Canada Day Dragon Boat Regatta

We are looking for a few more dragon boat paddlers to race with us in Stratford this coming weekend (Sat Sept 14). We have 4 teams competing, with some great coaches: Catherine MacInnes, Jonathan Navarro, Terence Yu, and me backing it all up. Msg me or call 647-971-7332 if interested.

The Dominion Day Regatta Association (DDRA) is one week away from running the 140th version of the oldest mixed sport regatta in the world - canoe/kayak and rowing since 1884, with dragon boats added as the 3rd sport in 2003. I run the dragon boat portion of the event, as well as I am the Volunteer Coordinator for the event. I am in search of 2 more motorboat drivers for two safety boats that will be stationed along the race course. A "Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC)" is required, but not a Ports Toronto "Powered Vessel Operator's Permit (PVOP)" as we have a waiver for this requirement. Message me if you or someone you know can help. A catered lunch is included as well as a $35 stipend and water throughout the day.

The Rusty Dragons "Barracudas" team raced at the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival this weekend on Toronto Island. Coaches Bethany Yam and Jamie Lee Gleason are our coaches, with captains Graeme and Hamza, and myself as team manager. The bottom line is we won the "E" Mixed Final Sunday afternoon against 5 other determined teams, by a margin of 0.08 seconds!! Our next race is the Canada Day Regatta (also on Toronto Island - supplied by GWN). We are still recruiting a few more members. Contact [email protected] for details.

In 2023, the Liberty Waves team won the Championship Final at the Canada Day Regatta on Toronto Island. This year, on Monday, July 1, there will be 8 teams vying for the Canada Day gold medals.

The MOTLEY CREW team is our composite team at the event, made up of individuals from any club or team in North America (and beyond). If you want to join this team, see https://www.rustydragons.ca/teams/motley-crew where you can see the details including a registration button.

Email me at [email protected] or call me at 647-971-7332 if you have any questions or registration issues. The cost is $60 CAD / $45 USD.

This regatta is the oldest running mixed sport regatta in the world - canoe and rowing since 1884, with dragon boats added in 2003 as the 3rd sport thanks to Jim Farintosh, Stephen Kwok, Peter Hoy, and others.

My apologies for the late post, but this event was canceled a month ago for the obvious reasons. We look forward to 2021 - when we are also hopeful for lower water levels on Lake Ontario! Please feel free to contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this event or the Dominion Day Regatta Association (DDRA).

The Dominion Day Regatta Association (DDRA) is meeting Monday, April 27th to decide if the Canada Day Regatta will stay on Toronto Island or move to Welland, or worse case be canceled. We are dealing with both the high-water levels (possibly higher than last year) and of course mainly dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety of our crews is a top priority, and we also have to deal with possible closures of the Island/parks or ferry restrictions/closure. The Rusty Dragons are hopeful the event will still be held and will keep everyone posted. BTW: We have a plan B for a replacement event in August if needed.

Registration is now open for teams wanting to race at the 137th annual Dominion Day Regatta on Toronto's Centre Island. We want you to join us! Each team gets three races" 500m and 200m qualifier race, and 500m final. We also form some women's collective teams for a bonus 200m race & Flower Ceremony (not just for BCS paddlers). We also fun a short Hand Paddle charity race, and also two 200m races for Spirit Challenge teams (teams for youth and young adults with an intellectual disability). Contact us at [email protected] for details.

The Dominion Day Regatta Association (DDRA) held a planning meeting this past Monday to work on the 2019 Canada Day Regatta on Centre Island. This event is not only for canoe and rowing clubs (since 1884), but also dragon boat teams (since 2003). There is space for 1 or 2 more recreational teams before the event sells out (each team gets a 500m and 200m preliminary race, then a 500m. Contact [email protected] if your team is interested in joining this historic event.

2019 Canada Day Regatta - Toronto Island. We just received our new wristbands for the event, which we are introducing this year for insurance purposes. And yes, we will have the shiny new medals again that we designed and used last year (via Crown Awards). This week we also signed a contract with Great White North (GWN) to supply dragon boats and docks for our event. Details for the races have also been confirmed with the Dominion Day Regatta Association (DDRA). This event is open to any team - contact [email protected] for details.

This week so far, we signed a contract with Great White North (GWN) to supply boats and docks for our Canada Day Regatta on Toronto Island. We also just ordered wristbands, as we make improvements in support of both insurance requirements and ensuring all races are fair.