Day of the Longboat 2023 Recap
UBC Recreation’s annual Day of the LongBoat event, held on the shores of Jericho Beach on September 30 and October 1, lived up to its reputation as one of the most significant and eagerly anticipated events of the year. With an impressive turnout of 385 teams and 3,845 participants, the event showcased the camaraderie and competitive spirit that define our community.
This year’s races— Open, Mixed, VIP, Alumni, Staff and Women (Trans Welcome) — celebrated 6 winners, each showcasing their exceptional skills in the voyageur canoes. As part of the event, some teams even navigated through the challenging waters and celebrated the memorable experience of 14 capsizes.
September 30 was Orange Shirt Day (National Day for Truth & Reconciliation), a day dedicated to honouring Indian Residential School Survivors and remembering those who never made it home. We encouraged our staff and teams to wear orange on the first day of the race. To understand the full meaning of this day and why we wore orange, we invite you to read Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s story here. We hope that by participating in this year’s Day of the LongBoat event, everyone found their own meaningful way to engage with Indigenous culture, truth, reconciliation, and the profound significance of this day’s observation.
Here are a few of our favourite moments:
Day of the LongBoat is about more than just races; it’s a celebration of community, growth, and shared experiences. We were thrilled to witness the new skills learned, friendships made, and team spirit displayed throughout the event, leaving every participant smiling and cheering.
- The calm before the storm, teams waiting to hear those three magic words: “Ready, set, go!”. (Photo by Miwa Kuwada)
- The Women (Trans Welcome) Heat in progress! (Photo by Miwa Kuwada)
- Reaching the finish line is going down in the top 10 best feelings ever, as you can tell by the smiles on their faces. (Photo by Ravnoop Badesha)
- Trying to stay warm on the beach is like its own sport, but huddling helps. (Photo by Ravnoop Badesha)
- We loved this team’s spirit while getting ready to race at the starting line, all smiles over here. (Photo by Ravnoop Badesha)
- Rounding a corner is never easy, but team work made the dream work and they made it! (Photo by Ravnoop Badesha)
- We loved seeing family and friends being so supportive and hyping up the teams from the sidelines. (Photo by Ravnoop Badesha)
- Can you spot BC Premier David Eby and UBC Vice-President Ainsley Carry getting ready of their VIP race? (Photo by Vincie)
Thank you!
Day of the LongBoat would not have been possible without the work and dedication from our amazing events crew and all the Intramurals staff volunteers who made it happen. And of course, thank you to all our participants who showed up and gave it their all. It’ll go down as one of the best events at UBC and we hope to see you all again this time next year!
- Photo by Miwa Kuwada
- Photo by Miwa Kuwada
- Photo by Vincie
Check out More Content!
Did you and your team manage to take a group shot at our photo booth? Make sure to check them out on our Facebook Page for Day 1 Photo Booth and Day 2 Photo Booth pictures. Fore more exclusive content, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok.
Interested in exploring more Intramural events with your LongBoat team? Visit our website to discover upcoming events, and mark your calendar for Term 2 registration, opening on October 15, 2023. We look forward to seeing you there!