By Vivian Medley
In the wee hours of June 20, 2025, a group of women giddy with nervous excitement (and perhaps a lack of sleep!), stole into the darkness like a group of clandestine high school girls about to execute a scathingly brilliant but almost certainly ill-conceived plan. Only these women ranged in age from 48 to 78 and their plan was anything but ill-conceived. Indeed, it was a plan that was thoughtfully developed, scrutinized and repeatedly revised over 12 months. If all went according to Hoyle, and Mother Nature cooperated, these women would make ‘herstory’ as the first all-women crew to cross Lake Ontario in a dragon boat. So, forfeiting a few hours of sleep seemed like a small price to pay for such an impressive accomplishment!
The genesis of the Crossing Lake Ontario adventure, dubbed CLOsure 2025, was innocent enough. Hamilton’s breast cancer survivor dragon boat team, Knot A Breast (KAB) organized a team building evening at the Playhouse Cinema in the Spring of 2024. The feature was a documentary about 4 women who successfully rowed across the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the evening, one inspired KAB member dared to share with another that she would love to do something like that in a dragon boat. The second teammate agreed it would be amazing. A third teammate soon chimed in, and in no time, the seeds of an exciting adventure began to germinate. Further research uncovered that while an all-male crew and a mixed crew had paddled a dragon boat across the open waters of Lake Ontario from Niagara on the Lake to Toronto, there had never been an all-female crew attempt the crossing. The epic adventure these 3 women were searching for was now obvious. And they wanted to add to the significance of this event by turning it into a fundraiser. The charity of choice was Options for Independent Living and Development (OFILD), which provides housing and access to support to adults with special needs right here in Hamilton. The goal, a lofty $30,000.
The recruitment began with an email blast to local dragon boat teams announcing the CLOsure 2025 adventure and seeking like-minded, experienced paddlers. Despite valid concerns over safety (given the unpredictability of the weather on Lake Ontario), all the logistics involved, and the endurance required to make the 52 km journey over an estimated 8 hours (especially since paddlers race short distances measured in meters and timed in minutes), 31 women from 6 dragon boat teams bravely committed to the venture. The organizers, Marla Iyer, Judy Anne Sleep and Helen Shearer, are members of Hamilton’s Knot A Breast (KAB) team, as were 12 others. The remaining paddlers are members from Hamilton-based Lively Dragons and Warlocks and the Niagara region Canal Dragons, Hope Floats and Jordan Harbour Hooligans. In past years, some of these women would have raced against each other. But on June 20, 2025, these women put their rivalry aside and came together to set a record and to raise funds for a worthy cause.
As part of the safety measures in place, the dragon boat was accompanied from the NOTL Sailing Club by GAMRU South Shore Search and Rescue to the half-way point where the all-female crew of the Toronto Search and Rescue (T-SAR) Marine accompanied them to their destination at the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club (TSCC). Two safety pontoon boats, generously donated by Carefree Boat Club (along with gas and a Captain!), also accompanied the crew. The experience, skill and unwavering confident demeanor of both Coach Brenda Arndt and Steersperson Lori Dwyer undoubtedly contributed to the safety and success of the Crossing.
The Crossing took 10 hours from shore to shore and covered a staggering 63 km (due to course adjustments recommended by the Coast Guards). Among other qualities, it required laser focus, agility and dexterity, endurance and trust. The waves were oft times 3’ high and to avoid capsizing the crew needed to immediately respond to the Steer’s commands to ‘Bear Down’ and ‘Power’ through them. Crew had to master, in real-time, transferring from dragon boat to safety boat and back on a rotating hourly schedule. They had to paddle (and sit or stand, as in the case of the Steers) for hours on end. The crew had to believe in each other and know for certainty that they were there for each other; it was teamwork at its best! CLOsure 2025’s success was fueled by all the above and by all those who came together to support this wild, epic journey!
Memories of the Crossing abound as a Memory Book is being compiled. But the visual can’t capture the intangible associated with this journey: the palpable tension during the first 15-20 minutes when it was uncertain if the Crossing could continue given the volume of water flooding into the boat; the sense of wonder and awe (and a bit of fear!) at losing sight of shore (literally and figuratively), the excitement of spotting the CN tower and the crew spontaneously bursting into song with a rendition of ‘Oh, Canada’, the joy (and relief!) on hearing the heartwarming cheers of family and friends along the Toronto shoreline, the overwhelming sense of accomplishment felt at the post-Crossing celebrations at the TSCC (and ongoing today!) and the inspiration of meeting the residents of OFILD and Kathleen Ward, the woman who started it all! All this needs to be shared in person; and the first annual reunion of the CLOsure 2025 crew has been planned where they will relive the memories of 31 women coming together to make ‘herstory’.
