10 years after breaking record, One Square Mile of Hope event has raised $400,000 for charities

Paddling community unites in Inlet to reenact record-breaking boat flotilla

By Tom French

Inlet was unusually busy for a weekend in mid-September, when thousands of paddlers converged for a 10-year celebration (and reenactment) of the community’s record-breaking 2014 canoe and kayak raft. The event included a health and wellness fair, music, silent auction, and other festivities to benefit the Golisano Children’s Hospital locations in Syracuse and Rochester as well first responders in Inlet, Raquette Lake, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, and Old Forge.

The Kiwanis Club of Farmington/Victor also sponsored the event, known as One Square Mile of Hope.

An idea to raise money for cancer research

The idea for a Guinness record-breaking attempt was the brainchild of Connie Perry, owner of Frisky Otter Tours, a canoe outfitting business in Inlet. She was motivated to raise money for cancer research when a close friend died from it.

She’d heard about a gathering of snowmobiles for a Guinness record, and with a little research, discovered a flotilla record of 776 boats on Hinckley Lake in Ohio.

In 2008, Inlet broke the record with 1,104 boats. Perry said, “It was one of best days of my life. The energy out on the water was phenomenal. I saw people in the flotilla who were obviously recovering from breast cancer or knew people that had cancer. I’m getting emotional just talking about it.”

Adele Burnett, Tourism Director for the town of Inlet, added, “Breast cancer awareness was definitely a heart string that pulled people from a lot of different places.”

Defending a world record

Subsequent events after the first were in defense of its title. “In 2010, somebody broke our record, so we claimed it back in 2011. In 2013, somebody else broke the record. So we claimed it back in 2014,” said Burnett.

Inlet smashed that record, increasing the number of boats from 2,099 to 3,150. As the 10-year anniversary of that record (which still stands) approached, clamor for a redo increased.

“We have posters hanging from all three previous events (in the Information Office at Arrowhead Park), and you would not believe the number of people that see the posters, point, and say, ‘I was part of that. Look, there I am in the boat. When are you going to do it again?’ That’s why we decided to celebrate 10 years of holding the record,” said Burnett.

A beautiful day for paddling

On Saturday, Sept. 14, hundreds of colorful boats from fluorescent reds and yellows to earth-tone greens, blues, and see-through Kevlar launched from the beach at Arrowhead Park and several other locations along the shore of Fourth Lake. It was warm. The wind was calm and the sky blue – unlike the cold, windy day in 2014. 

My family was among them. As the designated time for the aerial picture approached, the flotilla slowly tightened as people reached to grab a nearby boat – one of the requirements for the record is that the boats must be held together by hands. Even though we paddled out with friends, we became separated by yards as more and more vessels squeezed into the pack. 

As several beach balls bobbed above the armada, people sang songs (a rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” was particularly enthusiastic), and the hulls occasionally thundered as people clapped their paddles on the gunnels of their boats. 

When a float plane from Payne’s Air Service appeared in the clear, blue sky, someone shouted, “paddles up,” a procedure to aid in the official count from the photograph. 

A good time for a worthy cause

Burnett has helped organize all four events and says the most fulfilling part is “seeing people come together. The raft has to be held together by hands. You can’t be tied with any ropes or anything, so you have to touch the boat next to you. Rafting up makes a personal connection.”

Although Inlet didn’t break their own record this year, Burnett said, “I didn’t go into this wanting to break our own record. I wanted to celebrate ten years of holding on to a record with a good cause.”

Inlet raised over $300,000 for breast cancer research in their first three events. They anticipate raising more than $100,000 this year. People can visit http://www.onesquaremileofhope.org/ to contribute.

At some point, Guinness changed the name of the record from Largest Raft of Canoes and Kayaks to Longest Line of Canoes and Kayaks, but Inlet can still be found at the Guinness website at https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-raft-of-canoes-kayaks.