After Sunday’s open house, the Fort Canoe and Kayak Club is a little less of a secret.
Based out of the paddle sport dock on the Bedford Channel, the club bills itself online as “the best kept secret in Fort Langley.”
On Sunday, July 23, anyone who dropped by between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. could paddle the river for free, trying out recreational and sprint canoes and kayaks, experiencing surfski, stand-up paddle boarding and more.
It was the first club open house since 2019 and the weather was perfect, sunny and warm.
More than 100 people attended.
The event was jointly organized with Canoe Kayak B.C., the provincial sport organization for paddle sports, and viaSport British Columbia.
Canoe sprint competitor Jeffrey Sun was among the club members on hand to provide expert guidance.
“Kayaking is a really beautiful sport,” Sun enthused.
“You get to be out there in nature, on the water, enjoying the sunshine and everything, and I think it’s just a really wonderful experience.”
Club Commodore Sandra Young said many Langley residents aren’t aware there are “excellent opportunities to take up paddle sports right here in Fort Langley” learning from a club that “offers world-class coaching.”
Last year, club members had podium finishes at three tournaments, the Canada Summer Games, Sprint National Championships and B.C. Summer Games.
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This year, Dimitri Joukovski became the new head coach of the club.
A Canadian sprint canoer, Joukovsi paddled on the Canadian national team for eight years, winning three silver medals at the Canoe Sprint World Championships and two golds at the Pan American championships.
Fort Canoe and Kayak Club offers recreational and competitive programs for youth and adults, operating from the paddlesport dock on the Bedford Channel in Fort Langley, located on Billy Brown Road, just west of Glover Road behind the Fort Pub.
Online, the club can be reached at fortcanoekayak.ca or at the “Fort Canoe Kayak Club” Facebook page.
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