Dear Parents & Athletes,

We have some preliminary information regarding our trip to Canada for the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

1) Departure/Return Timing: We are planning on meeting at the boathouse at 5:30am on Monday, August 1 to leave for Canada.  Coaches will be driving the athletes in four 12-15 passenger vans.  We will return on Monday, August 8.

Accommodations:  We are staying in the Brock University dorms, which are located about 15 minutes from the course.  All rooms are suite style and include a full kitchen.   The school provides bed linens, pillows, and small towels.  Athletes should be prepared to bring their own shampoo and soap.  The school also recommends you bring a towel as the ones they provide are small.  Laundry is available on site.

3) Food:  All dinners will be included in this year’s trip fee.  For breakfast, lunch, and snack items, we will be bringing athletes to the grocery store when we arrive on Monday to purchase what they’ll need. We will also be able to make grocery runs in the evening throughout the week if there’s a need to supplement this initial shopping trip.   Athletes should plan to bring $20/day for those food items; dinner expenses will be covered by the trip fee.  It’s recommended that athletes make grocery lists prior to the trip so the shopping can be efficient and staple items are not forgotten.

NOTE: Brock does not provide kitchen utensils or pots and pans. We will attach the rooming lists in another post so individual rooms can coordinate what they will bring.  Last year we purchased disposable plates, paper goods, and utensils when we got there.

4) Registration:  The trip will cost $810, payable via Regatta Central. We never want the cost of the trip to create a situation where an athlete cannot afford to participate.  We can put together a payment plan and if needed, and we do have financial aid available.  Please contact Kris Grudt or Justin Ochal if you have any questions.  As always everything is 100% confidential.

We feel that everyone selected to go on this trip is capable of racing competitively on this level.  Everyone traveling with us will be racing at least two events.

5) Travel Documents:  ALL ATHLETES WILL NEED A CURRENT PASSPORT. This is an essential document for this trip.  Coaches will be collecting the passports before we leave the boathouse on Monday.  Henley also requires a form of ID that includes date of birth to use when launching at the races.  Ideally it is a photo ID like a driver’s license or school ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, a good photocopy of your passport would work.

Athletes under the age of 18 also must have a signed and notarized note from their parents granting permission to travel out of the country with the team.  We will send a sample of this letter as well as the U.S. Customs regulations in a separate blog post.

Thank you,

Coaches