Wanted: Hundreds of canoes and kayaks to break a world record in New Jersey

PHILADELPHIA — There’s a world record for just about everything, from stone skipping to oyster shucking to having the longest fingernails, so Sandy Rinderer looked out upon the Toms River behind her home in Ocean County, N.J., and had a dream of her own.

How about the largest parade of canoes and kayaks ever assembled?

That record already exists, with 329 canoes and kayaks setting the mark in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2018. Rinderer, 70, an avid kayaker and triathlete, is hoping to break it with at least 400 canoes and kayaks paddling on a section of the Toms River in Pine Beach on Aug. 20.

“Honestly, I’ve lived on the river all my life and I just thought it would be such a cool thing to see all those colorful canoes and kayaks in one place,” Rinderer said.

Rinderer’s daughter, Mindy D’Adarrio, is helping to organize the record attempt. She said there are 100 people registered so far for the event, which they’ve officially dubbed “Paddle for the Bay.” The cost is $10, which will cover fees imposed by Guinness and the cost of local permits. The remaining funds will be donated to Save Barnegat Bay, a nonprofit aimed at protecting the nearby waterway. Barnegat Bay is the outlet for the Toms River.

Anyone interested in paddling that morning can register at www.raceforum.com/paddleforthebay. The event is a one-mile paddle.

Guinness has strict rules for record breaking, D’Adarrio said. The event must be filmed and witnessed by two people unaffiliated with organizing it. Stand-up paddleboards, increasingly popular at the Jersey Shore, don’t count, and one kayak or canoe can’t tow another one. No vessels can be motorized and everyone must wear a life jacket.

“Every participant must have their own paddle,” she said. “Children can participate, too, but they must be able to control their own canoe or kayak.

Rinderer, who owns five kayaks and uses them almost daily in the summer, will be on the water, enjoying the fruits of her idea.

“I don’t ever plan to do this again,” she said. “It’s really taken on a life of its own.”