With pleasure, the Ottawa Rowing Club invites you to participate in the 45th annual Head of the Rideau Regatta. The Ottawa Rowing Club is celebrating 150 years of rowing excellence Canada’s oldest rowing club, founded in 1867, the year of Canada’s confederation! The club’s first president was Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.
The Head of the Rideau Regatta is held annually on the last Sunday of September, on the picturesque Rideau River, winding 5.3 kilometres through the heart of the City of Ottawa. The course begins at Black Rapids and finishes at the Rideau Canoe Club site at Hog’s Back.
The 2017 Regatta Information Package is posted here.
Entries must be submitted using Regatta Central.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The Head of the Rideau (HOTR) is fast approaching on Sunday, September 24, 2017. This is the flagship head race for the ORC and is very popular with clubs from across Ontario, Quebec, and northern New York. The HOTR is a great day of racing, on a beautiful course, located right here in Ottawa at Mooney’s Bay and the Rideau River.
One of the reasons why The Rideau is so popular is the great work by our volunteers. That’s where you come in…Below are descriptions of volunteer positions. All rowers (including friends and family) are asked to consider giving some of their time to help make The Rideau a continued success.
There are multiple time slots available so you can both race and volunteer. High school students can also receive Volunteer Hours.
Some possible volunteer roles are:
On the water – along with one other person, you would be situated in a coach boat as a spotter at a particular point along the course to keep things moving smoothly and communicate any issues. This is also a great way to see the races and get to know fellow rowers. The driver requires a boater licence.
Food Bake Sale – while food trucks will be on-site, this position helps with a separate bake sale/snack table by donating baking, serving, taking requests, doing cash, and/or helping with set up/clean up. This is done with our parent volunteer co-ordinators.
Dock – ensuring that boats get on and off the docks smoothly is an important role and we are always looking for people who are able to communicate the need for efficiency to the rowers and also be able to deal with any last minute hiccups (missing blades, hot seating, equipment issues, etc).
Bow ball and shoe check – working at Control Commission through which all boats must pass, you are helping the Control Umpire check that bow balls are in place and that shoes are secure and tied down before boats proceed to the docks and launch.
Bow Marker Collection – making sure all bow markers are collected at the dock immediately after the race.
Volunteer floaters – helping as needed and filling in if volunteers cannot show or have a conflict.
Umpires – this is a trained position, but please indicate if you are interested in joining our umpire ranks.
Please express your interest by emailing the following to melissa@ottawarowingclub.com :
Name, Cell, E-mail, Position(s) in which you are interested, Time slot in which you are interested (A, B, and C):
A) Races 1-2, 7:30-11:30; B) Races 3-4, 11:30-14:30; C) Races 5-6, 14:30-17:30
We all benefit from a successful regatta and your help is much appreciated.
Thank you!