Mississippi River Open Tour & Family Paddle Challenge Rules
General Rules:
In formulating the rules that govern this event every effort has been made to foresee all situations and problems that may arise, however, officials of Two Paddles, LLC (Two Paddles) retain the right to change or amend these rules at any time without liability or recourse from any party regardless of the circumstances. Should such changes or amendments be made, every effort will be made to notify all entrants. All decisions of the event organizers are final.
All participants and guardians/parents of participants are required to read and follow these rules. Failure to follow any rule may result in a time penalty or disqualification from the event.
All participants or guardians of participants of Two Paddles events, must agree to the “Amateur Athletic Waiver and Release of Liability” and sign the form at check-in on the day of the event start. This waiver is required by the United States Canoe Association for participation in this event.
All participants are required to comply with any health guidelines issued by state, federal and/or local government that are in effect at the time of the event.
For the Family Race: This event is for a minimum of 2 paddlers. Every team must have at least one young person and one person over 21 in the boat. All young people in the boat must, as of June 1st, 2024 be currently enrolled in or have just finished 1st-8th grade. Every team must have at least one young person paddling in the bow or the stern of the boat the entire time. If you have an odd number of people, children must be in the majority. When selecting your division, you must choose the division corresponding to the grade of the oldest child on your team.
All boats over ten feet must be registered in the state of Minnesota except watercraft currently registered in another state and not kept in Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days, or a watercraft owned by a person from another state that does not require licensing of that type of watercraft and it is not within Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days, or watercraft from a country other than the United States and not kept in Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days.
The original craft must be paddled from start to finish. Participants cannot switch boats unless their boat is damaged and unable to be paddled; in the event this happens the participants will still be eligible to complete the event and be considered finishers but will not be eligible to win a divisional or overall award.
A space must be available on each side of the boat, close to the bow on which to affix the official boat number. Each team will be assigned a 4 digit number. Participants should acquire and place their own numbers, and they should be 3 or 4” in height. Numbers made for displaying your address on your home or mailbox work well. We recommend you get your own numbers however event organizers will have some numbers available at the start of the race for a fee. If you do not want the numbers to stay on your boat permanently you can try putting duct tape down first and then sticking the numbers on top of the duct tape.
Per the Minnesota boating guide, when transporting your boat to and from the event, all participants must clean all visible aquatic plants, mud and debris off your boat, trailer and other water-related equipment before leaving a water access or shoreland property. It’s illegal to transport prohibited invasive plants or animals, whether dead or alive. Drain water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait container) and drain bilge, livewell and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving a water access. Keep drain plugs out and water-draining devices open while transporting watercraft.
Deliberate littering of the river is illegal. Teams must keep their trash in their vessel and go ashore to properly dispose of waste.
Use of alcohol and/or mind-altering drug use is prohibited prior to and during the event.
All participants agree to appear in event-related photography, videography and media coverage.
Safety:
All participants and parents/guardians should understand that there are risks involved in this endeavor. Constant vigilance, clear thinking and quick reaction will be essential at all times. All participants enter this event at their own risk and will not hold this event’s organizers, judges, officials and sponsors liable for accidents to and/or damage to any property.
All participants must wear a properly fitted, wearable (Type I, II, III) U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) while on the water. Failure to wear a PFD at any time while on the water will result in disqualification.
PFD’s must be “in serviceable condition”, meaning:
A) They are the appropriate size and fit for the intended user
B) They are legibly marked with a USCG approval number.
A PFD is NOT considered to be in serviceable condition if the PFD exhibits deteriorations that could diminish the performance of the PFD including:
Rips, tears, or open seams in fabric or coatings, that are large enough to allow the loss of buoyant material;
Buoyant material that has become hardened, non-resilient, permanently compressed, waterlogged, oil-soaked, or which shows evidence of fungus or mildew; or
Loss of buoyant material or buoyant material that is not securely held in position.
A) Inflatable PFD’s: Shall not be worn by non-swimmers or those under 16; shall be worn in the front at the waist as the manufacturer designed it AND must be inspected by the user prior to wearing including ensuring that it is equipped with a properly armed inflation mechanism, complete with a full inflation cartridge and status indicators showing that the inflation mechanism is properly armed.
B) In lieu of wearing a USCG approved PFD, competitors older than 13 years of age may wear an inherently buoyant form filled PFD which meets International Organization for Standardization ISO 12402-5 as long as the competitor complies with the instructions printed on the PFD, securely wears the PFD, and has a USCG approved PFD in the boat as well.
A pealess whistle must be attached to each PFD at all times.
All participants must check-in with their boat and required safety gear and must attend the entire pre-event meeting .
Event organizers may notify participants to require them to go to shore in the event of severe weather, but participants should on their own go to shore in the event of dangerous conditions. Per the National Lightning Safety Institute; if lightning is seen or thunder is heard, get off the water immediately and seek shelter. Thirty minutes after seeing lightning or hearing thunder, participants may proceed down the course.
In the event you need assistance, participants should flag down a safety boat. If that’s not possible and you have a mobile phone, call event officials (phone number will be given out at the pre-event meeting).
If a participant asks for your assistance in an emergency you are obligated to help them to the degree that you can without harming your boat or yourself.
Event Timing and Logistics:In the event of inclement weather during the event or particularly high or low water conditions or for any other reason, the course may be shortened or changed; start times, cut-off times and finish times may be altered.
The event will officially end at 5pm on Sunday or when the last boat has reached the Mississippi Point Park boat ramp, whichever comes earlier. The official end time for each boat will be recorded when the bow of the boat crosses the finish line. The finish line will be set up between a buoy and the shore or under an inflatable archway, near the boat ramp. Participants still on the Mississippi River after 5pm are electing to continue independently of the race.
A person’s participation in this event ends when they have notified event officials they are withdrawing from the event, reached Mississippi Point Park before 5pm on Sunday or failed to arrive by 5pm. If any team elects to end their participation before they reach the boat ramp at Mississippi Point Park they must call event officials.
Racing Rules:
Each vessel must be propelled exclusively by paddle power (double or single blade) and/or pedal power while on the water. No sail or kite is permitted.
There are no restrictions on the use of electric bailers, outriggers, or any particular type of paddle, canoe covers or decking.
Boats may be removed from the river by participants for breaks, repairs, or illness/injury but must re-enter the water at the point of exit. If a participant skips any portion of the course they are disqualified and may be barred from future competition.
Outside assistance (such as from a motorboat or any craft not in the event) that provides intentional aid in the forward progress of a participant’s boat is not allowed. This includes towing, wake riding, deflection of wind and “rafting up”. However, wake riding and wind deflection between the boats in the event is allowed. No towing of event craft is permitted unless a participant is helping another participant get to shore to leave the event due to a medical/safety issue.
Divisions
NOTE: event organizers reserve the right to combine or divide divisions for any reason.
Divisions will be determined by the grade of the oldest young person on the team. One division will be offered for each grade from grade 1-8.
If you would like to paddle a multi-person Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) please contact event organizers; we may consider adding a division for SUPs.
30. We have created a Gender Policy to help provide guidance so everyone can participate:
We will accept each person’s decision to sign up for any given division at face value, and no supporting evidence is required.
Two Paddles has adopted this policy out of the desire for inclusion and fairness. As such, we expect all parties to behave in a manner that is honest, compassionate, and respectful. We will not tolerate hateful or discriminatory behavior by any of our participants, or those associated with the event, regardless of the cause.
We plan to periodically review this policy to be sure it is up to date and equitable. Please contact the event directors at info@twopaddles.org if you have any questions, comments, or feedback.
Gear:
31. Required Gear:
Personal Flotation Device (PFD) for each paddler that must be worn at all times when on the water
Mobile phone. Phone should be kept in a waterproof container.
Pealess whistle attached to each PFD
32. Recommended Gear:
Extra paddle
Rain gear (depending on forecast)
Clothes to change into after the race
Sunblock/sunscreen
Hat
Sunglasses
Footwear that can get wet