Women on the Water Festival

We have decided to take a year off from WOW in 2024. Thank you for your participation over the last 10 years. See you in 2025!

We had so much fun at WOW 2022 that we can’t wait for WOW 2023. We’ve had so many women ask us when they can register that we made sure to get it out much earlier this year. We know we have to offer some intermediate classes now because we have had women come year after year and they want to step up their game.

So this year, we have intermediate kayak skills in both strokes and rescues. We now have a fun intermediate stand-up paddleboarding class, as well as SUP yoga and a SUP forward stroke and touring class. Our canoe coaches are excited to offer intermediate strokes and skills as well as a solo canoe class for women who travel solo. We’ve also added a Camp like a Pro class that we are super excited about! Of course we also have beginner classes in kayak, SUP and canoeing.

You asked for more kayaking, so this year with your registration you may choose two kayaking classes as well as two more of any class you’d like. Perhaps you’d like to focus on either SUP or canoe and choose to do two classes in one discipline. You could also choose to keep with the spirit of WOW and sample one of each, it’s entirely up to you. Classes fill up and you choose your classes with your registration so try to sign up as soon as possible!

We will again be bringing together some of the most celebrated kayak, canoe, and standup paddleboard coaches in the paddling scene in Ontario.

You also asked us to bring back the women’s marketplace so we will have women who would like to share their artistic talents in jewelry, crafts, knitting, and art as well as some female small business entrepreneurs. We will have this on Saturday before our evening meal where we can have a beverage of our choice and see what treasures our new friends have brought to showcase. Anyone who is participating in WOW is welcome to have a table in our marketplace. We ask every participant to donate one of their offerings to the silent auction where we raise money for the Georgian Bay Biosphere and the Outer Island Project.

Women On Water is open to all women, from beginners to advanced paddlers, featuring Kayak, Canoe, and Stand Up Paddling (SUP) skills sessions. We supply all the paddling gear needed so that you have the opportunity to try multiple disciplines.

Where: Camp Tapawingo, Parry Sound, Georgian Bay Ontario

When: Sept 8-10, 2023

Who: ALL women are invited! All skill levels are welcome!

 What You Should Bring 

• Sleeping bag, Pillow, and anything else you need to sleep in a shared cabin.
• Waterwear – Neoprene wetsuit or non-cotton layers.
• BYOB to be enjoyed responsibly.
• Gear list sent closer to the event.

Try Kayaking, SUP, and Canoeing!

When I started WOW, I envisioned it as a weekend where women could have an opportunity to try all different types of paddling in a fun and relaxed environment with some of the best female instructors in Ontario. Every year we have had more fun, made more friends, and shared more skills. We’ve even had women who originally came as beginner students go on and take further training and end up teaching at WOW. 

My journey to becoming a full-time instructor and kayak guide has been a success because I have always been open to learning new paddling disciplines. Anyone who becomes an expert at one sport usually has experience in many other sports. On my journey to become the best kayaker I could be, I have found that learning other paddling disciplines such as stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, and some white water kayaking has made my skills in a sea kayak even stronger.

Paddlesports all share certain skills, by experiencing and learning skills in a different paddlecraft, you will enhance your skills when you are back in your chosen boat or on your board. I encourage you to choose to try all three sports but ultimately it’s your choice of classes. I do ask that you choose two kayak courses only so that everyone gets a chance to kayak. See you at WOW 2023! All the Best and Happy Paddling until I see you again!

Dympna

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Daily Schedule

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Class Descriptions

Here is the descriptions of the classes so that you can think about which ones you’d like to register for before heading over to that page.

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Registration

Upon your registration, you will be directed to another page where you may choose your classes immediately. We will allow changes for anyone who like to switch their classes, but not until around a month before the event on August 10, 2023.

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