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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. |
