Jon Pimlott will carry a bottle of ashes from the two destroyed voyageur canoes as he rows around Long Lake to help the Nanaimo Canoe Kayak Club purchase new ones. (Cam Sim, Paddle Oar 30/YouTube)

By Jordan Davidson

rowing for a cause

‘That hit home:’ Nanaimo rower circling Long Lake to raise funds for burned heritage canoes

May 25, 2023 | 3:54 PM

NANAIMO — A local rowing enthusiast will take a few laps around Long Lake to help a Nanaimo club replace heritage canoes destroyed in a fire.

A suspicious fire on November 24, 2022, destroyed two voyageur canoes which belonged to the Nanaimo Canoe Kayak Club (NCKC), a huge loss for the not-for-profit which facilitates programs for people of all ages and abilities.

Jon Pimlott, founder of Paddle Oar 30, was saddened to hear about the loss of the restored canoes worth $30,000.

“What a bummer, all the volunteer time that went into getting the two hulls functional, fresh coats of paint, and just giving them a nice spruce up and getting functional. They had just become functional in late 2022 and then tragedy struck in the form of an out-of-control fire…that hit home.”

To help the NCKC reach their GoFundMe goal of $25,000 to purchase two replacement voyageur canoes, Pimlott will be rowing his custom catamaran 30 kilometres, or 10 laps, around Long Lake on June 24.

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Donations can be made in bulk at the event, or you can put a dollar amount for each kilometre he completes.

“I’ll be launching at like, four or five in the morning when I start my row, so I want to basically row for 10 hours straight with breaks in between. Just trying to get that 30 kilometres in the bucket and then see what kind of inspiring donations we might get from my actions.”

Pimlott’s catamaran he will be rowing is one of his own design. (submitted)

Pimlott, 58, said he’s already completed a smaller version of this rowing journey last spring, where he did four laps around Long Lake for the Wounded Warrior Run of BC.

He wants others to have the opportunity to share his love of the water, no matter their age or ability levels.

“What a beautiful program, those hulls were just starting a new chapter in their lives in Nanaimo, and three of them, that’s 27 people can participate in an activity with three of those functional hulls.”

Pimlott specializes in building unique watercraft for people with disabilities, so they can enjoy time on the water without issue.

“About 15 years ago, I was walking the dogs through the park because I live so close, and seeing a wheelchair-accessible dock, and seeing wheelchair anglers on the dock, and then it progressed to, why can’t they come trolling flies with me in my rowboat? And that started the journey.”

NCKC will also be hosting an open house on June 24 and will have different watercraft at Long Lake for the public to try.

“They’re going to have the big canoes on the water that day for anybody to try, there’s going to be a dragon boat there, all of their different craft will be on the water from the canoe and kayak club, so a big paddling festival basically.”

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow