Time to Renew your Canoe Club Membership!
If you have not already renewed your canoe club membership for 2022, it will be especially easy to do so this year. There is no longer a requirement to fill out a canoe club registration form if a previous year's one is already on file with the RA.
Please click here to review the Canoe Club COVID policies for 2022.
There is also a Covid waiver that must be completed online at www.racentre.com/raccc-waiver-adult (adults) or www.racentre.com/raccc-waiver-minor (under 18). If you filled out the waiver in 2020 or 2021 you do not need to fill it out again for 2022.
Avoid the rush later in the season and rejoin today! The club plans to have a busy paddling season for 2022 just like they did for 2021 and 2020.
For new members, click here for information on joining the club.
To join or rejoin the canoe club, call the RA membership desk at 613-733-5100. The desk is staffed:
Monday to Friday 7:00am to 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:00am to 9:00pm
Also, the RA East Desk is now open and you can come in and do business with our membership staff. The East Desk hours are:
Monday to Friday 7:00am to 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:00am to 9:00pm
RACCC Sweep-Safety Boat Team - Jock River Race (Reminder: wear your PFD!)
Huzzah to the organizers of the 2022 annual JOCK RIVER RACE! And to RACCC for once again providing the Sweep-Safety Boat Team for this annual race (for the past 20 years!)... please see our special message to ALL paddlers (below)
The 2022 Jock River Race was held on Saturday, April 16, with a record 173 boats and 248 paddlers! It's fun and extremely well organized. Held annually, since 1971 on a lovely stretch of the Jock R, winding for 12.5 km through farms, forest, fen and marshes. There's a mix of current (some class 1 rapids) and slack water/meanders. Paddlers are in canoes, kayaks and SUP's of all kinds - a mix of serious racers and recreational paddlers, as well as families for a fun toot down the river. (picture - courtesy of the race organizers)
Kudo's to RACCC (and RACCC alumni) volunteers for our 2020 Sweep-Safety Boat Team: Lynette, Judith, Laurence, Bruce H, Cathy O, Isa L-M and Valerie S! Plus our Shore Team/gear 'roadies': Dot and Linda D.
Honourable mention goes to: Kate M ('ready' to paddle if needed) as well as to Matthew V, Dan P (sidelined per injury/ illness. Maybe next year?).
Read more: RACCC Sweep-Safety Boat Team - Jock River Race (Reminder: wear your PFD!)
Irish Creek
April 12 2022
The day was forecasted to be sunny and a warm 16C (it actually was our hottest day this year at 17.7C) with a moderate wind. It was Suze and Catherine’s first paddle of the year, though Karen had been out several times.
Irish Creek is a shallow, marshy creek which flows north into the Rideau River at Kilmarnock, best paddled in the early spring. We put in at Roses Bridge Road, about 5 km from the Kilmarnock lock station. Even in “high” water, waterlilies just starting to sprout, we occasionally touched bottom with our paddles. We paddled upstream, under bridges, around bends, over beaver dams, alternating with no wind, head winds, cross winds and tail winds.
For a quiet shallow creek there were lots of things to see. Highlights of the trip were: 6 trumpeter swans, 2 deer, several turtles basking in the sun, a beaver lodge and 2 beaver dams, lots of Canada geese leading us up the creek, mallard ducks, a loon, bright red dogwood among the cattails, and the biggest waterlily roots I have ever seen, looking like giant snakes or octopi.
It was a great first day on the water. (Click on "Read more" to see additional photos.)
Catherine J
Clyde River - April 2 2022
Beautiful day to be on the water on such a pretty whitewater river. It is a gem in Lanark county and the shuttle is easy. Water level was just perfect to play in with tandem and solo boats for a first outing of the season (for my paddling partner and I). Six of us participated plus one guest. We got passed by a group of kayakers. A couple of pools were still frozen. Thank you to Peter for organizing this.
Click here for a video.
Judith
Executive Meeting Minutes March 21st 2022
Log in to see the minutes from the virtual meeting of the executive on March 21, 2022.
Changes to Policies – COVID-19 - March 2022
As Club members are aware, the provincial government has recently relaxed some requirements relating to providing proof of vaccinations as well as to the wearing of masks in indoor settings. The RA Centre has informed us that it has relaxed its requirements for proof of vaccination and masking but has permitted clubs to determine their own requirements if they apply to all of the activities of that club.
A number of members of the Club have expressed concerns that there remains a significant risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, in its various forms. While vaccinations and the wearing of masks indoors (and while near others) do not provide complete protection, they do reduce that risk. As a result, the Executive (Club Council) has implemented the following policies applicable to Club activities for the 2022 season:
- 1. Proof of Vaccination: Members joining the Club will not be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. However, in order to participate in Club activities, members and their guests will be required to show the activity leader proof that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (see note below). The proof must be a government issued paper or electronic document. Participants failing to provide such proof will be excluded from the activity. These requirements apply to all Club activities, including canoeing and kayaking trips and training programs.
- 2. Exemptions: The requirement for proof of vaccination will not apply to Club members and guests providing proof of a medical reason for not being vaccinated (in a form that accords with guidelines issued by the Ontario Ministry of Health). In addition, children under 12 years of age will not require proof of vaccination.
- 3. Mask Wearing: Anyone entering the Boathouse or another indoor setting as part of a Club activity is required to wear a mask that covers their nose, mouth and chin. In addition, a person providing training may require that participants wear a mask during all or any part of the activity.
The virus and the scientific knowledge relating to it are evolving. The Executive will be monitoring these changes and reviewing potential changes to the policies as the situation evolves.
Note: Provincial regulations establish what it is to be “fully vaccinated” based on vaccines approved by Health Canada. Currently, this includes two doses of the Pfizer-Biontech mRNA vaccine, the Moderna Spikevax mRNA vaccine or the AstraZeneca vaccine or a single dose of the Janssen vaccine.
Executive Meeting Minutes March 1st 2022
Log in to see minutes from the virtual meeting of the executive on March 1st, 2022.
Whitewater Training Program 2022 -- Now Open!
The whitewater training program is now open for registration. The program is:
- Tandem Beginners, This is where most people new to whitewater start. There willl be an in-town session for all beginners 28 May to practice flatwater strokes and organize for the weekend courses. These will take place 3-5 June and 10-12 June at Palmers Rapids. Cost will be $180 for members, $240 for non-members. Travel, food and camping are not included. The course fee includes the boat, paddles, helmet and pfd. Successful completion of this course qualifies people to be on the WW List and participate in club WW trips.
- Solo Beginners. Same dates and fees as the tandem course. Potential participants are advised that we allow people with no whitewater experience to start as a solo beginner, but the learning curve is much steeper and the failure rate somewhat higher.
- Intermediate Tandem. 3-5 June. This course is for people with one or more years of whitewater paddling experience who would like to develop additional skills like back ferrying, jet ferrying, use of holes and surfing. Completion will make you a confident river tripper and is the first step to an instructor qualification. Boat rental is included in the course fee -- $180 for members, $240 for non-members.
- Intermediate Solo. 10-12 June. This course introduces additonal skills on Class II water: boofing, surfing, use of holes and using the water to move the boat. Also a first step to instructor qualification. Boat rental is included in the course fee -- $180 for members, $240 for non-members.
You can register on PlayRA at https://www.racentre.com/enterprise/program/index using the bar codes in the attached course descriptions.
Questions can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Note that March 24 2022 CanoeBytes lists 9 attachments. Ignore the last 5.
Paddling Trips For 2022
With the bone-chilling weather that we have been having, preparing a canoe trip for the summer may be the last thing on your mind. Nevertheless, as with last year, canoe camping reservations are expected to be snapped up quickly. Reservations for areas like North Frontenac and Haliburton Highlands are already open for the season with many choice spots already taken. The opening of reservations for places in National Parks vary by park. For Ontario Parks, you are permitted to reserve up to five months from the starting date of your trip and many of these spots go quickly. You are encouraged to reserve your trips early. This year make it a Club trip!!!
Solo Trip Summary– 21 Days
27 June – 17 July, 2021
One of my earliest memories of the outdoors is fishing on ice with my Dad on a small trout lake near Algonquin Park. I call it “trout lake”. It was a bright sunny winter day, and although the fish were not biting, we could see nice trout passing just under the ice. As the fish were not biting, Dad wanted to leave. The sight of those trout swimming by the ice hole has created a lifetime passion in me to try to understand trout behaviour. My big curiosity that day was that since the trout were active and swimming so openly by the ice hole, why would they not take the bait? I was so disappointed when we left, but that experience has driven my passion for trout fishing. Although I have had much success in catching trout in some challenging situations, this question continues to “hook” my curiosity to understand the trout’s secret world. With trout, expect the unexpected!
When I planned this trip, even before posting the trip on the RACCC website, I was determined to go even if it meant going alone. That is exactly what happened. I posted the trip a month before departure, and didn’t get a single inquiry. The reasons are likely the long duration of the trip, and the large number of difficult or long portages along the planned route; more than thirty portages, one over 2km. The trip was physically and mentally demanding, but it really was the adventure that I had long dreamed of.
Open the attachment to continue reading this trip report.
Centennial Lake Trip Report Oct 2021
On Oct 8th two club members drove one hour and 40 minutes to Centennial Lake, south of Calabogie. We found the launch on County Rd. 65 (Centennial Lake Road) just as it crosses the lake. We arrived to find a heavy mist covering the lake. After getting everything ready to go, we sat in our lawn chairs and waited for the mist to clear before turning on our solar flashing light and proceeding.
This was an exploratory trip so we carefully read our maps and watched the scenery. We did not have a GPS with us. We headed towards Big Island and intended to circle it in a clockwise direction. Twice we had to stop to figure out the way forward -- once, because the fog blocked our view across Wilson Bay and once because the way to go was not obvious to us. We followed the shoreline closely. Usually it was easy to follow our map.
Barron River Trip
September 30 2021
Imagine a perfect fall day when the air is fresh and cool, the breeze is gentle, and the leaves are just coming into their autumnal glory. Now imagine a fantastic canoe trip through a spectacular canyon in Algonquin Park. Now put them together and imagine it’s your first ever trip with the RA Canoe Camping Club, your first paddle in Algonguin Park, and your longest-ever canoe trip. That was my experience when I adventured with trip leader Mark S, Karen H and guest Marcia H when we explored the Barron Canyon recently.