The
Valois
Boating Club was founded in 1882 near
Pointe Claire and may have been known as the Valois
Bay Boat Club c1888 when they hosted
regattas on behalf of the Royal
St. Lawrence Yacht Club. The original Lakeside
structure was supposed to have been relocated next to
the "Syndicate" building and christened the
Valois Yacht Club
according to a 1900 news article. Said club did indeed
continue hosting regattas in 1900 which focused mainly
on sailing, dinghies and swimming. Valois eventually reorganised
and joined the CCA about 1909. They resumed canoeing events
on their annual regatta program and competed for approximately
three years before going on hiatus. They reappeared at
the Eastern Division Championships in 1921, hosting their
annual regatta again regularly until 1933 when the club
was allegedly torn down as a result of the depression.
By 1936, former members reported to the Eastern Division
that their last boats had been sold to the Kitchener
Racing Canoe Club. Reported in the
papers in 1939, a revival was planned from a group of
former paddlers headed by Bob Birse. This did not pan
out, unfortunately, although over the course of the planned
revival, paddlers were permitted to use the nearby Pointe
Claire Yacht Club as a temporary home. Noted member R.
Edgar Gilbert’s name graces the awards given to
builders, officials and coaches. Although the jersey would
appear to be a blue V in a white diamond on a red field
to match the club penant, several regatta programs throughout
the 1920s specifically describe the opposite. The exact
location of the club is a bit of a mystery. Research notes
from Fred Johnston indicate that Valois was "150
yards upriver" of the modern day Pointe Claire Canoe
Club. This would be the present day site of the Baie-de-Valois
Nautical Centre. It is also important to note that the
remains of the piers of the Valois
Country Club are still noticeable
to the east of the current Pointe Claire Canoe Club. The
country club was a completely different structure but
did host their own regattas with canoeing events, separate
from the Valois Boating Club. |
