Hopefully you are following Connected by Canoe, a group of men and women paddling from Kingston to Ottawa.

The canoe project, called Connected by Canoe, is about taking greetings and a message from the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough about the canoes—as an idea that connects Canadians to who we are and where we live in this nation of rivers—to the annual conference of the Community Foundations of Canada.  The idea of this project is to show that the canoe can be a powerful symbol of ‘being in the same boat’ and ‘pulling together’ as Canadians.  It’s a two part journey: an Express Leg involving one Voyageur canoe (16 people) travelling from Kingston to Ottawa; and a Ceremonial Leg involving three other big craft including a skin on frame umiak, a Haida-style Spirit Dancer from the West Coast, and a second big Voyageur canoe for a pre-conference paddle for delegates from Dows Lake to the Westin Hotel, where the Community Foundations Conference is happening.

The group arrived in Westport around 5:30 this evening and enjoyed a relaxing dinner and evening at the Cove.  They are a wonderful group of Canadians, with the common purpose to lead  conversations with others about what the future of Canada can be.

So glad James Raffan and the rest of the crew took the time to come to Westport.  Safe travels to Ottawa!