One of the lesser known sporting groups in Powell River has brought home a national championship to the city.
Powell River Outrigger Canoe Society (PROCS) competed earlier this month in the National Outrigger Sprint Championships, held in Victoria. Not only did the Powell River Senior Masters crew win gold in the men’s event, but the club also took silver in the mixed event and bronze in the women’s. The following day, club members Bruce Gainer and Marc Lavertu took silver and bronze respectively in the men’s singles race.
The outrigger paddlers do not have a high profile in Powell River, although the club has existed since 2000. “We started as an ‘outreach’ project by the Gibsons Paddle Club,” said Jan Walker, president. “They gave us a Malia [a very old and heavy Hawaiian-built canoe] which they left for us at Egmont, completely unrigged. We had no clue how to rig a canoe, let alone paddle one, but we figured both out and haven’t looked back.”
Despite starting as complete novices, the club has thrived, with members representing Canada, and winning medals, in most of the biennial World Sprint Championships since 2004. Outrigger racing has its origins in the warm waters of the South Pacific, and few can match the Tahitians and Hawaiians, but Canada ranks surprisingly high in the world rankings.
Outrigger paddling is a growing sport worldwide, but it remains a close-knit and friendly community, and any paddler can be confident of a warm welcome in clubs around the world. Walker has been a guest paddler in Hawaii, Samoa, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Germany, not to mention paddling regularly in the US; other club members have had similar experiences in the UK, Italy, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The two dozen members of PROCS currently have use of a variety of boats, including six-person (OC6s) canoe, a two-person tandem (OC2) and some singles (OC1s). Some members compete regularly around BC, while others paddle solely for exercise, recreation and the joy of being out on Powell Lake or around Saltery Bay, where eagles, seals, sea lions and even whales are their regular companions.
“Outrigger paddling is a sport that brings one directly in touch with nature, with the opportunity to play on the water amidst Powell River’s incredible natural beauty,” said Lavertu, club secretary. “It’s also a sport that offers whatever level of physical challenge you wish, and where the wind and water provides various degrees of difficulty in which to succeed.” By “succeeding” Lavertu refers to not performing a “huli,” flipping over. “More ambitious paddlers can leave the comparative stability of a six-person boat and learn to paddle a single-seated canoe. Like me, they may become addicted to surfing the waves whenever the opportunity presents itself.”
Passengers on the Saltery Bay ferry have sometimes been treated to the sight of Lavertu skimming along on the top of the ferry’s wake—and occasionally going for an unplanned swim as a result.
One of the challenges facing the club is that of demographics; most of the current members are retirees, as reflected by the fact that the club only competes in Masters age-group categories. The club is actively trying to reach out to younger members, and has started a program with Brooks Secondary School to introduce students to the sport. Readers may also have seen the Corporate Challenge race at last year’s Sea Fair, which gave local companies and organisations the opportunity to learn the sport and race each other. It is hoped that this will be an even larger event this year.
The club would also like to create a home for itself and other paddling groups, such as the dragon boaters and kayakers, where boats and other equipment can be safely stored and facilities shared. Such a community-based approach has been successful elsewhere, and if the proper funding and support can be mobilised it would give a great boost to Powell River’s standing as a magnet for paddlers of all kinds.
Readers looking for more information about the sport can visit the club’s website where contact details can be found. Everyone is welcome at the club, regardless of experience. Three of the six-person men’s crew that won the National Championships have been paddling for less than two years.
