The Cascadia Regatta Association was born out of the desire for a Masters dedicated regatta in the BC Lower Mainland. It was in 2009 that a handful of volunteer members of various Greater Vancouver rowing clubs banded together and, with encouragement from keen Masters competitors, created what we have today. It was the very definition of a grassroots effort and it has over the years become much more than what we had originally hoped for. 

The vision from the start was for Cascadia to be a stand-alone regatta with Masters only racing experience, not fundraising, the main priority. The idea being that this would assure low fees, and funds realized from the regatta would go back to the community. To achieve this we partner with rowing clubs, moving between venues. For the use of their club site, coach boats and immeasurable help in hosting the regatta, our host club is of course remunerated.

Additionally, being able to rely on a pool of enthusiastic volunteers from year to year has been vital to running the regattas. Cascadia has made a name for itself as a venue for great rowing with a relaxed atmosphere, and our volunteers are second to none. We treasure our volunteers and love those who come back each year to get their collectable t-shirt, and to help some more. In turn we feed them, and as a way of saying Thank you we pay a donation to their club. Any club that has not been volunteering should think about doing it this year. It’s a great way to make a little money to offset travel costs or registration fees, and to engage even deeper with the event and the community.

We’ve been  delivering the annual Cascadia Masters Championships ever since the 2010 inaugural regatta. Participants from all over Canada and the United States mark their calendars each year to make a journey to what has become the largest Masters regatta in western Canada and one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Highly regarded, we have been asked twice now to co-host RCA Masters National Rowing Championships (2014 and 2022) in partnership with Rowing Canada Aviron.

This year we are looking forward to welcoming an even broader community of water sport enthusiasts to our newest endeavour - the Cascadia Coastal Beach Sprints and Endurance races. So we’re calling on all rowers, kayakers, ski surfers, SUP-ers, and other ‘self-propellers’ to mark the August 4-6 weekend on your calendars and come join us at Jericho beach for two exhilirating days of playing in the waves!