HUNTINGTON — There is a portion of the Westfield River that runs through Paul LaPointe’s backyard in Huntington that separates the professional whitewater racers* from the amateurs.

The rocky, 100-yard stretch called “the gorge” splits into two parts: the bypass and the drop. Canoers and kayakers can choose the smooth-flowing bypass — the longer and safer route — or risk rolling out of their boats in the rough, rushing waters of the drop.

Sitting on a rock down on the riverbank, Paul Moriarty and his grandson Brandon Oleksak explained the risk. 

“Most people will go through the bypass, but the daredevils will come over here,” Moriarty said, pointing to the drop. “It’s quicker this way, but the odds of screwing up are intensified.”

On Saturday afternoon, there were plenty of daredevils who took the drop during the 64th annual Westfield River Wildwater Races.** The event, which started in 1953, is the oldest consecutively-run canoe race in the country, organizers say.

LaPointe, 53, has been coming to watch the whitewater race for some 30 years. He welcomed some 100 people in his yard to watch as boatloads of racers toppled over the rapids. Many racers made it through the stretch unturned, but the crowd cheered loudest for those who toppled overboard.

“If you can make it through there, it saves you time, but a lot of people don’t make it,” LaPointe said, pointing to the rapids. “A lot of people dump out here.”

People grilled food, drank beer and chatted on LaPointe’s property as they waited for the racers to come rushing down the river. They came by car, pickup truck, SUV and even four-wheeler to get to the riverbank behind LaPointe’s house. 

LaPointe has lived in Huntington his whole life, he said, adding that his great-grandparents purchased the land in 1865.

“I’ve never raced,” he said with a laugh. “I’m always too busy drinking beer and watching.”

Perfect day

Organizers expected 45 to 50 boats to participate in the expert race, which started just below the Knightville Dam. A novice race was also held Saturday that began at the MassDPW yard in Huntington. (For local results, see Page B3.)

Jake Smith, 26, helped his parents, Karen and Ed Smith, organize the race on Saturday. Karen and Ed Smith have been organizing for six years, Karen Smith said. Jake Smith has participated in the race before, and he said Saturday’s conditions — fair and dry with temperatures in the 60s — were ideal. 

“We couldn’t ask for a better day,” he said.

“It’s perfect,” Karen Smith said in agreement.

The racers came slowly at first. Participants were sent down the 12-mile “expert” track one boat at a time and reached LaPointe’s portion of the river some 10 minutes into their journey. 

As the race got going, participants came down the river in larger numbers. The crowd in LaPointe’s yard cheered when folks crossed the drop and jokingly booed those who chose the bypass. Boats held either one person or two, and several people wore GoPro cameras mounted to their helmets. 

Some of the first racers to fall in the rapids were a pair in a red canoe. They crested over the drop and rolled over. The crowd cheered as they held onto their capsized boat and floated down the river.

Moriarty, who brought his grandson Brandon to watch, is a veteran whitewater racer. He retired in 2015 after participating in the race for 31 years. He brought 12-year-old Brandon, of Southwick, to watch the race for the first time. Brandon’s mother, aunt and even his grandmother have participated in the race, which happens the third weekend of April every year. 

Brandon said Moriarty, who lives in Russell, taught him the No. 1 rule of the whitewater race: “Don’t fall in.”

The other rules, Moriarty said, are to hold onto your paddle and to keep paddling as you head down the rapids. If you let your boat fill up with water in the drop, you’re in trouble, Moriarty said. 

After all the racers passed by LaPointe’s backyard, Brandon said he had made up his mind as to whether he’ll participate in the race next spring.

“It was a lot of fun,” Brandon said. “Yes!”

*This article incorrectly described participants. Only canoers and kayakers can race.

**The annual event is known as the Westfield River Wildwater Races.

Stephanie Murray can be reached at stephaniemur@umass.edu.

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