This column is dedicated to celebrating outdoor recreation in the Seymour area. Whether you are an adrenaline junkie or a Sunday afternoon ambler, there’s a slice of nature waiting for you to discover in Deep Cove.
Every month we ask an outdoor recreation enthusiast east of Seymour to give us some advice on how to navigate nature in our backyard.
For April, we learn about paddling in the Cove from Wendy Moore, president of the Deep Cove Rowing Club.
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As we push our rowing shells off the beach, oars catch the water and launch our crew into Deep Cove to start the workout.
Knees bend, blades dip, legs push to propel the boat forward. Crew and oars move in unison as we synchronize our movements to make the boat move as fast as we can. Teamwork is key.
The crews warm up on the way to the five-knot buoy at the edge of the cove where we meet the rest of the rowers in single, double or quad shells. Our coach in a safety boat describes the practice plan and off we go.
Indian Arm is a great place to row. Most rowing clubs are on lakes or rivers with limited space. The Deep Cove rowers can row for 10 kilometres without stopping. We even do occasional excursions to Granite Falls at the end of the Arm. Our sport is an endurance sport and for those that race, our location is perfect for training for long races.
There’s nothing better than a workout on the water, with the view of mountains and islands. We will probably see wildlife during the practice, whether it’s a heron fishing, a bloom of jellyfish, or the young seal that tries to hop aboard the shells. Being on the water is a joy for the senses. Rowing is a great low impact cardio workout for the legs, back and arms. We return to the beach tired but fulfilled.
The Deep Cove Rowing Club caters to youth and adults, both novice and experienced. Youth can start rowing after Grade 7. We have adult rowers from university age through to the 70s.
Rowers can choose to row either recreationally or competitively.
For those that like to compete in races, we hold three events, called regattas, in Deep Cove, as well as attending regattas at other clubs. June is our fun recreational short course race in the cove. In September is the longer race around Jug Island and back, with clubs participating from around B.C. and Washington. The season ends in late October with an event for high school students.
We’ve had youth rowers go on to compete on B.C. and Canadian junior teams and earn medals at national and international events. A few have earned rowing scholarships in university.
Adults have competed at larger events, including winning medals at the last World Masters Games in Italy.
There has been rowing in Deep Cove for about 25 years. It started with two separate organizations, one for youth and one for adults. They merged 13 years ago to share equipment and coaches. We are located in the upper part of the boathouse in Deep Cove Park. We name our boats after the local landmarks, so wave at us next time you see Seymour, Granite (Falls), Quarry, Cates, Panorama, or Deep Too on the water.
For more information about rowing in Deep Cove, check out our website at deepcoverowingclub.com.
If you would like to contribute your outdoor recreation expertise to the Crier, contact [email protected].
