28 May 2021

World Rowing and Ontario Adventure Rowing have announced an international rowing event: rowers from around the world are welcome to row on the beautiful waters of South Eastern Ontario, a tour on the Bay of Quinte and 1000 Islands in 2022.

In September 2022, the Bays and Islands World Rowing Tour will host more than 50 long-distance adventure rowers from around the world. Teams of rowers will travel from Brighton to Mallorytown over the course of a week, experiencing the beauty of the Bay of Quinte and the 1000 Islands.

World Rowing supports Rowing for All – the idea that rowing is an accessible touring, recreation and fitness activity for people of all ages and experience levels. The flagship event of its Rowing for All Commission is a week-long tour, organized in a different country each year. ‘Bays and Islands’ will be the third World Rowing Tour hosted by Canada, and the first in South Eastern Ontario. The tour is organized by Ontario Adventure Rowing (OAR) and supported by Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA).

According to a press release “the participants will enjoy breathtaking views from the water in addition to many opportunities to experience this beautiful region and all that it has to offer – from waterfront vistas, beaches, and wineries to the cultural heritage as featured recently in Vogue and Condé Nast Traveler magazines. Waterfront festivals held along the way will bring together rowers and spectators while showcasing and celebrating Ontario’s waterways and water sports.”

The rowers will be in coxed quads: boats with four people sculling and one person steering. These boats are designed with watertight compartments and are virtually unsinkable.

Opening ceremonies will be held on 10 September 2022 in Belleville, Ontario. Rowing will commence on 11 September with 17 September being the last day on the water, followed by a closing ceremony held that evening in Kingston, Ontario.

The Bays and Islands Tour will be run by volunteers, mainly members from OAR and rowing/water sport clubs along the route.

“Our members are so excited to welcome rowers from around the world for this tour,” says Peter Jepson of Ontario Adventure Rowing. “We expect that this tour will elevate the international profile of our region for sport tourism and will showcase the Bay of Quinte and the 1000 Islands as a great place for recreation, for young and old alike.”

Learn more about the Bays and Islands World Rowing Tour here.

To learn more about OAR, go here.