BLUE HOLE CANOE RENDEZVOUS
May 17th 2025
Tuckasegee River
Dillsboro River Company
Plan your trip! We have LOTS of amazing lodging & dining options in Dillsboro and Sylva, North Carolina. In the spirit of community, the schedule below and the listings below highlight a few of those options in the hopes that Blue Hole Rendezvous participants will come together for carpooling & companionship.
Schedule of Events:
Friday, May 16th, 2025
Gather throughout the afternoon at Dillsboro River Company (DRC) for informal meet and greet.
Everyone feeds themselves on Friday night.
Please eat and bring your camp chairs as talk will be around campfire.
7:00 PM: Talk by Bob Lantz: “So what is so important about the white Blue Hole OCA-0001 that will be right there at the side of the campfire?” “How is it the predetermination of 20,000 Blue Hole canoes to follow?”
Campfire gathering or can move inside if weather is inclement.
This will be an evening of fellowship, music, river stories, and other war stories.
Billy Cheek and family will stay at the on-site airBnB to serve as “campground hosts”.
Campsites and room to park their canoe trailers will be offered at DRC for Lorne Green and Steve Runnel, Canoe repair experts. Further “canoe repair” talks will occur Saturday night.
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
10;00 AM: Gathering for rolling shuttle. Get help spotting personal shuttle car at take-out at Jackson County river access along US 441/US74 while canoe remains at DRC.
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: At this time, please register your canoe at DRC with the color, and especially the “brass plate” model/serial number and stern HIN number (if it is still available). We want to start a little history of participation with these canoes which are no longer made nor does the hull material even exist anymore.
11:00 AM: A few words and a welcome from Bob Lantz with a ceremonial launch of the original prototype white Blue Hole canoe, OCA-0001, paddled by the 88 year old Tennessee/Oregon paddling legend, Murray Johnson, and a younger Joyce Lantz. All other paddlers to follow at their leisure.
11:01 AM; Actual flotilla starts with that launch of OCA-0001. This prototype canoe has not been in the water in over 40 years. Will it still float?
There will be an organic start/end …. continual flow of Blue Hole enthusiasts launching at their leisure with continuous shuttle possibilities. Some may want to drive a couple of miles upstream on North River Road to the Jackson County river access for an additional river run through the old dam rapid near the 441 bridge on the Tuck just above DRC.
Note that Barry Kennon from tuckshot.com <http:> will be around to take photos on the river on Saturday, May 17, and his photos will be available to purchase online. He will probably be at his rapid side station in the Tuck Gorge taking photos when the flotilla passes by about 2 miles downstream from DRC.
Trickle back to DRC mid-afternoon
Saturday evening: Potluck style dinner … to supplement burgers and hot dogs that the committee will provide at the bon fire. Everything should just unfold….very low key, and rather unstructured.
6:00 PM: Q&A mostly on repair of Blue Hole canoes using Royalex hull material, low temper aluminum extrusion gunwales, wooden gunwales, vinyl gunwales and other outfitting needs, especially the brittle black plastic seats, and the vinyl logo decals.. Lorne Green and Steve Runnels will aid Bob Lantz who doesn’t remember much about those problems. This could be considered a workshop on canoe -repair/restoration by those two master craftsmen.
7:00 PM: Presentation of awards for oldest production Blue Hole canoe, and the ugliest (but still river-worthy) Blue Hole canoe. Award for person traveling the farthest.
An evening of fellowship, stories, music and lots of BS around the campfire til 10:00 PM
Sunday, May 18th, 2025
Need to clear out of DRC by mid morning as a local food drive event hosted by DRC follow!
Miscellaneous:Signed copies of Lean Downstream!! Bob Lantz’s book about the history of Blue Hole Canoes will be available for purchase at DRC for $30, same as purchasing directly from Amazon (except they add on shipping and their copies are not signed).</http:>
Also check out other Sports events in Dillsboro, Workshops in Dillsboro.
