The Nelson Rowing Club is a non-profit community rowing club located at Lakeside Park in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia.



The club was founded in 1896 and has a long history full of ups and downs. Regardless of its small size, it boasts being the home-club of many past collegiate athletes and 1956 Olympic gold medalist, Lorne Loomer. 



The NRC offers recreational rowing for all ages, a learn to row program for novice rowers, as well as its annual regatta, the Nelson Sprints. 





Our History

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The Nelson Rowing Club was founded in 1896 as the Nelson Boat Club and a floating boat house on the lakeshore near the foot of Josephine Street was built. Throughout it's early history, scullers from Nelson competed successfully in the North Pacific Association of Amateur Oarsmen regattas and other national and international events.  In 1939, the original boathouse was damaged beyond repair in a storm on the lake and the club's run came to an end. 



​Thirty years later, the club was revived by Hank Barone and another floating boat house was constructed. Nelson's Lorne Loomer rowed to Olympic Gold with the UBC men's fours in 1956 in Melbourne, Austrailia. He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1957. In 1971, Nelson hosted the Pan-Am Trials for the Canadian team selection. Over the next 15 years, Nelson rowers competed across the country with great success.

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Membership slowly declined until 1987. At this point, Dominique Preney, a former French national team member,rejuvenated the club. Despite the loss of the club’s second boat house to an ice storm shortly after his arrival, the club managed to prosper along with the help of Kim Shea, a St Catherine's rower who moved to the area in the mid-80's.

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In 2002, a large land-based boathouse was constructed by LVR Secondary School's shop class, led by their shop teacher, Dave Afford. The newer facility houses a myriad of singles and doubles, a touring quad, two ergometers and many dedicated rowers.

 

 

The NRC's focus on the future is to see the club prosper like it once did and promote an amazing sport in one of the most scenic regions of British Columbia.