Our communication and resource hub!
Did you mark your calendar!
Trip: (Grand River) Kaufman’s Flats-Shirley Dr.
Meet at the shed for 8:30 a.m so we can leave by 8:45 a.m.
Don’t forget to contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com or call 519-743-2277 to save your spot for Tuesday’s trip. If you can’t come, but reserved a spot, don’t forget to let Anne know that as well.
Trip details can be found here!
Upcoming trips can be found here.
***UPDATE***
Tuesday’s trip info is as follows:
Trip: Grand River – Kaufman’s Flats to Shirley Dr.
Date: August 3rd
Time: Meet at the shed at 8:30 a.m.
Trip Organizer: Anne Woolner annewoolner@hotmail.com
Tower: Armand Martin
Details: A leisurely paddle past Bridgeport and Bingeman’s Park.
Skill Level: Basic training required
Shuttle: Yes
Trip Fee: $6
Canoe Trip Times and Pre-Trip Measures
What to Bring on a Canoe Excursion
What to do on Canoe Day
Please note that there is construction on Weber St. between Northfield Dr.and King St. and the traffic is one way. To access Dutton Dr., you must come in from Northfield Dr. or Parkside Ave.
Reminders:
Please contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com or call 519-742-2277 to preregister for this trip. Spots will be saved on a first come first serve basis. If you reserved a spot for July 27th, you will need to let Anne know that you would like to reserve a spot for August 3rd
To see what’s coming up….check out the Trip Schedule
Future Trip Ideas – Tell us what you think!
I’d like to give a big welcome to all our new members. With the training done, we hope to see you out on our trips and get the chance to know you. Also, a big welcome back to all our returning members and getting back into the swing of things. Our first trip on July 20th was a blast!
Just to clarify a few misconceptions, the OSSCC website is our place on the internet that is open to everyone and a glimpse of what we are all about. The Blog is a place that is exclusive to our membership to use as a communication and information hub. Sometime they are confused, but each has a specific purpose so why not check them both out!
Website: http://www.oldsaltsclub.com/
Blog: https://oldsaltsclub.com/wp/
To find out more about the Blog and how to navigate it, click on this {link}.
We have worked hard to compile resources that our members can use to make their canoeing experiences enjoyable and safe.
What to do on Canoe Day
What to Bring on a Canoe Excursion
Know Your Strokes – diagrams & videos
Canoeing Terminology
You can find the canoe trip schedule {here}. We will probably extend it into October depending on the weather and water levels. Check back often for changes and updates.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help organize trips. It is greatly appreciated. We have uploaded resources to our Trip Organizing section on the blog that are very detailed and helpful to anyone organizing a trip. Of course there are a few modifications to accommodate covid restrictions, so please contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com or 519-743-2277 for direction. See {Trip Organizing}
Lots of things have changed since our 2019 canoe season. Covid has changed how we do things compared to past years. Last year was a success, so we have implemented a similar strategy as outlined in our {2021 Reopening Strategy}. This document talks about protocols, considerations canoeing measures. We strongly recommend that you read the strategy before you come out for your first canoe trip so you won’t run into any surprises at the shed. Changes include:
1. Trip Pre-registration
2. Preparing trip fees ahead of time
3. Vaccination requirements -Must be fully vaccinated!
4. After trip routine
Trips will be cancelled if enough people don’t sign up by the night before the scheduled trip. This would be a shame since we waited so long to open up!
The 1st version of the 2021 Membership List has been posted. Please check to see if your information is correct. If not, please let us know by emailing info@oldsaltsclub.com. If your name is missing and you plan on remaining a member of the OSSCC, please send your membership forms and fees as indicated in the “Opening Update” email notification by July 30th. The final list will be posted the first week of August.
Mark your calendar!
Trip: {Easy Breezy} Nith River, New Hamburg
Meet at the shed for 9:00 a.m so we can leave by 9:15 a.m.
Don’t forget to contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com to save your spot for Thursday’s trip. If you can’t come, but reserved a spot, don’t forget to let Anne know as well.
Please note that there is construction on Weber St. between Northfield and King St. and the traffic is one way. To access Dutton Dr., you must come in from Northfield Dr. or Parkside Ave.
Trip details can be found here! Club Handbooks & Rules will also be available for $10.
Upcoming trips for next week:
July 27th – (Grand River) Kaufman’s Flats-Shirley Dr.
July 29th – {Easy Breezy} Flordale
Mark your calendar!
Trip: {Grand River} Moyer’s Landing to the Bluffs in Cambridge!
Meet at the shed for 8:30 a.m so we can leave by 8:45 a.m.
Bring lunch to enjoy after the trip. There is a lovely picnic area at the Bluffs!
Don’t forget to contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com to save your spot for Tuesday’s trip. If you can’t come, but reserved a spot, don’t forget to let Anne know that as well.
Trip details can be found here!
Upcoming trips for next week:
July 27th – (Grand River) Kaufman’s Flats-Shirley Dr.
July 29th – {Easy Breezy} Flordale
Hello Old Salts!
Mark your calendars…….
Thursday’s trip info is as follows:
Trip: Nith River, New Hamburg
Date: July 22nd
Trip Organizer: Anne Woolner annewoolner@hotmail.com
Tower: Frank Kuntz
Time: Meet at the shed at 9:00 a.m.
Details: Easy Breezy – Open to all members. This is an easy flat water paddle for about 2 hours. Limited spots available.
Skill Level: Basic training required
Shuttle: No
Trip Fee: $6
Canoe Trip Times and Pre-Trip Measures
What to Bring on a Canoe Excursion
What to do on Canoe Day
Reminders:
Please contact Anne Woolner at 519-743-2277 or annewoolner@hotmail.com to preregister for this trip. Spots will be saved on a first come first serve basis.
Since there will also be training on this day, we will only have access to 1 trailer. If more than 12 people are interested in this trip, we do have access to 3 other canoes that will need to be cartopped.
Note: We will have the hard copies of the Club “Handbook & Club Rules” available to purchase at the shed. This is a beautiful, professionally printed manual for those of you who don’t have printers or would prefer a hard copy to have on hand. The cost of this book is $10 which will go the “Shed Relocation Project” fund. Everything you want to know about the Club is in this book!
Hello Old Salts!
Our first trip or the 2021 season is as follows:
Trip: Moyer’s Landing to River’s Bluff
Date: Tuesday, July 20th
Time: Meet at the shed at 8:30 a.m.
Trip Organizer: Anne Woolner annewoolner@hotmail.com
Tower: Frank Kuntz
Details: A short river canoe trip with some interesting scenery and hopefully a few Blue Herons. It starts at Moyers Landing across the river from Blair and ends up at River Bluffs before the dam in Galt.
Skill Level: Basic river training required.
Shuttle: Yes. (See 2021 Reopening Strategy…for procedures)
Trip Fee: $6
Canoe Trip Times and Pre-Trip Measures
What to Bring on a Canoe Excursion
What to do on Canoe Day
Reminders:
Please contact Anne Woolner at annewoolner@hotmail.com to preregister for this trip. Spots will be saved on a first come first serve basis.
Note: We will have the hard copies of the Club “Handbook & Club Rules” available to purchase at the shed. This is a beautiful, professionally printed manual for those of you who don’t have printers or would prefer a hard copy to have on hand. The cost of this book is $10 which will go the “Shed Relocation Project” fund. Everything you want to know about the Club is in this book!
It is wonderful to be able to say that we are open. If the covid lockdowns have taught us anything, it’s certainly shown us to not take anything for granted. This season is the beginning of a new era and as such we will be doing things differently than we have in the past…so read on!
Our reopening strategy has been tweaked from last year to take into account our transition into the 2nd and 3rd stages of the provincial reopening and the procedures the club has decided to adopt.
Highlights include:
–For the health and safety of our members, only members who have been fully vaccinated and have passed the 2 week waiting period will be permitted to participate on our canoe trips.
-Only registered members who have paid their fees and submitted their forms will be permitted to participate on our canoe trips
-Canoeing measures are the same as they were in 2020 (see below)
-Trip fees are paid as per changes implemented in 2020 (see here)
Anne Woolner has planned some lovely trips this season and the first one will be happening on Tuesday, July 20th. Details will follow in a separate email.
Tentative schedule for 2021 season *Link*
Canoe Trip Times and Pre-Trip Measures
What to Bring on a Canoe Excursion
What to do on Canoe Day
For planning purposes, trips will proceed as they did last year. If you plan on participating on a particular trip, you will need to contact the Trip Organizer before the trip to sign up and let her know you are coming. The reason for this is that the Trip Organizer needs to know how many people to plan for since we currently have a shortage of towers. If people just show up at the shed and we have too many participants, we may have to send people home if we don’t have a second tower or if people are unwilling to cartop. Spots will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis. If you have the capability to tow, please indicate so on your Membership Renewal form or let Ann know. The form includes the waiver addressing covid, so no need to fill out a separate form.
Membership Form
The membership renewal form can be found here. You will not be able to participate in any canoe trips unless we receive the completed form/signed waiver and fee. Please return asap as per Opening Update. Emailing us an unsigned form with no fees will not be accepted.
Volunteers
The success of the OSSCC depends on its volunteers! Members are expected to participate as needed in the running of the Club. When completing your membership form, please check at least one area in which you would be interested and willing to help. We currently need people to work on the Shed Relocation Committee and to consider volunteering to be on the Board of Directors. The Secretary position is in urgent need of being filled.
Emergency Contact Cards
For potential emergencies, it is essential that everyone either has one on them or in their dry bag whenever out on one of our canoe trips. Trip Organizers will be checking before we leave on any trips. If you don’t have one, they will be available at the shed and at training sessions.
Club Handbook and Rules
The OSSCC Handbook & Rules is a manual that is at the heart of the Old Salts Seniors Canoe Club. If you have any questions about the club, chances are that they will be answered in this manual. This is the manual you promise to read and abide by when you sign the “Privacy/Membership Waiver.”
Members have the choice of viewing the manual online in pdf format or you can print it out if you have a printer. For those of you who have no printer, you can purchase a professionally printed and bound copy for $10. Books will be available at the shed before training/trips. Proceeds will go to our “Shed Relocation Project“.
Social Events
Social Events are on hold for this month until we see how things go with the first couple of trips and how things go with membership registration. What events would you like to see return? Use the comments section below and give us your thoughts and suggestions. Are you willing to help organize?
Canoe Basics
Know Your Strokes
Canoeing Terminology
Hello Old Salts!
We hope this message finds you all in good health and coping well with the Covid-19 challenges that have been presented to us as we round the corner to entering Stage 2 of reopening. These are unprecedented times that will generate many conversations down the road, but today, I would like to provide you with an update on the status of our Club and thank you for your continued patience in waiting to hear what the 2021 canoe season will look like.
The OSSCC Board of Directors has been meeting via Zoom regularly to monitor the Covid-19 situation and how it affects our Club. The BOD has decided that we will resume activities once the Region of Waterloo enters Stage 2 of reopening. With more people receiving their 2nd vaccination and with less restrictions, the OSSCC will be operating on a limited schedule with measures that were put in place last season and possibly extending the season into the fall, weather permitting. This also means that social events will start as well.
With the Club resuming operations shortly and offering activities, we will also require members to complete membership renewal forms and pay their membership fees. The fee remains the same at $40 per person. The membership form has been tweaked to reflect current requirements and can be found here. (See below for more information). Since we don’t have access to Wing 404 to pick up mail, I ask that you either mail or drop off the form/fees to OSSCC, C/O 132 Kesselring Crt., Kitchener, ON N2E 2P2. If you have any questions about this, call me at 519-501-2078 for clarification.
The canoe schedule is ready to go and it will be published and available on the blog once we get the go-ahead that the region is entering Stage 2. Hopefully by this time most of our members will have received their 2nd vaccination. With the safety measures we put in place last year and with the added protection of being fully vaccinated, members can still enjoy a fun canoe season and any social events that may happen. In the meantime, please submit your forms and fees to ensure the continued viability and success of our Club. The membership list will be adjusted accordingly and available at the end of July. For our new members from last year, we are working on a plan to provide basic canoe training (on a first come, first serve basis) so you can participate on some of our easier trips.
Please stay tuned to the blog…..another update will be posted with the date of the first canoe trip of the season being announced!
Eugene Marion, President
Old Salts Seniors Canoe Club
eugene.marion@gmail.com
Membership Renewal Form changes……
You can find the Membership Renewal form here.
As per several requests from some of our members, I have created a “fillable” PDF form that can be completed via desk top computer or laptop using the free Adobe Reader DC software, and then saved and printed. This can also be done on tablets or cell phones that have an app that can read and edit PDF forms. Of course, the form can be printed and filled out by hand, as has been the case in previous years….something for everyone! – Carol
Thanks to everyone who responded to the last email to let us know that you wish to remain a member of our Club. (If you didn’t see the post, you can find it here.) Unfortunately, there are still stragglers who have not let us know their intentions. We are not asking for forms or fees at this time. Just let us know whether you want to stay a member and if there are any changes to your contact information by April 15th. The membership list will then be updated. Due to privacy concerns, if we don’t hear from you by then, further emails and access to the blog will be suspended until you do contact us.
Please contact Eugene Marion: eugene.marion@gmail.com or call
519-501-2078.
Volunteers are the lifeline of our club. We can’t operate without them. Trip Organizers, towers, etc., and especially the Board of Directors (BOD), all require volunteers for the Club to function properly and remain viable.
At this time, the BOD really needs a Secretary. We ask that you seriously consider this position. Your contribution would really be appreciated and the time commitment would be for our monthly BOD meetings (less July & December) and our annual general meeting. There are lots of resources available to help with the job.
Please contact Anne Woolner: annewoolner@hotmail.com or call
519-743-2277.
We also have an opening for a new Web Administrator. This is a fun position for anyone who enjoys computers. Carol is willing to work with whoever volunteers for the job until they are comfortable. She is preparing a manual for the handover and will stay on in an advisory/techie support capacity.
Want to find out more? Please contact Carol Marion: caroline.milla4@gmail.com or 519-570-6250
