Ottawa Rowing Club

BEACH SPRINTS ARE COMING TO OTTAWA!

Ready to trade the start dock for the sand?

On Saturday, August 29, Row Ontario’s Beach Sprint Cup Series comes to Petrie Island Beach for a fast, fun day of racing!

There’s still time to get in on the action!

📍 Petrie Island Beach
📅 Saturday, August 29
⏰ 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
🚨 Registration closes August 23

Whether you’re racing, cheering from the beach or just curious to see what happens when rowing meets running, sand and some very quick turns, come join Ottawa’s rowing community for the day.

Racers: register by August 23 on RegattaCentral.

Spectators: bring your sunscreen and your loudest cheering voice.

See you on the sand!

ORC athletes are taking on the world! 🇨🇦

From London, Ontario to Duisburg, Germany, Ottawa Rowing Club athletes have been proudly representing Canada on the international stage.

This weekend at the FISU World University Championships Regatta in London, Aidan Hembruff helped the Canadian men’s 4- to a bronze-medal finish! 🥉

At the same regatta, Jack , Willow and Anna raced in the Canadian women’s 8+, finishing 4th in the world!!

And just two weeks earlier, ORC members Madeleine Lauriault , Riley Richardson and Ella Mckinley raced in Canada’s women’s 8+ at the U23 World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, finishing 5th overall.

Seven ORC athletes. Two world championships. One very proud club. ❤️🇨🇦

Congratulations to all of you, we love seeing ORC represented on the world stage!

The ORC is excited to participate in Capital Pride week by hosting a FREE come try rowing event for members and allies of the 2SLGBTQ+ community! Participants will learn how to row indoors on the rowing machine, and will get a chance to try rowing on the water with experienced rowers. Visit https://membership.rowingcanada.org/JoinComeAndTry to register and learn more!

We are also looking for volunteer rowers and coxswains to support this event! Sign up on iVolunteer or reach out to Rebecca ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Not every regatta ends with a finish line.

Yesterday, severe weather forced the cancellation of the Henley Masters Regatta after just five events, leaving many of our athletes without the opportunity to race.

Disappointing? Absolutely. We traveled a long way and trained many hours to be here.

But ours is an outdoor sport, and we are at the mercy of Mother Nature.

And rowing has always been about more than crossing the line first.

It’s about adapting. To everything. Our masters traded racing for pizza, bowling, stories, and plenty of laughs amid the chaos. It is proof that the strongest crews aren’t defined by medals, but by the people who pull together, on and off the water.

The weather won yesterday.

And our community did too.

There, right there. Right in the engine room of Team Canada’s U23 8+ at the 2026 World Championships. Do you see them?

It’s Madeleine Lauriault & Riley Richardson - two ORC alumni we couldn’t be prouder of!!

Madeleine Lauriault is also racing the 2- !!

While they both started as junior athletes on the Ottawa River, these two will be racing for 🇨🇦 in Duisburg, Germany 🇩🇪 from July 23-36.

Yah, Boat! Let’s go!!

Amazing pic by Katie Steenman

Breaking barriers on the water!

The ORC is excited to have been selected to receive a grant from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to support our Everybody Rows Ottawa (ERO) programming! This grant will allow ERO to expand its programming and continue to reduce financial barriers to rowing in Ottawa. 🚣‍♀️☀️

The Ottawa Rowing Club is hosting a free event as part of Welcoming Ottawa Week !

Join us on June 24th from 12-2 PM to celebrate Ottawa’s diversity and showcase our genuine welcome to newcomers.

Register here: https://membership.rowingcanada.org/JoinComeAndTry/Register?catId=2849

Do you know a 12–17 year old who’s spending their summer perfecting their Snapchat streaks?

We have an alternative!!

ORC Summer Rowing Camp still has spots available, with both full-day and half-day options.

Camp includes time on the water, new friends, learning a new sport, fresh air, and several hours each day when their phone is significantly less interesting (maybe).

Help us turn a few Snapchat streaks into rowing strokes this summer! ☀️

Questions? reach out to [email protected]

Love is love. Happy everyone.

Great pics by

There is something powerful about being in a boat together.

This year, the Ottawa Rowing Club is launching its first Survivor Rowing team as part of the global Survivor Rowing Network. We are proud to join clubs around the world that support physical, emotional, and social recovery after cancer through the sport of rowing.

Rooted in healing, hope, and community, the program is open to people with all cancer diagnoses.

💫 FREE entry (for the first 12 registrants) into ORC’s Adult Rowing League
💫 Beginner-friendly, no rowing experience required
💫 Team-focused, supportive, and fun
💫 Support persons welcome if space allows
💫 Season fees fully waived for survivors

Rowing is a low-impact, full-body sport that builds strength, confidence, connection, and resilience — all while being outdoors on the water with a team beside you.

This is not about competition. It’s about community.

Learn more or register:
ottawarowingclub.com/programs