Row! Row! Row! On the Rideau!

It’s Saturday morning here on a warm September on Ottawa’s Rideau canal. Watch the guys zoom along with gusto and exuberance!

Did you know that the Ottawa Rowing Club has been around for as long as Canada itself? That's right, it was established way back in 1867! Over the past 154 years, the ORC has had its fair share of ups and downs, but it has remained a constant in Ontario rowing circles. Interestingly, rowing was already being practiced in the Ottawa region before the club was even formed.

It's believed that rowing on the Ottawa River started when the Royal Engineers of the British Army began building the Rideau Canal. They would cross the river in oared ferries from the Quebec side to work at the base of the canal. Bytown, which is now part of the Ottawa Capital Region, was established in 1826 on the Ottawa side of the river.