The RA is still shutdown and at the moment we cannot access equipment or enroll students in courses. There is also considerable uncertainty as to how WW training can be conducted safely given the requirements for distancing, transport and the inevitability of contact rescues.
The Executive is monitoring the situation and keeping abreast of advice from Paddle Canada and the American Canoe Association. When it is safe to resume training we will restart the program, although it may be a little different from our current way of doing business.
Radiant Lake Trip Report 2019
September 7-12
The Route
We had a 3 hour drive from Ottawa to the Brent put in at Cedar Lake. Our first night was on an easterly, island beach campsite on Cedar Lake. Then, a 12 km paddle on Cedar Lake, the Petawawa River and Radiant Lake, including 3 portages: 960m., 690m. and 860m. The trick, we discovered on the last portage, was to use the decommissioned rail bed, found to the left of the marked portage. Our gorgeous campsite was the most northerly, on the west shore of Radiant. We remained there for 4 nights before our return.
The Team
Heather S., Trip Leader; Gerard R., mentoring Heather; Joanna D., Anatoly C.
The Physical World & It’s Splendors
Howard Gardner suggests that there are 8 dimensions of intellegence. They are: 1) word smart, 2) number/ reasoning smart,3) picture smart, 4) body smart, 5) music smart, 6) people smart, 7) self smart and 8) nature smart. The photo captions will refer to most of those 8 variables. I suggest that we explored them all during our Radiant Experience, though this report does not contain a music clip.
While base camped, we explored historical sites, found a tribute to deceased lumbermen, enjoyed the beaches and shallows, fished & caught Brook Trout, Bass and Fall fish,( large minnows). Poems were made and a water colour completed.
Cautionary Tale
Here is a link to a cautionary tale for anyone who is thinking of paddling during the lock down.
Message from Chair Regarding COVID-19
Dear RACCC members (past and present):
As you are aware the past few weeks have brought with them substantial changes to how we all live, work and play.
Given the current closure of the RA Center and social distancing measures, many questions have been raised by our members in the last week as to how the RACCC will continue to function. The RACCC Executive would like to address these issues and ensure all members are clear as to how we are proceeding.
- Staying Well is Our First Concern
We would like to emphasize that the health and well-being of the RACCC community is our number one priority and as such, we will be rigorously adhering to the recommendations and guidelines of federal, provincial and local public health officials. We will also continue to maintain active communication with the RA Centre, to ensure that any decisions we make also reflect the RA’s guidelines and recommendations. Therefore, in order to respect the current health and social distancing guidelines, the RACCC will be postponing all activities until further notice (including rentals). Please note this includes the Open House (April 24th), which was slated to occur at the end of the month.
We are hopeful that the current public health crisis will ease in the coming months and with it a relaxation of social distancing measures. This would allow the RACCC an opportunity to launch a compressed schedule of activities for the summer and fall of 2020.
- Membership Renewal
As many of you are aware, the RA Centre this past week sent out an email to their members addressing membership renewal. This obviously raises concerns as it means members will be paying for memberships they cannot currently use. The RACCC Executive would ask that if you are in a position to support the club (and we understand that this health crisis has in turn also caused a financial crisis for many people), that you consider renewing so that when this crisis passes, the RA and RACCC are well positioned to open the doors as quickly as possible (see below for directions from the RA). For those of you who are understandably unable to continue your membership at this time, we wish to highlight that you are still part of this community and we will continue to keep you apprised of our activities over the coming months.
- Virtual Workshops/Seminars
While we mentioned earlier that all RACCC activities are postponed until further notice, we are in the early stages of planning 1-2 virtual workshops/seminars. The objective of these virtual workshops would be to provide a forum for our community to come together to learn, as well as provide a fun and informative distraction. More information regarding the scheduling of these workshops will be posted to www.RACCC.ca in the coming weeks.
If you should have any questions or concerns, in the coming days and weeks, please feel free to contact any member of the Executive Committee at your convenience.
Stay safe…
Stephen Dolan
Chair, RACCC
Directions for renewal (from the April 1st, 2020) RA email:
“For your convenience, we have set up a link on our website at www.racentre.com/stay-with-us where you can indicate your intention to renew. We will be in contact with you as soon as possible to complete your renewal by credit card. As you are aware, we are currently operating with very minimal staff on a reduced schedule and your patience and understanding are appreciated.”
Executive Meeting Minutes 2020-03-28
Log on to see the minutes of the virtual executive meeting held March 28,2020.
Exec Meeting March 10 , 2020
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RA Closure March 15 Because of COVID-19
Out of concern for the health of members of our community, the RA has suspended many of its operations until April 5, 2020. The canoe club shares this concern so we have postponed our seminars and meetings until then as well.
The RA will continue to monitor the situation and will decide whether or not to resume activities close to April 5. The club will post updates on this site as we have them.
More information on the situation is available on the Ottawa Public Health Agency website, click here.
The RA policy on COVID-19 is available on their website at https://www.racentre.com/
Exec Meeting Jan 21st , 2020
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Winter Paddling in Florida
Can't wait for spring? Then head to Florida for some very nice paddling! One centre of paddling is Ocala Florida. It takes about 21 hours to drive there nonstop from Ottawa. Or you can take a direct flight from Ottawa to Orlando, about an hour south of Ocala. In Ocala, you can paddle the Silver River in Silver Springs State Park and perhaps see a manatee. Or you can drive east to paddle the somewhat challenging Juniper Creek. Alternatively, you can go further west into the panhandle to paddle Holmes Creek or the Blackwater River. At all four destinations, you can rent a canoe.
Ted Blake Award Winner
The winner of this year’s Ted Blake award is someone who has worked in the background of the club for many years.
The club is lucky enough to have a website that has an amazing number of different features that allow for the sharing of information, communicating with club members and even signing up for trips and events. It is hard to imagine our club functioning as well as it does without our website.
FW Introduction Solo Canoe Certification Weekend- Aug 23-25 2019
A report by Nathalie M
During this weekend course, participants of all ages and backgrounds from aspiring summer camp counsellors to RACCC instructors-in-training gathered at Gracefield Camp in Quebec to obtain ORCKA or Paddle Canada flatwater intro solo canoe certifications. Seventeen participants, instructors and assistants were divided into three groups with excellent instructor to student ratios. The camping weekend allowed us to paddle in calmer waters each morning and evening. In between paddling sessions, we learned course theory and joined in extracurricular activities like archery, napping in hammocks, hiking, kayaking, swimming, stargazing and singing by the campfire. Everyone participated in a synchronized solo canoe dance and some even discovered how to roll swamped canoes in the warm, shallow waters of Lac Castor.
Thank you to the ever flexible and resourceful instructors Karen H., Jennifer H., Mark S., Suze C. and Dot B. who volunteer their time and go above and beyond to ensure all participants are well fed, sheltered and have the resources and support required to get the most out of every course.
Click on Read more for a 2nd report on the weekend plus some photos and a video.
Algonquin NW Tim and Nipissing Rivers Loop Trip Report 2019
Main Objectives: Trout fishing, experience Algonquin, and travel a new route. SEE ATTACHMENT.
 Trip report | [Trip report] | 3145 kB |