Working Together

I went out for a paddle on the pond yesterday and spent a fair bit longer on the water then I had planned on. It is always hard to drag yourself away from this waterway as it has much to offer.

As usual I encountered many people down around the island, including a number of rowers. I've always seen the rowing shells as being somewhat majestic, especially when they are moving on the water. To me it almost sounds like a zipper as they move along the water, it is definitely a distinctive sound that is hard to miss. There isn't much that compares with a quiet morning in the water of the back bays witnessing the rowing shells in the practice lane gliding by.

I'm certain that as with most things in life, a few bad apples spoil the bunch. With recent turmoil surrounding the launching of recreational water craft from the island, I'd like to believe the actions of a few do not reflect the sentiment of the majority. This of course pertains to both sides. I know for fact that any of the very small amount of users that do pose interruption or risk with the rowers do not represent the majority of recreational users (RU). Everyone that I talk to amongst the RU's agrees that any sort of action that would interrupt the rowing or pose any sort of risk is absolutely deplorable. None of us would support this sort of action and all of us would be very happy to inform any reckless users of the waterway on proper etiquette pertaining to the rowing course and waterway use in general.

Now of course I would like to think that the rowing community feels the same way about the RU's on the water. I have very little to support the previous statement, but I do know that the human condition is the same in most of us. My thoughts at this point are just that, my thoughts and opinion, so be careful not to put too much weight on it. I do however imagine that the majority of the rowing community does not take issue with RU community.

So then why such difficulty coming to a resolve on this issue? Well I guess that would be the million dollar question.  I do know that there are several very good resolutions to this problem, the simplest of which would be to just remove the rocks that were placed in the traditional launching area. I truly believe that working together is the key here. The waters of Martindale Pond would definitely be a better place for all the communities involved if we all worked together. The old saying about luring more flies with honey than vinegar holds true here.

Could you imagine a world where the rowers and the RU's shared the island and worked together to promote and educate? I certainly could.

Here's my little daydream. I could see the RU's not only launching from that minuscule slice of real estate that we traditional do, but sharing bigger pieces of the island and having a small dock near better parking. I could see us not just being an outsider there, but being a part of the club, using the facilities and participating in many ways.

The club has a great opportunity here to draw on the resources of hundreds of people. Now of course it would be mayhem having hundreds of people on the water at once, and I doubt that would happen. But the users that would use the waterway given decent opportunity would be far reaching I am sure. With the use of good parking, washroom facilities, a place to purchase lunch, maybe a small tackle shop, the extra revenue for the club would be substantial.

It really isn't that hard to figure out. If the club were working with the RU's then they would have more opportunity to steer RU activity on the pond. If we were part of the club, they could educate us on how the rowing works, what to watch and listen for. They would also be able to help us recognize the areas to steer clear of at the appropriate times. There would be great opportunities for the club to generate revenue with fishing tournaments that they could organize for the rowing off season. Instead of making the island exclusively about rowing, the club could make it about waterway recreation of all sorts. Of course there would be a lot of work involved and that would take take away from the rowing, but there are plenty of people waiting in the wings that would jump in to take on the work.

I am certain that it would not be hard for the club to entice local business to set up shop there. Could you imagine a small store on the island? Maybe canoe and kayak rental? Again, it would all have to coincide with the primary role of rowing, but it is totally doable.

With the pond and 12 mile creek, I believe that the City of St.Catharines and the Canadian Henley Rowing Corporation are really missing out on a great opportunity here. There is a vast amount of revenue drifting in the current. If they want it all they have to do is open up to the idea of working together.