Author: Graeme Galves

Next up on the CORA Sanctioned Eastern Canada outrigger canoe events for 2026 is the Fall Classic in Ottawa on October 10, 2026 (Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, so that you can work up an appetite for Canadian Thanksgiving dinner) hosted by Rideau Outrigger Racing Club. This event will be a small-boat 11.5KM time trial out and back race down the picturesque Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage site. This year’s Fall Classic will include a 12KM OC6 race option for the first time! OC6 will race at 10AM from Mooney’s Bay Boat launch. OC1/2 will race at 1PM from Hartwell’s Lockstation (1500M paddle) away from start/finish of OC6. OC6 race will be a mass start format, whereas OC1/OC2/SUP/Surfski will be a staggered time trial start (30 seconds between racers).

As a CORA Sanctioned Event and a CORA Eastern Canada CORA Cup Series Event, the Fall Classic is eligible for various CORA funding. For event / registration information, please contact Mark Singer at Rideau Outrigger Racing Club.

The purpose of the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award is to recognize volunteers who have made significant and exemplary contributions to the Outrigger Canoe Racing Discipline of Canadian Outrigger Racing Association (“CORA”) within Canada in the Builder Category.

The CORA Board has approved Policy and Procedure relating to selection and awarding and administering the Award as per the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award Policy.

The Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award has traditionally been awarded after the CORA AGM. In 2026, the CORA Awards Committee opted for an “Early Call” for nominations as of 2026-Aug-31, given the pressing workload on CORA Board Members leading into the CORA Annual General Meeting (AGM). The CORA Awards Committee has reviewed nominations received for the past season and has recognized Wendy Rae-Perkins of Wai Nui O Kanaka as the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award.

“Auntie” Wendy Rae-Perkins is a builder / pioneer / activist who has dedicated a lifetime to the paddling community and countless noble causes. Wendy has been Commodore of Wai Nui O Kanaka since 2007 and has made significant contributions to the Eastern Canada paddling community. Her Early Career, Outrigger Canoeing Achievements, Coach-Builder Achievements, Pioneering Achievements, and Exemplary Achievements are highlighted in her 2022 Canadian Outrigger Hall Of Fame Bio. She has been with Wai Nui, the first outrigger canoe club in Ontario, since 2003, five years after its inception, and has worked continuously to grow participation in every paddlesport for youths, seniors, and adaptive paddlers. Her contributions to support paddlesports in general and outrigger canoe racing in particular at the international, national, provincial, and club level have been recognized by clubs and paddlers all across Eastern Canada.

For more information about the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award, CLICK HERE

The CORA Awards Committee wishes to announce that nominations for the Hugh Town Builder Award for the 8th and final year in 2026 will close as of end-of-day 2026-Aug-31. The remainder of the 2026 season will be quite busy with Team Canada athletes travelling to the 2026 Singapore IVF World Sprints Championships for several weeks late in August, and then the 2026 CORA Cup Series Championships will be hosted by Fort Langley Canoe Club late in September, and then the 2026 CORA AGM will be held just before end-of-year as has been common for many years. CORA will have continual social media postings on the 2026 Singapore IVF World Sprints Championships. You can follow the 2026 Singapore IVF World Sprints Championships Live Results as well as 2026 Singapore IVF World Sprints Finals Results and Medal Tally updated at the end of each day.

Nominations for the Hugh Town Builder Award as recently in 2025 have traditionally closed 2-weeks before the CORA AGM as per the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award Policy, however the CORA Awards Committee has opted in 2026 for an early closure for nominations, so as to expedite the review of Hugh Town Builder Award nominations, and strike a balance with other CORA initiatives.

If you are aware of any CORA Members that have a demonstrated history as Builders in the sport of outrigger canoeing in Canada, please provide details via the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award Nomination Form by end-of-day 2026-Aug-31.