Charles River Overall Fastest Known Paddle: 19H, 53M

(this is also the 1st tandem male FKP)

Dylan Kirk, age 32, Jack’s Reef, NY & Scott Ide, age 55, Framingham, MA

April 27-28, 2024

72.4 miles

Supported

This is the overall FKP as well as the fastest tandem male FKP

Start: Archer St Access, Millford, MA. 5:20am, April 27th.

Finish: Boston Museum of Science. 1:13am, April 28th.

Support Crew: Mike Maynard and Stephen Miller

Boat: Began with an Alumacraft canoe for first 20 miles (Archer St. to River Rd in Norfolk) then switched to a Barton Bullet 18.5 foot kevlar racing canoe (River Rd in Norfolk to the end)

Full Trip Report from Dylan Kirk

Notes from Dylan Kirk: The first twenty miles Dylan and Scott were in and out of the boat constantly as it’s not really “navigable”. There were so many obstacles it took them 8 hours to go the first 20 miles. Overall the route “has portages around several dams, hundreds of downed logs, several rapids, and some city streets in Boston's urban sprawl”. “While it’s best known today for blockbuster appearances in The Departed and Good Will Hunting (Matt Damon is clearly a fan of the river), most of the Charles winds unassumingly and often unnoticed through Boston’s suburbs and exurbs.

Dylan also notes that there were many posted signs at the Box Dam portage that made them feel unwelcomed, including one that said “If you can read this sign we can see you”. The tunnel underneath Interstate 495, per Dylan, is unnavigable at high water levels; they were just able to scrunch through laying down in their boat. They also encountered a chain link fence, multiple class 1 and 2 rapids, at least one low head dam, and some pipes and rebar that were difficult to navigate through/around, and lots of poison ivy!