Professor Paddle: Relay race on the Skykomish in July or August

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   Paddlers,

I've been mulling the idea of organizing a relay race (Sam Nutton suggested we do it in relay style) on the Skykomish. The race would have two or three legs.

Under the three-leg format, the race would begin either on the North Fork, or if the water is too low by then (it probably will be), it will start at the confluence and end at Big Eddy (the raft take-out). 

Here's how the three-leg format would work:

Leg 1: North Fork (or Confluence) to Anderson Hole.

Leg 2: Anderson Hole through Fisherman's.

Leg 3: Below Fisherman's to Big Eddy.

The advantage of the three-leg format is that it would enable paddlers of three skill levels to compete. The disadvantage is this: If the first leg begins at the Confluence instead of the North Fork, that first leg would be very short. Maybe just five or seven minutes long. 

The other option is to format the race into two legs, with the first leg starting at the Confluence and ending at Anderson and the second leg beginning at Anderson and finishing at the Confluence. This means longer legs, so, especially in late July or early August, it becomes a little more of an endurance race with some whitewater mixed in. And, because teams are of two, instead of three paddlers, we should have more teams. The disadvantage is that it eliminates that beginner-class leg. 

Before I get serious about this idea, I want to know a.) how much interest is out there and b.) what you guys think of the format options and c.) am I missing something regarding the dates. I like the idea of July/August because the water level will be reliably low, the weather should be reliably nice and nothing else (except BC stuff) is going on then. 

Please let me know. 