VCDS Canoe Race – 2024
Thursday, 12th September 2024
0900 hrs – 1300 hrs
HMCS Carleton Jetty at Dow's Lake, 79 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, ON, K0A 0K2
“Take Flight for Good”
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Get ready to paddle as we celebrate the 24th annual VCDS Canoe Race! This long running event is the yearly kickoff to our National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign (NDWCC) in the NCR. It is always an exciting occasion, with great energy among participants and spectators alike!
This year, we're aiming to make a big splash by setting a goal of $20,000.00. If we are successful, this event will have raised over $200,000.00 since its inception! It's time to rally your teams and let the competition begin, all in the name of a great cause!
With approximately 30 teams participating each year, we're counting on your support to help us reach our fundraising target. To meet our goal, each team will need to raise at least $667.00. We encourage all teams to go above and beyond by sharing their teams individual fundraising link with colleagues, family, and friends! “Take flight for Good” and remember, every dollar raised brings us closer to our shared goal!
Who Can Enter?
Calling all L1s! This is your moment to shine! Gather a team of three paddlers and get ready to make waves. We’ll provide each L1 with equipment (canoe, paddles, and life jackets) for minimum of one team on a first-come, first-served basis. Teams wishing to use their own equipment are also welcome to register.
To ensure everyone can join the fun, we've set a minimum donation requirement of $100 per team and a registration fee of $10 per participant. Let's come together, contribute, and experience the thrill of the race firsthand.
Please note that the online donation page will close at 1300 hrs on race day, so let's make the most of the time we have. Remember, every contribution counts, and the funds raised will be credited towards your L1's total.
Hurry, as registration closes on Friday, 6th September 2024 at 11:59 am. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to showcase your skills and support a great cause!
*Please note that there are a limited number of canoes available to loan out. Each L1 is guaranteed one canoe with paddles and PFDs and these will go to the official representing team from each L1. We recommend additional teams bring their own canoes, PFDs and paddles, as the remaining canoes will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Map
VCDS Canoe Race Schedule
0900-1000: Registration opens
1000-1005: Teams assemble at HMCS Carleton waterfront for VCDS Opening Remarks
1005-1015: Paddler safety briefing by race organizers
1015-1030: Paddlers embark in their designated canoes and proceed to the start line
1030: Canoe Race starts from HMCS Carleton jetty
1100-1150: Central Band to play
1100-1130: Canoes expected to cross finish line
1130-1150: VIP guests, paddlers and spectators assemble in HMCS Carleton parade square for award ceremony and NDWCC Launch
1300: Event concludes
Parking
Please note that limited parking is available. Because of this, we strongly recommend carpooling with your team to help reduce the number of cars on site. No cars may park inside the fence of HMCS Carleton, but outside the fence parking may be used. The Navy Curling Club has also graciously allowed us to use their parking lot for the duration of the event. No parking is permitted in areas marked in red.
Be advised that DND and the Navy Curling Club are not responsible for any theft or damages that may occur in the parking lots.
Race Rules
- All L1’s will be provided with an opportunity to enter one team. This team will be provided with a canoe, paddles and Personal Floatation Devices. L1’s who do not enter a boat by the deadline will have their designated boat allocated to another L1.
- A limited number of additional canoes will be available on a first-come-first-served basis, so we encourage teams to use their own equipment
- Teams must be made up of one canoe with three persons aboard.
- All team members will wear a certified Personal Floatation Device at all times during the race.
- Only canoe paddles are authorized for use (no kayak paddles).
- No motorized propulsion devices are authorized for use (no matter what the design).
- In order to participate, your team must raise a minimum of $100 in donations, and each participant personally register through the online portal.
Awards
- First Place Canoe - Claim victory and bask in the glory of being the fastest team!
- Best Decorated Team (including costumes) - Let your creativity shine and leave everyone in awe with your dazzling appearance!
- Most Funds Raised Team - Show your fundraising prowess and secure this prestigious title by going above and beyond.
- Best Foreign Attaché Team - Let's celebrate diversity and recognize the outstanding participation of our international allies
- Most Determined Team – No matter your skill level, join the race, have fun, raise funds, and celebrate crossing the finish line!
Race Results
24th Annual VCDS Canoe Race Official Race Results
| Finishing Position | Canoe # | Grp/Level 1 | Team Name | Team Members | Finishing Time | Funds Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | CA | Current Ops | Col Marc O’Ray LCol Jonathan Hubble |
38’ 27” * | $1,160.00 |
| 2 | 29 | VCDS | Canoe Feel the Love Tonight | WO Trevor Argue Cpl Janika Boutin Cpl Michael Lett |
38’ 28” | $395.00 |
| 3 | 12 | MilPersCom | Stern Appearance (DHH) | Lt(N) Jason Delaney, Sgt William MacDougall Cpl Justin Horowitz |
41’ 56” | $250.00 |
| 4 | 6 | VCDS | Verdun Canoe Club | LCol Cedric Bowes-Lyon Maj Derric Bowes-Lyon Sgt Darrel Bowes-Lyon |
42’ 01” | $2,535.00 |
| 5 | 14 | ADM(Fin) | Banker’s Tanker | Meredith de Mora Michael Fleming Anders Griffioen |
46’ 28” | $520.00 |
| 6 | 23 | ADM(Pol) | Over the Horizon Rowers | Xavier Bérard-Cadieux Stéphaine Kennedy Peter Supierz-Szczyglowski |
46’ 48” | $760.00 |
| 7 | 16 | ADM(IE) | Oarsome Together! | Col Eric Fortin LCol Heather Reibin Maj Steve Rau |
47’ 40” | $210.00 |
| 8 | 10 | SOFCOM | Rowdy Rowers | 47’ 52” | $345.00 | |
| 9 | 34 | VCDS | Rideau Sharks | LCol Edward Jun Maj Daniel Michel-Habib Capt Kevin Power |
48’ 24 ” | $1,370.00 |
| 10 | 20 | ADM(Mat) | R&CS | Lt Ken Wardroper Lt Storm Silvawalker Chantal Aubry |
49’ 02” | $100.00 |
| 11 | 11 | CFINTCOM | Paddle Pros | Cdr Sylvie Robinson Lt(N) Alicia Puritt Remi Trueman |
49’ 39” | $205.00 |
| 12 | 7 | RCN | D Dive S | Lt(N) Jerome Turgeon WO Sean MacCready WO Brunio Robitaille |
49’ 40” | $10.00 |
| 13 | 8 | DND/CF LA | The Liti-Gators | Meaghan Reid Yasmin Gonzales Vale Lori Brenning |
49’ 58” | $510.00 |
| 14 | 15 | Corp Sec | Breaking Wind | Frank Champagne Tomas O’Shaughnessy Madison Russett |
50’ 12” | $740.00 |
| 15 | 2 | DMO | We’re All in the Same Boat | Lisa Landry Debbie McCosham Caty Lebreux |
50’ 13” | $100.00 |
| 16 | 9 | CJOC | CJOC | LCol Ian MacLellan CWO Roger Shaver PO1 Victoria Tavares |
50’ 23” | $850.00 |
| 17 | 35 | VCDS | Canoe Believe It! | Col Stephane Racle MCpl Sophie Roy Monica Suarez |
50’ 47” | $105.00 |
| 18 | 37 | DMO | DMO Speed Boat (Not Really) | Benjimen Eyre Matthew Hammer Antoine Got |
51’ 29” | $ |
| 19 | 4 | RCN | The Marvels | Cdr Jenn Kliem CPO1 Pascal Harel CPO2 Ryan Maisonneuve |
52’ 20” | $40.00 |
| 20 | 3 | CPCC | Evolution Revolution | Cdr Deborah-Lynn Gates Cdr Shannon Lewis-Simpson Robin Ambrose |
53’ 19” | $460.00 |
| 21 | 1 | ADM(PA) | Chips Ahoy! | Rhiannon Andrews Katie Williams Caroline Elie |
53’ 47” | $601.00 |
| 22 | 28 | VCDS | SharePoint Shipreck | BGen Tim Arsenault Maj Melissa Bott Julie Boulanger |
54’ 01” | $120.00 |
| 23 | 36 | VCDS | Hope It Floats | LGen Steve Kelsey Col Sean Trenholm LCol Caden Stiles |
54’ 14” | $100.00 |
| 24 | 13 | ADM(Fin) | All Oar Nothing | Nisse Bourne Chikane Hawthorne Kaila Della Valle |
55’ 14” | $110.00 |
| 25 | 18 | ADM(Mat) | The Bullet Canoe | Maj Guillaume Dufour Jason Zhai Erwan Marquis |
55’ 33” | $391.00 |
| 26 | 33 | VCDS | Paddle Up! | LCol Brad Perry Maj Catherine Griffin-Papic Capt Emily Hall |
58’ 17” | $1,063.00 |
| 27 | 17 | JAG | JAGuars | Maj Peter Watkinson Maj Jon Adams Nick Harvey |
58’ 22” | $145.00 |
| 28 | 30 | VCDS | Capt Capsize & The Buds | Cpl Damba Gymninov Avr Danielle Sylvestre Avr Camilo Salcedo |
59’ 05” | $150.00 |
| 29 | 19 | ADM(Mat) | Cantstoppables 2024 | Daniel Ray Nikhita Sertia Robert O’Neil |
59’ 50” | $275.00 |
| 30 | 26 | DM/SMSRC | All Oar Ducks in a Row | Sandra Douville Meghan Kolody Elizabeth Cyr |
59’ 52” | $195.00 |
| 31 | 38 | VCDS | No Name | MCpl Sophie Roy Cpl Nazhao Cyr-Theberge Cpl Mylène Carbonneau |
62’ 48” | $ |
| 32 | 22 | Ombusman | Ombuds Gone Wild | Ashley Crnic Olivia Crook-Simiana Margaret Mackenzie |
62’ 50 | $290.00 |
| 33 | 25 | ADM (HR-Civ) |
Flower Power Crew Canoe | Dominic Gonthier Louis Thérien Samantha Jotham |
63’ 19” | $1,195.00 |
| 34 | 32 | VCDS | CFSU(O-G) Buccaneers | Col Jeff Toope CWO Jason Pickard Ashley Fletcher-Kyle |
63’ 49” | $595.00 |
| 35 | 31 | VCDS | Oar-iginals | Cpl Megan Chamberlain Cole Emond Hashim Naziri |
64’ 13” | $55.00 |
| 36 | 27 | ADM(RS) | Row and Review | MCpl Vivian Cho Krishna Tiwari Jason Giddings |
64’ 17” | $600.00 |
| 37 | 21 | DLO | Departmental Litigation ROW-versight | Westley Dubois Sonja Peters Joël Racine |
67’ 11” | $50.00 |
* Not eligible for Race Winner trophy since they were only two paddlers instead of the required three.
L1 Group Results
| VCDS | $5,128.00 |
|---|---|
| ADM(HR-Civ) | $1,195.00 |
| CA | $1,160.00 |
| ADM(Fin) | $630.00 |
| ADM(MAT) | $766.00 |
| CJOC | $850.00 |
| ADM(Pol) | $760.00 |
| Corp Sec | $740.00 |
| ADM(PA) | $601.00 |
| ADM(RS) | $600.00 |
| CFLA | $510.00 |
| CPCC | $460.00 |
| SOFCOM | $345.00 |
| DMO | $295.00 |
| OMBUSMAN | $290.00 |
| MILPERSCOM | $250.00 |
| ADM(IE) | $210.00 |
| CFINTCOM | $205.00 |
| JAG | $145.00 |
| RCN | $60.00 |
| DLO | $50.00 |
| Donations | $1,400.00 |
| TOTAL | $16,650.00 |
Trophy Winning
Winning Team
- 1st place – Team #29 – Canoe Feel the Love Tonight – VCDS – 38’ 28”
WO Trevor Argue, Cpl Janika Boutin and Cpl Michael Lett - 2nd place – Team #12 – Stern Appearance (DHH) – MPC – 41’ 56”
Lt(N) Jason Delaney, Sgt William MacDougall and Cpl Justin Horowitz - 3rd place – Team #6 – Verdun Canoe Club – VCDS – 42’ 01”
LCol Cedric Bowes-Lyon, Maj Derric Bowes-Lyon and Sgt Darrel Bowes-Lyon
Best Decorated Team
- 1st place – Team #25 – Flower Power Crew Canoe – ADM(HR-Civ)
Dominic Gonthier, Louis Thérien and Samantha Jotham - 2nd place – Team #1 – Chips Ahoy! – ADM(PA)
Rhiannon Andrews, Katie Williams and Caroline Elie - 3rd place – Team #33 – Paddle Up! – VCDS
LCol Brad Perry, Maj Catherine Griffin-Papic and Capt Emily Hall
Most Determined Team
- Team #21 – ROW-versight – DLO – 67’ 11”
Westley Dubois, Sonja Peters and Joël Racine
Most Funds Raised
- 1st place – Team #6 – Verdun Canoe Club – VCDS – $2,535.00
LCol Cedric Bowes-Lyon, Maj Derric Bowes-Lyon and Sgt Darrel Bowes-Lyon - 2nd place – Team #34 – Rideau Sharks – VCDS – $1,360.00
LCol Edward Jun, Maj Daniel Michel-Habib and Capt Kevin Power - 3rd place – Team #5 – Current Ops – CA– $1,160.00
Col Marc O’Ray and LCol Jonathan Hubble
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