Federal Ban on Paddling the Ottawa River
Due to flooding, the federal government has banned paddling on the Ottawa River until further notice. Details are summarized by the Ottawa River Runners:
Ottawa River Runners Club Notice
As you may have seen, Transport Canada has issued some waterway navigation restrictions due to the extensive flooding in Ontario and Quebec. Club members should note that these restrictions do apply to all watercraft, including human powered canoes and kayaks (with exemptions for emergency services). On May 14th, the restriction was extended past the Rocher Fendu/Beachburg section of the Ottawa River. Penalties for violating the orders range from $250 to $5000.
The Pumphouse whitewater section is a tributary called Bronson Creek, which to our understanding would not be included in the restriction. However the flatwater area below the tunnel is off limits until these restrictions are lifted. There are certainly other rivers in the region that can be paddled, with precautions taken for spring and flood conditions.
Transport Canada: Interim Order No. 3 Respecting Flooded Areas
City of Ottawa Flooding Information
"The City does not require volunteers at this time. We will be asking for volunteers once the flood waters have receded and we move into recovery operations."
To summarize
No paddling:
Ottawa River between the Otto Holden Dam (Mattawa) and the Deux Montagnes Lake (Montreal)
- includes the Main & Middle Channels
- includes the flatwater section at the Pumphouse
Yes paddling: (with safety in mind)
The Pumphouse 'whitewater' section in front of the clubhouse
Other rivers in the region (the Rideau, the Jock, etc)
Please Fill Out the Club Volunteer Form
The club is run exclusively by volunteers. No club activities would occur without the help of volunteers. Please click "Read More" to access a link and take a couple of minutes to indicate how you would like to volunteer:
Upcoming Events
Please note the following events:
1) CAMPING SEMINAR 4: Trip Planning; Risk Management; Leadership -- May 23 7:00pm
Several risk management wilderness scenarios will focus discussions on safety, problem solving and leadership.
Date/Time: Thursday, 23 May, 7 PM SHARP to 9 PM,
Registration: No pre-registration. Register at the door, cash only (please bring exact change)
$5 members, $10 non-members (per seminar)
Free to youth under 18 yrs (youth groups supervising adult is free when with multiple youth)
Rm: Courtside A , RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
2) CAMPING SEMINAR 5: Navigation using GPS & Being Lost and Getting Found (search and rescue) -- May 30 7:00pm
Date/Time: Thursday, 30 May, 7 PM SHARP to 9 PM,
Registration: No pre-registration. Register at the door, cash only (please bring exact change)
$5 members, $10 non-members (per seminar)
Free to youth under 18 yrs (youth groups supervising adult is free when with multiple youth)
Rm: Courtside A , RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
3) CAMPING SEMINAR 6: Crisis Leadership; Crisis Group Dynamics -- June 6 7:00pm
Discuss how groups effect each other, what happens when a group falls into crisis, how to lead and follow during a crisis. What can lead to crisis? Scenarios will be discussed.
Date/Time: Thursday, 6 June, 7 PM SHARP to 9 PM,
Registration: No pre-registration. Register at the door, cash only (please bring exact change)
$5 members, $10 non-members (per seminar)
Free to youth under 18 yrs (youth groups supervising adult is free when with multiple youth)
Rm: Courtside A , RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
2019 RACCC Training Program
for skills, fun, safety and friends to paddle with!
The RACCC has an amazing training program planned for 2019 for beginners to accomplished paddlers and camper - trippers. Whether you have little or a lot of experience, there are affordable courses to help you learn new skills or refine and update existing skills. Water safety and canoe/kayak rescues are included in the training.
It is also a great way to meet other RACCC members and to find paddling buddies.
Our Instructors are nationally certified through Paddle Canada. They are friendly, knowledgeable, experienced and love teaching so much that they volunteer their time for the benefit of their course participants. They are often assisted by RACCC members with extensive experience and expertise as paddlers or trippers, providing a great instructor to participant ratio.
All RACCC Training courses are available to RACCC Members. Some are available for non members.
Please check the individual courses for more information.
NOTE: NEW DISCOUNTS for NON Members: become an RACCC Member and sign up for training at the same time! New members will get a $25 discount on their course fee if they register for a training course costing $130 or more at the same time as joining the RA Canoe Camping Club.
RACCC offers Paddle Canada Certifications as well as skill development training (non certification) for beginner to advanced skill levels.
1. Flatwater Solo and Tandem Canoeing:
Paddle Canada Certification Courses: Introduction to Advanced
Non-certification Coaching sessions to help you learn new skills.
IF enough paddlers are interested, we will organize Paddle Canada Big Canoe (Voyageur Canoe) training!
2. Sea Kayaking:
Paddle Canada Certification Courses: Basic, Rolling and Level 1 for kayak enthusiasts.
3. Whitewater Solo and Tandem Canoeing:
Paddle Canada Introduction to Advanced certification courses (weekends at Palmers Rapids)
NEW! Intro to Whitewater in-town training option!
Skill training (non-certification) e.g. River Reading, Using the Power of the River ... etc
Successful candidates can earn Paddle Canada White Water Certifications and a place on the RACCC Whitewater List so they can join in club whitewater outings.
4. Camping-Tripping Training:
Evening Seminars include topics such as trip planning, menu and meal preparation, equipment, map and compass basics, risk management etc
Other camping-tripping training includes: Advanced Navigation
NEW Paddle Canada Camping Certifications: Basic, Wilderness, Leadership
Click here: For more information about RACCC Training Programs!
Slalom Clinic -- 26 May -- Valleyfield
In preparation for the 2019 Open Canoe Nationals, I will be holding a Slalom practice day at Valleyfield, Sunday May 26.
Meet at the Valleyfield parking lot 10AM. Come and play and if you wish, or get some Slalom coaching. E.g. approaching up stream, down stream and offset gates and river reading.
This year the 2019 Open Canoe Nationals will be held at the Gull River Minden, July 19-July21.
This is an excellent opportunity to refine and test your skills against yourself and some of the best open canoe paddlers in North America.
Details at : http://www.opencanoe2019.com/?fbclid=IwAR1EPlmrFrkcKmgBuFXw89l-zjz-c2rPh7LztUzCBeTQ1kubHQ2953gKLE0
Why Slalom:
Personally I want to improve my skills. Rather than practice the same mistakes over and over again, I use the slalom gates and the river as my judge.
Be warned, it can be highly addictive – trying to get that gate just so. The precision developed through running the slalom gates has made a tremendous difference in my creek running – mostly to the better.
As for the slalom races, they are open to everyone. While you will compete against some of the best, you are really competing against yourself.
The OC slalom community is extremely friendly and supportive. During practice you have the opportunity to get feedback and advice from all those great paddlers.
When you race, everyone is cheering for you. Hope to see you at the 2019 OC Nationals in July.
PLEASE USE THE WEBPAGE CALENDAR TO SIGN UP.
Bill Kirkland
Safety Warning - Transporting Canoes with Foam Blocks
Changing automobile technology means that we have to be careful when running over straps inside the body of the car while putting canoes on cars with foam blocks
Some newer cars are coming with safety devices called curtain or canopy airbags. These are air bags that are installed over the doors in cars or in the side pillars of cars. These air bags protect passengers in the event of a side collision.
If a person passes over straps or rope through a car with curtain or canopy air bags, the straps or ropes will interfere with the deployment of the air bags and may cause injuries if there is an accident. Blocking or restraining an airbag during deployment could cause fire or explosion resulting in serious injury or worse.
Fortunately, it is easy to identify cars with curtain or canopy airbags. If you are not sure if your car has this type of air bag, check your owner’s manual. In many cases the airbags in cars is have labels like the ones on the steering wheels. If you are not sure if your car has this type of airbag – do not pass straps or ropes through the car.
Before passing over straps or ropes through a car, check to see if it has curtain or canopy air bags.
If a car has curtain or canopy airbags – do not pass straps or ropes through it.
At this point I do not know of an alternative way of attaching over straps on cars without racks.
Note: The warning doesn’t apply to cars with racks since the over straps or ropes are tied to the racks.
Mark Scott
2019 Open House
This year's open house was a big success. We had over 70 new club members and 28 people sign up for training courses.
Welcome to all of our new members and thank you to everyone who made the night go so well.
Mark - RACCC Chairperson
RACCC Executive Meeting Minutes - 22 March 2019
Logon to read the minutes of the executive meeting dated March 22,2019. Note that a bug in the website software causes two additional attachments to be associated with this article when it appears in CanoeBytes.
Trip and Training Reports 2018
Click on links to read reports on club activities.
Family Trip to Fitzroy Provincial Park
FW Instructors Inspired by Becky
Point Grondine Exploratory Trip
2019 Discounts for RACCC Members
A benefit of being a member of the RACCC is that some retailers and course providers give discounts to club members. Click "Read more" to see the list of discounts.
Also, the RA has a number of community partners that represent a wide range of sectors offering benefits to RA members. Click here for more information.
Accepting Canoe Club Memberships for 2019
Memberships are being accepted for 2019. Click here for more information.
Some modifications to the Canoe Club membership procedures for 2019 are listed below.
1) Members only have to pay the membership to join the RA once unless they let it lapse in which case they have to pay it again. Members however will be given a three month grace period during which the RA membership fee will be waved.
2) Canoe Club annual memberships now run for 12 months from the date that a member joined. The RA will send a reminder email to a member one month before their Canoe Club membership expires.
3) If a Canoe Club membership is not renewed by the expiry date, there will be no grace period. The member will be removed from the Canoe Club membership list and their access to the Canoe Club website will be blocked. If they renew after the expiry date, their access to the website will be promptly restored.
4) New members will get a $25 discount on their course fee if they register for a training course costing $130 or more at the same time as joining the Canoe Club.
Information on Canoe Club - 2019
Got questions on how the club operates? Check out the following sources of information.
2019 Discounts for RACCC Members
Club Handbook - Access Members Only
Rates for Car Pooling - Access Members Only
How Not To Get Email From The RACCC Website
How to Open/Close New First Aid Kits
Club Guidelines - Access Members Only
Club Bylaws - Access Members Only
Lyme Disease 2018 Update
Click here for the most current information as of 2018.
Click here for an article published in 2016 on this topic.
Click here for the 2018 map showing risk areas for Lyme Disease in Ontario.
Click here and here (scroll to map at bottom) for some information on the prevalence of the disease in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
Click here for a presentation on Lyme Disease from CHEO in July 2018.