent years. But my guess is that despite the dam release, the Passy ran 4 – 5 minutes slower than in 2005 when Cushman sprinted to a time of 38:05.