Beautiful day on the Gatineau River above Low QC
On Saturday, September 19, Bridget led a team of 9 RACCC paddlers! 4 Tandem canoes and 1 solo canoe.
(Bridget, Greg, Tom, Frederico, Mark S, Jane M, Judy S, Mary and Dot B)
Starting with a 8:45 muster at Tim Hortons in Wakefield -perfect to grab a coffee for the road!
Our put in was approx 22 km north of Wakefield, at the boat launch just north of the Paugan Dam at Low QC.
We could not have asked for a better day! Besides glorious sunshine and blue skies, there was little to no wind!
Ideal !! So we launched into almost mirror calm water! Reflections of shorelines and our canoes graced our photos all along the way.
RACCC Annual Club Meeting
Tuesday 17 November 2026
The Club Council met 16 September and has set the Annual Club Meeting for Tuesday 17 November at 7:00 PM by Zoom. Coordinates for joining the meeting will be published on the club website Calendar.
The agenda for the meeting so far is:
- approval of the minutes of the 2025 Annual Meeting (attached)
- reports by the Chair and Coordinators on 2025 activities and future challenges
- submission of a long term Capital Plan to the membership
- election of officers.
Council has worked hard on the Capital Plan over the last year and is now preparing to finalize it. It should be published before the Annual Meeting and a lively discussion is anticipated at the meeting.
There will be significant vacancies on the Council in the coming year and it is hoped that all members will consider joining the Council by standing for election at the Annual Meeting. The intentions of current Council members are as follows:
Ted Blake Award Nominations 2026
Your club executive is looking for nominations for the Ted Blake award which is a beautiful paddle inscribed with the names of the winners. This annual award is given to club members who have made outstanding contributions to the club, usually over the course of several years.
The club is fortunate to have a number of people who have gone the extra mile (kilometre?) to help club members. Do you know someone who has made a really big difference to the club? If so, please submit your nomination to Mike at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or any other member of the club executive. Nominees should be current members of the club and cannot have won the award in the past. In addition, nominees should not be members of the current club executive.
Nominations can be submitted not later than Sunday October 11.
History of the award
The award was created 2003 in recognition of the long and dedicated service given to the club by Ted Blake. He joined the club (then the Y Canoe Club) in 1978 – before the club even had a boathouse. It was he who negotiated a deal with the YM/YWCA to get the club’s first boathouse and to organize club members to build it. He remained active with the club until his death in 2011. Click here for more information about him.
Club member Dot B created the beautiful award paddle.
Previous Ted Blake Award Winners:
North Frontenac Parklands Crotch Lake
Trip Report August 24-28, 2026
Click on attachment below to read the article.
 RACCC 2026 Aug 24-28 Crotch Lake trip report V2-compressed.pdf | [ ] | 727 kB |
Crotch Lake in Algonquin Park
August 13 to 17 2026
Trip leader, Katie L wrote: We had a wonderful 5 days on Crotch Lake in Algonquin Park. Six of us set up our campsite for the duration on a lovely beach front with plenty of room for several tents. Rain came and went but most days were pleasant. Aug can be chilly at night but we hunkered down in our tents to the sound of the loons. Upon return to our campsite on the last full day we were treated to a welcome committee of a family of loons. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with such a great group of campers and I look forward to my next trip to Crotch Lake.
Paddle for Men's Mental Health
By Cory Dignard
I'm paddling more than 800 km from the shores of Georgian Bay to downtown Ottawa, over 40 days, to raise awareness and support for Men's Mental Health. This EPIC expedition will include more than 800 km of paddling, including Great Lakes, narrow channels and urban paddling.
The first eight days I’ll be joined by four club members, as we paddle from Killbear Provincial Park, camp in The Massasauga Provincial Park and on Beausoleil Island, finishing on Lake Couchiching, which is part of the historic Trent-Severn Waterway.
To learn more about my paddling plans see Georgian Bay to Ottawa Expedition .
Until October 9, all donations will go directly to The Ottawa Mission (ottawamission.com), who have been supporting men in Ottawa since 1906. To learn more and donate visit Paddle for Men's Mental Health - CanadaHelps .
The Wanigan, a part of canoeing history
Click on attachment below to read the article.
| Canoebytes - The Wanigan, a part of canoeing history-compressed-pdfa-1b.pdf | [ ] | 356 kB |
Lac Leamy to Ottawa River Trip Report
July 26 2026
Click on attachment below to read the article.
| Lac Leamy to Ottawa River Trip Report 2026.pdf | [ ] | 1140 kB |
Second Barron Canyon Trip Report
August 15 2026
Following the popularity of the Canada Day Barron Canyon trip, Paul Arseneault happily organized a return excursion for those who had missed out on the July adventure. On August 15, a group of ten set out to explore the Barron Canyon, including three enthusiastic participants returning for a second visit after the July 1 trip. With perfect summer weather on our side, it promised to be a memorable day.
Radiant Lake Trip Report
July 30-August 2 2026
Six of us spent the August long weekend paddling from Wendigo Lake to Radiant Lake in Algonquin Park. We left Thursday evening and made our way to North Depot Lake, covering about 8 km with two portages.
We claimed an amazing island campsite with a great beach and plenty of space. After the first day's paddle we cooled off with a swim. We also explored the other side of the island, where we could see the extensive tree damage from the storm that made headlines in June of 2025 after a young camper was injured by a falling tree. During the night, we were serenaded by a pack of wolves howling nearby.
Les Chutes de Plaisance Day Trip Report
Saturday May 23, 2026
A group of twelve enthusiastic paddlers, both longtime members of the RACCC and keen new members, enjoyed a wonderful day trip up the Riviere de la Petite Nation to Plaisance Falls, which are a natural and historic site. These falls are breathtakingly beautiful with their 63 metre drop.
Much gratitude and appreciation go to the leaders for planning and organizing this annual trip. They addressed any problems that might arise with spring weather, thunderstorms and the strong current at this time of the year. They paired experienced paddlers with those who are still learning. Experienced paddlers willingly switched positions to help out others. We appreciated that safety and enjoyment of a canoe trip for all was a priority.
Six camp items the RACCC taught me about
Click on attachment below to read the article.
| Canoebytes - Six camp items the RACCC taught me about.pdf | [ ] | 2607 kB |
Greenland Kayak Rolling Clinic
On Saturday, July 25th three students and two Paddle Canada instructors met to learn Greenland kayak rolls. The weather was perfect! The Ottawa River water was warm. Our instructors capably showed us how kayak rolls were done and helped us learn the body positions required, first on land and then in the water. As students we did our best to try rolling our kayaks, beginning at the end of the kayak roll and working backwards to the start of the kayak roll. When all of the parts were put together, we all came pretty close to learning a kayak roll and we had a good time too. Thank you to our capable kayak instructor team Suze and Andrea!