HOHW IV – A HUGE Success

Hell or High Water Weekend, supported by Ottawa Paddleshack, is one of Canada’s largest paddlesports festivals. Incorporating multiple disciplines – canoe, kayak, raft, dragon boat – in both whitewater and flatwater, the event celebrates the rivers and recreational opportunities available in the Ottawa Valley. This past weekend, the banks of the Ottawa and Petawawa rivers were lined with people, craning to catch the on-water action.

The first ever Hell or High Water Dragon Boat races, supported by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, were a huge success.  Hundred of people crammed the beaches at the Petawawa Point to watch teams from across the Ottawa Valley, battle each other in a tough, 200 metre flatwater sprint. There was a carnival atmosphere, with music provided by The Bear 106.9, and loads of people sunning themselves on the beach between races.

Dragon boat races pit teams of 22 paddlers in an all out, races to the finish.  This years course at HOHW was 200 meters, considered a sprint in the dragon boat community, and made for very exciting races.  With teams finishing in less than 60 seconds, the difference between winning and losing is a close as a single mistimed stroke.

At the end of the day, the “Gearheads Angry Bunnies” claimed the top spot, with a time of 50.71 seconds, narrowly edging out the Bed Pan Patrol followed by the Nuclear Dragons.

“All told, with the wonderful weather, and the support of tons of volunteers and literally hundreds of spectators, we can proudly claim this day a success!” states Mike Crouzat, co-organizer of the HOHW event. “In particular I want to highlight the support we received from the Parks and Recreation department at the Town of Petawawa.  They really came through for us.”

The whitewater rafting and kayak races, now an annual event for kayakers from across the province, also highlight just great a resource the Petawawa River truly is.  More than 350 participants donned wetsuits, drysuits and even a few going “skin to win” (bare chested) to tackle the whitewater rapids of the Petawawa.  The top position was taken by Cameron Smedley of Ottawa, a current member of Canada’s national whitewater canoe team, and 2012 London Olympic hopeful.  The top spot in the women’s division was claimed by Katrina Van Wijk from Palmer Rapids. The top raft time was posted by the current Canadian champs “Team Petawawa”.

“Every year this weekend gets bigger and bigger and bigger.  We are blessed here in Petawawa to have such wonderful, natural public resources and it is so great to see so many people out enjoying themselves,” says Kim Barrington, HOHW co-organizer.  ”We had hundreds of racers, but I bet we had 1000 spectators stop by to check out the action. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better event.”

HOHW has been designed as a way of bringing people together to celebrate the rivers of the Ottawa Valley, but it is also a fundraiser in support of causes that are close to the hearts of people here in our local communities. Although the final totals have not yet been calculated, the event will raise well in excess of $10,000, which will be split between Soldier On, Whitewater Ontario and Algonquin College’s Capital Campaign.

The organizers can’t commit to a date just yet, but they are assuring people to watch for this event to return – bigger and better – next May.

Hell or High  Water is thankful for the support of The Bear 106.9 FM