We saved the best for last!
QUINTE ROWING CLUB will be hosting the ICICLE CHASE again this year on Saturday October 19th. The location will be the same as last year – around WILSON ISLAND in the TRENT RIVER near Stirling. As usual we can expect a variety of weather at that time of year, so be prepared for sun, wind, rain, snowflakes…….. and always a great time.
The circuit is 20 km, half on the winding, beautiful back channel behind Wilson Island and half on the wider, more open Trent River. It will challenge both your rowers’ fitness and your cox’s skill! After launching beside the First Line bridge, crews will be timed from the moment they pass under the bridge until they pass under it again. The row begins westward in the calm meandering Back Channel, then rounds the end of the island into the open water of Percy Reach, then down the Trent River (with the current) to the east end of the island, where the crews will have to find the entrance to the back channel and row back to the starting point. The back channel is lined with lily pads, but apart from a few short stretches, the clear water is wide enough to allow overtaking. And to encourage you to finish quickly, there will be BBQ hamburgers, snacks and drinks for everybody at the launch-site afterwards!
The course will be rowed in coxed quads, T11’s. You can bring your own equipment or use equipment provided for the event. (OARA boats and Quinte Rowing Club boats.)
Entries are to be made for crews, and sent to maxine.walker@sympatico.ca
In contrast to most tours, where people enter individually, entries for the Icicle Chase must be made by complete crews. You may enter as a Women’s Quad, a Men’s Quad or a Mixed Quad.
A ‘mixed’ crew must not include more than two oarsmen. Coxes in all crews may be of any gender. Crew names must be entered. Registration is open from September 5th to Saturday, October,5th.
The cost of the event is $250 + ($27.50 per crew for Rowing Canada and Row Ontario fees) ($55.50 per person). That includes equipment, trailering cost, provision of a portable toilet, and the refreshments. There will be a partial refund to clubs which provide equipment. Arrive at the site at 9 am, for a start (one boat at a time) around 10 am.
