Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) is pleased to announce that the 2023 RCA National Rowing Championships (NRC’s) will be hosted at the home of the National training centre from Thursday, September 28 through Sunday, October 1, 2023.

RCA has partnered with Maple Bay Rowing Club for the second consecutive year to welcome the nation’s rowing community to the traditional ancestral territories of Coast Salish First Nations at the picturesque Quamichan Lake in Duncan, British Columbia.

Maple Bay Rowing Club President Susan MacDonald is honoured to host the championships again and has witnessed first-hand how the sport has grown in the community and across the island since the championships last year.

“On behalf of Rowing Canada Aviron and the Maple Bay Rowing Club, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to once again host the 2023 RCA National Rowing Championships at the National Training Centre on Quamichan Lake,” MacDonald said. “We look forward to welcoming crews, coaches and rowing friends from across Canada to the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Come and enjoy some great competition and spectacular scenery. We look forward to hosting you.”

RCA is also delighted to announce the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta Committee will host the 2023 RCA Canadian Masters Championships, as part of the Henley Masters Event taking place from August 6 – 13, in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Today’s announcement adds to the excitement around the upcoming 139th edition of the historic Royal Canadian Henley regatta taking place at the famous Martindale Waterways on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples.

“We are thrilled to be the hosts of the 2023 RCA Canadian Masters Championships. This is a great opportunity to showcase these athletes and celebrate their contributions to our sport,” said Bill Schenck, Commission of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta Committee. “Masters rowers are some of the most passionate athletes we have in our sport and will provide an excellent chance for many athletes in our junior categories to see them compete and know that rowing is truly a sport for life. We celebrate the 139th edition of the Henley regatta this year and I know with the inclusion of these categories it is sure to be one of the biggest Henley regattas to date.”

RCA’s Director of Partnerships and Sport Development, Jennifer Fitzpatrick is confident these event partnerships will showcase two of the biggest events on the domestic rowing calendar, full of spirited racing and sportsmanship, and welcomed by the North Cowichan and St. Catharines communities.

“It is great to be working alongside Maple Bay Rowing Club again to deliver the 2023 National Rowing Championships at Quamichan Lake,” Fitzpatrick said. “The North Cowichan community have welcomed our National Team athletes and program into the area over the last year and we are proud to continue our relationship with the wider community by hosting our pinnacle domestic event at the site of our national team, which will no doubt inspire some outstanding performances.”

“We thank the organizers of the iconic Royal Canadian Henley Regatta for featuring and celebrating our nation’s best masters rowers at the historic regatta,” Fitzpatrick continued. “When on the water the Masters categories often provide some of the most exciting competition and viewing of any regatta, off the water the participants are a magnificent and supportive community of passionate rowers. On behalf of RCA and all Masters rowers, I want to thank Bill Schenck and the rest of the committee for this welcomed addition to the famed regatta.”

More details regarding the 2023 RCA National Rowing Championships and 2023 RCA Canadian Masters Championships will be published soon on the RCA website and social media platforms, including further updates, entries and schedule information, ahead of the events.