Pirogue Racing Championship Revived On GIWW
Pirogues replaced pushboats on a stretch of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway July 21 when the Town of Jean Lafitte, La., hosted the Jean Lafitte Pirogue Races—also called the Battle for the Paddle.
The event, proclaimed as the pirogue racing world championship, featured close to 80 participants who competed in a dozen categories, including the duck decoy pick up, a blindfolded pirogue race, the top Cajun race, women and men over-50 competitions, men’s and women’s common boat races, kayak and two-person canoe races, a teenager event, and the women’s and men’s world championship races.
Jean Lafitte’s pirogue racing roots go back all the way to the Great Depression, with the first organized competition held in 1934 on nearby Bayou Barataria. The last pirogue races were held in Lafitte 13 years ago, although the event had been dwindling since the 1970s. However, this year, under the leadership of race organizer Timothy Kerner Jr., son of Lafitte’s mayor, Tim Kerner Sr., the championship races have found new life.
According to Kerner, in addition to the participants, the event drew close to 30 vendors and 2,000 attendees, making it a resounding success. Gulls and pirogues crisscrossed the canal for four or five hours, while crowds cheered and peeled shrimp from the Jules Nunez Seafood Pavilion and AJ & Sheron Fabre Market, which both overlook the waterway. Kerner called each race with gusto.
Kerner said his team of organizers began planning for the event just three or four months ago. He expressed thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard for expediting the permitting process, which allowed for the canal to be closed to navigation during the event. He also thanked all the volunteers, vendors and competitors who came together to make the event a success.
One of the most entertaining races of the day was the blindfolded race, which featured men and women racing with sacks over their heads. A collision at pirogue speed left at least one contestant in the water.
The women’s championship drew just two competitors, Shannon Dardar of Mandeville, La., and Sierrra Wilsey of Covington, La., but Dardar and Wilsey battled from start to finish. They paddled a half mile west on the GIWW, turned, then paddled back to the finish, with Dardar claiming the championship.
Anticipation rose with the South Louisiana heat as the men gathered for the final race that afternoon. Tyler Cortez, who donned a mullet wig for the men’s championship race, tipped out of his pirogue and into the water on his way to the starting line.
“Getting in one of these racing pirogues is no easy task!” Kerner called into the PA system.
But Cortez would not be discouraged. He completed the grueling 2-mile course.
As the competitors rounded the 1-mile point, Larry Alexie of Lafitte, Richard Savoie of Des Allemands, La., and Jeb Berry from Gulfport, Miss.—or as Kerner called it, the “East Coast”—were battling for the lead. Savoie, though, flipped his pirogue as he made the turn.
“It looks like Larry Alexie is the hope of Lafitte!” Kerner called as the racers came down the final leg.
And Alexie left no doubt who the 2018 champion would be. He won handily, with Berry finishing a distant second and Lafitte’s own Blaine Victoriano finishing third.
At 65 years old, Alexie became the oldest competitor to ever win the Lafitte world championship. Winning also the men over 50 race and the men’s common boat race, Alexie became the only competitor to win three events in one year.
The event, start to finish, was overflowing with classic South Louisiana charm. And for the tiny community of Jean Lafitte, which counted less than 2,000 residents in the last census, the Jean Lafitte Pirogue Races proved a perfect way to share that charm with the wider region.
“We live in what we believe is paradise,” Kerner said. “It’s a water paradise. It’s a small town and a beautiful area, a very family-oriented place. To take advantage of the three best qualities—the waterways, the community and the seafood—and for everyone to come together and experience the beauty Lafitte has to offer, was a really nice thing. If we didn’t do something like that, we’d be wasting our paradise.”
More pictures from the “Battle for the Paddle:
