CORA News

WETDASHE 2026 — 16 YEARS OF FAST RACING, HOT DOCK CHANGES & A VERY GOOD CAUSE

Saturday is SOLD OUT. Sunday still has space — for now.

Mainland paddlers: we’ve heard you. Both Saturday and Sunday racing now start at 10:00 am, specifically to make the morning ferry to Victoria much more civilized. No dawn panic. No white-knuckling the drive from Swartz Bay.

And NO BOAT TRAILERING. FGPC and supporting local clubs supply the entire race fleet.

Wetdashe is our gloriously hectic dry-change outrigger race: six-person crews race 3 km laps, charging back to the docks to swap with their teammates before heading straight back out again. Coming in hot, docking cleanly, changing crews quickly and departing safely is part of the race — and a chance for crews and steerspeople to absolutely shine.

Choose your challenge: 12 km, 24 km or the full 48 km. Spec boats are supplied for 12 km and 24 km crews, and FGPC’s family of ultralights is supplied for 48 km competitors. And speaking of competitive: our race management team times and leaderboards the whole circus simultaneously, with macro and micro lap results so teams can compare and analyze results for future adventures.

And yes, there’s a collectors’ Wetdashe race shirt — a new one every year, now in its 16th edition.

More importantly, Wetdashe has raised more than $100,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation. Through the Make Every Second Count campaign, supporters can donate directly to participating teams — and every $10 raised earns that crew a one-second time credit. Funds support prostate-cancer research and advanced PSMA scanning technology.

So come to Vancouver Island. We’ll supply the boats. We’ll give you enough time to catch the ferry. You supply six paddlers, some slick dock work and an appetite for one of the most entertaining races on the CORA calendar.

Saturday: SOLD OUT
Sunday: Registration still open — until it isn’t.

REGISTER FOR WETDASHE 2026

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