MIDDLEBORO — She sat alongside him in the boat, but Don Swarce’s border collie Sitka was not much help as he completed the annual Canoe River Race held Saturday, April 27 on the Nemasket River.

“She’s not very good at paddling,’’ the former Middleboro resident, who now lives in Taunton, pointed out with a chuckle. “But she’s very good at doggie paddling.’’

That spirit of good humor filled the air as 49 canoes raced from Old Bridge Street in Lakeville to Oliver Mill Park in Middleboro during the annual event, which is sponsored by the Middleboro Park Department.

Lillie and Tim Shaw of Middleboro outdid themselves this year, they said after completing the race. 

Last year was their first effort at the race and canoeing in general. They bought their canoe the night before the race.

The newcomers tipped their canoe but stayed afloat.

This year, though, they went one stroke further. “We flipped completely over,’’ she said, forcing them to paddle backwards for a time until they regained their positioning.

“We’re overachievers,’’ he said with a laugh.

Not everyone at the park participated in the race. 

Some people watched the canoes come in while soaking in the spring sunshine and, in some cases, looking for the herring that famously run through the river.

Kevin Runey, who attended with his daughter Josephine Runey, 5, said they stopped by because it was “just something fun to do.’’

But they may reconsider in the future, he said. “We might race next year,’’ he said. 

Parks Director Fran Cass said he was pleased with the turnout. “It was,’’ he said, “a beautiful day.’’