SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - It might be an odd time of year for it but new Yellowknife resident Sherry Long is starting up an outrigger canoe club.

Sherry Long stands beside her outrigger canoe outside her house on Ingraham Road on Sunday. Long said she hopes to start a outrigger canoe club in the city. - Adrian Lysenko/NNSL photo

"By the time a boat comes and we get organized, we'll be ready to hit the water in June when the ice goes," said Long.

An outrigger canoe is the same as a regular canoe but it has one or more lateral support floats attached to it to provide stability.

"I totally love it," said Long, who has been involved in the sport for four years. "It's a racing canoe."

Long was introduced to the sport while living on Vancouver Island and also attended a surf camp in Hawaii using outriggers.

She was also part of the Canadian team at the 2010 World Sprints in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

"Canoeing is part of the culture here but it's a different type of canoe," said Long.

Long said she prefers outriggers to regular canoes and kayaks because of the speed and excitement.

She also hopes by the end of next summer, an outrigger canoe will have arrived so the club can be organized for practices, and ready to participate in a race in Edmonton.

Many residents have expressed interest in being part of the club, said Long.

Her husband Bob, who is the city's administrator and also an outrigger enthusiast, got into the sport through his wife's passion for it.

"She told me I had to exercise," said Bob. "Once I started, I was hooked."

There is a bit of a learning curve when starting the sport, Sherry admitted.

"It can be very tippy until you become relaxed," said Sherry. "Sometimes you'll be paddling and you will flip over."

Although people on the West Coast paddle in the winter, Sherry said she wouldn't recommend it here.

"It's not an ice sport, it's a water sport," said Sherry.

Sherry will be holding an information session on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Yellowknife Public Library for those interested in joining the club.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.