The Collingwood Dragon Boat and Canoe Club offers open paddling sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 until 7 p.m., and Sunday afternoons from 3 until 5 p.m., from May 30 until Sept. 5 for all members.

Whether you enjoy a relaxing paddle around the harbour in a touring kayak or canoe, a paddle out on the bay in an outrigger canoe, an outing in a team boat such as a two- or four-person canoe (C-2 and C-4) or kayak (K-2 and K-4) or a workout in a sprint canoe (C-1) or kayak (K-1), this program is designed for you.

You can glide across the waters of Georgian Bay in the protection of the harbour in the company of other paddlers in a social, healthy and fun environment.

It is a great way to leave the stresses of the day behind and get some exercise in a fun and social setting. You can also get some pointers from one of the club's coaches.

This year the Club is introducing a new voucher system which allows interested participants to purchase five one-hour sessions for $50 to try out the boats and familiarize themselves with the Club.

Should they wish to join the Club as a member, they will be credited with the full $50 towards their membership fees.

The cost of the open paddling program is $99 for the summer, plus a membership fee of $35.

Now in its third season, the Thursdays of Thunder sprint racing series pits club members against each other in friendly competition over a short, 200-metre (approximate) course.

Club members race in OC (outrigger canoe), sprint canoe, and sprint kayak.

Thursdays of Thunder starts July 8, and runs every Thursday starting at 6 p.m. until Aug. 26.

The cost of the Thursdays of Thunder program is $2 per night of racing (open to club members who have registered for either open paddle, or the competitive dragon boat team).

The Collingwood Dragon Boat and Canoe Club is offering a Performance Paddling Program for children between the ages of 10 and 15 years to introduce them to sprint paddling in a variety of boats including kayaks, canoes and outrigger canoes. There will be two sessions of the Performance Program offered during the summer, each session will last three weeks and consist of three practices per week of approximately two hours. Practices will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings from 5:30 pm to approximately 7:30 pm.

The first session will start the week of June 21 and end on July 8, the week of the second annual CDBCC Sprint Regatta on Saturday, July 10 and we encourage all the Performance Program paddlers to participate in the Collingwood Regatta to get a taste of the excitement of sprint racing. The second session will start July 20 and end on Aug. 8. The Club also holds an annual Club Regatta at the end of the summer with lots of fun and racing and all performance paddlers are encouraged to attend (date to be determined).

The focus of the Performance Program is to teach the fundamentals of sprint paddling with a focus on fun, water safety and participation. The paddlers will learn the basic canoe and kayak strokes and technique and have an opportunity to try a variety of boats from recreational to entry level racing boats. All sessions will be at the Watts Boathouse, the Club's historic boathouse on Heritage Drive in Collingwood's scenic harbour. The Performance Paddling Program is designed by National Coaching Certification Program certified coaches and each session will be supervised by qualified coaches and experienced paddlers.

For more information about the Performance Paddling Program please contact Brian Saunderson at (705) 444-3650 or email bsaunderson@christiecummings.com.

The cost of the Performance Paddling Program is $99 per session which includes membership in the Collingwood Dragon Boat and Canoe Club for the summer and access to the Club's equipment during open paddles and Club events. All equipment will be provided by the Club although we recommend each paddler bring their own properly fitted and approved personal flotation device (PFD).

The Collingwood Dragon Boat & Canoe Club is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation