The Red Island Regatta is returning to the Brudenell River this Saturday after a one year hiatus and, for one P.E.I. rower, it will be a chance to compete in front of family and friends.

Shannon MacAulay of Mount Herbert is a relative newcomer to rowing. She spent six years with Hockey Canada and played for Team Canada at the 2016 Nations Cup as a member of the National Women’s Development Team.

She was recruited into rowing through the RBC Training Ground program and has been training hard with the North Star Rowing Club in Dartmouth since May.

MacAulay has competed at two rowing competitions so far: the Nova Scotia Sprints on Lake Banook in July and, most recently, at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario.

On Saturday, she will compete closer to home.

The Red Island Regatta will feature 1,000 metre sprint races in the morning in front of the Rodd Brudenell resort. The finish line is close to the Brudenell marina.

In the afternoon, the rowers will switch to coastal boats and compete on a 2.3  kilometre course along the river towards Georgetown and back. They will be launching from the beach on Brudenell Island.

Competitors are coming from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to row, including a varsity team from St. FX.  There will also be 10 entries from the host club, Rowing P.E.I.

Home base for the event will be Activity Centre in Brudenell Provincial Park.  Spectators are welcome to come down to the water and cheer on the rowers.

The races begin at 7:30 a.m. and will wrap up by 4:30 in the afternoon.

Regatta organizers are thankful for the support they’ve received from premiere sponsor, East Coast Docks, the governments of P.E.I. and Canada, the Montague Waterfront Development Corporation, P.E.I. Parks, HMCS Queen Charlotte and Tranquility Cove Adventures.

“We are excited to showcase our sport on the beautiful Brudenell River and hope Prince Edward Islanders will take advantage of this opportunity to see some great competition, including the relatively new sport of coastal rowing,” said Russ Bryden, co-chair of the regatta.

Rowing P.E.I. was formed in 2010 with the loan of a  recreational fleet from Rowing Canada Aviron. The club now has about 50 members, rowing out of the Charlottetown Yacht Club.  Rowing P.E.I. offers Learn to Row programs regularly through the summer.

For more information: www.rowingpei.ca

Contact:  Russ Bryden

Co-chair, Red Island Regatta

Ph: 902-209-6333

Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club sets sights on World Rowing Coastal Championships

Members of the Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, are thrilled that nearby Victoria will host the World Rowing Coastal Championships in October. Salish Sea is already putting together plans to train crews for the event and hopes it will attract even more rowers to “go coastal”.

“This will be the first time that the World Championships in coastal rowing has ever been held in North America, and is a huge boost for coastal rowing in Canada,” said Annette O’Shea, president of the Salish Sea club. “This is an opportunity for Canadian rowers to take on the world and compete in the most beautiful coastline anywhere.”

“We started the club because we are excited about getting out on the ocean, experiencing the solitude and independence,” said founding member Rebecca Berger. “Big waves or small, our fleet is seaworthy in most weather conditions.” Salish Sea started with a fleet of three Euro Diffusion boats, built to excel in waves and rougher water than any flat-water rowing shell can handle. They now have a quad, a double and a single.They have also added a Maas and Liteboat. Club organizers say their fleet of coastal boats allows Salish Sea members to row in more weather conditions, more days of the year, and longer duration rows than any other rower.

“Our dream has always been to share our beautiful coastline with other rowers, and share a more diverse rowing experience with flat water rowers,” said Annette O’Shea. “To row with whales, seals and porpoise, and to row through a school of migrating salmon is a privilege that is distinctive to coastal rowers.” Their motto: the ocean is our playground. “We wanted to create a club that could take advantage of the rougher and windier conditions that happen frequently in English Bay.”

Salish Sea Board members Jenn Weterings, Rebecca Berger and Annette O’Shea travelled to Victoria on January 2, 2018 to add their support to the Canadian bid to host the Championships. “It was a dream at the time of the club’s inception to host the World Championships in Canada and on the West Coast.” The club hopes to send crews to the WRCC 2018 in Victoria and are hoping the opportunity to train for a world championship will inspire some Vancouverites to give coastal rowing a try. “We are going to field some very strong crews and make Canada proud,” said O’Shea.

Salish Sea plans to offer new, specialized crew development programs starting in the coming weeks, for a select number of athletes. They are also hoping to welcome coastal rowers from around the world to Vancouver. They are working with the organizing committee to offer visitors a chance to add on a trip to Salish Sea as part of their WRCC 2018 experience. “We look forward to welcoming rowers from around the world this year, as the World Championships arrive in Victoria,” said Berger. “Big waves or small, we are bounded only by the limits of our imagination and endurance.”

The Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club (SSCR) is based out of Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver.

Salish Sea is a large area of coastal waters off the south coast of British Columbia stretching to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., officially designated in 2010. The name refers to the language of the indigenous groups that originally occupied the area.

To find out more, check out Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club on Facebook or http://www.salishsearowing.ca/

Coach Courses

Row NS will hosting three upcoming opportunities for coach training. The Learn to Row Coach Workshop is the entry workshop for coached. This is a great opportunity for those who are thinking about coaching this summer to get an introduction to coaching. The RCA Coach Weekend 1 is for current coaches to continue along the RCA Coach Pathway and develop their coaching skills and become more knowledgeable.

• Learn to Row Coach Workshop – April 7-8 at St. FX University in Antigonish – $100
• Learn to Row Coach Workshop – May 19-20 at Oakwood House in Dartmouth – $100
• RCA Coach Weekend 1 – March 23-25 at Oakwood House in Dartmouth – $150

More information

Registration for all coaching courses must be completed using The Locker.  If you have any questions please contact rowing@rowns.ca.

Umpire Course

Row NS will hosting an umpire clinic for individuals interested in becoming an umpire. Umpires are essential for the hosting, running and ensuring fair and safe regattas. This clinic is for those who are interested in becoming an assistant umpire for Row Nova Scotia or just want to have a better understanding of the rules of racing.

• Level 1 Assistant Umpire Clinic – May 5 at Sport Nova Scotia in Halifax – free

Please email Linda Lee to register or learn more about attending.

More information

We had a small but enthusiastic group at our first ever Red Island Indoor Rowing Challenge. It was a ton of fun and will definitely be repeated next February. Jason Steeves has already challenged anyone to come out and beat his personal best 2k time today of 7:26. Lots of people had personal bests today with the excitement of the cheering crowd! Thanks to everyone who helped, especially technology wiz Stephen Mellish.

The highlight of our first ever Red Island Indoor Rowing Challenge was the 2k team relay! Four rowers each do 500 metres and good transitions are key. We had 3 teams and lots of team spirit with bragging rights on the line for 2018.