Author: Graeme Galves

Let us bid farewell to Winter Series Small-Boat Racing as we wrap-up March shortly before the CORA National Sprints Regatta at the end of April.

Sand Point Outrigger Canoe Club will be hosting the PNWORCA / CORA 2024 Small-Boat Racing Winter Series Championship on Lake Washington in Seattle on Mar 30 (Easter Weekend) The courses will be challenging. The conditions will be more epic than in past years. The awards will be exceptional. The after-race meal will be beyond exquisite. This is how Sand Point Outrigger Canoe Club (SPOCC) does a Championship event. Pre-Registration via Pacific Multisports is $30 USD (CAD taken at par for Canadian participants). More information may be found on the PNWORCA Events Calendar.

Please note that this has been an exceptional year for PNWORCA 2024 Winter Series racing with 320 participants across 6 races so far, with 56 OC1 Masters participants so far, with at least 10 Canadians in contention to win their Boat / Gender / Age Division, with 4 Canadians in contention to win the Peter Forand Masters Challenge Trophy where the Winter Series Finale will determine which of the Top 7 OC1 Masters Paddlers will hoist the Peter Forand Masters Challenge Trophy during the Awards Presentation.

Please note that even though the PNWORCA Official Winter Series Points System Rules state: You must complete at least 3 races in the series to qualify for awards, which are presented at the final race at the end of the season. Awards are given to the Top 3 Finishers. The PNWORCA Official Winter Series Points System Rules have not been updated to reflect that the PNWORCA / CORA Small-Boat Racing Winter Series Championship Event host is now conferring awards only to participants at the Championship race based on placings. Please take this opportunity to support Washington and Oregon clubs who send paddlers to support Canadian events.

CORA / PNWORCA continue to track Winter Series Points / Participation for all participants at all Winter Series races. The Peter Forand Masters Challenge Trophy will be presented in-person to the Top OC1 Masters paddler across the 7 Winter Series races at the Championship Awards presentation. CORA will also acknowledge on the CORA website any Canadian paddlers that are one of the Top 3 Finishers in their Boat / Gender / Age Division.

Canadian residents may temporarily export personal effects (including high-value items such as canoes / bikes) for use on trips abroad. On returning to Canada, it is the individual’s responsibility to establish that such items were initially taken out of Canada and were NOT acquired abroad. To assist individuals in meeting this requirement, certain goods may be documented on an Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation (BSF407) before leaving Canada. At the time of reimportation, the border services officers will accept this Identification Card (Green Card) as satisfactory evidence of the origin of the goods. This procedure is optional and is provided free of charge at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has recently been asking for proof of ownership of high-value items such as canoes / bikes upon return to Canada. Many Canadians acquired personal effects second hand many years ago without a formal Bill Of Sale. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has indicated that proof of ownership for personal effects may be demonstrated by providing photographic evidence of the personal effects at someplace readily identifiable as within Canada. Please see the attached photograph of the sign at the Kitsilano Canadian Coast Guard Station that specifically shows the Canadian address and the Canadian flag. Some place such as this would be an excellent site to take a photo with your canoe / bike before the next time that you take your personal effects across the Border into the USA. You can go inside the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) upon your return to Canada with such a photograph and they will issue you an Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation (“Green Card”) for the next time that you take your personal effects across the Border into the USA.