The Crew of the Bleek Paard invites you to another Sockburner!
Website: TBD – Watch this Space
Schedule for the day
8:00am – Site opens
8:30am – Site opens for TRM and Staff
9:00am – Gate opens for the Populace
9:30am – List Inspections begin
10:00am – Morning Court (at TRM’s pleasure)
10:30am – Lists Open for Pickups
11:00am – Baronial Armored Championship Tournament
11:45am – Lunch Counter opens
12:00pm - Four Hour A&S Competition Starts
1:00pm-3:00pm – Armored, Rapier and Thrown Weapons Tournaments
4:00pm - Four Hour A&S Competition Ends
4:30pm – Evening Court (at TRM’s pleasure)
6:00pm – Feast
9:00pm – Site closes
Highlights
This event will feature:
• Armoured Combat (Gangplank / Boarding Party / Rope style Pas d'Arms)
• Fencing (TBD)
• Thrown Weapons
~ Marshal activities will be outdoors unless Mother Nature turns nasty. ~
• Maritime/Mariner Four Hour A&S Competition
• A Simple Maritime/Mariner Feast
In addition, the Vigil and Elevation will be held for Baroness Pesha of Little Egypt to the Order of the Laurel. If you have specific questions about the vigil or ceremony please connect with Duchess Adrielle Kerrec.
There will be a bar! It will be operated by the venue’s staff.
Site fee: Adult Members $15; Adult Non-Members $25
Site for 18 & under- free
Lunch: $7
Feast: $15
In addition to collecting folks old socks to burn, this year we are also collecting new items as donations for Interval House of Ottawa. For more information on what you can donate please visit:
https://www.intervalhouseottawa.org/get-involved/in-kind-donation.
Event Staff
Stewards
• THL Morag Taylor
• Lady Catherine Rose Lamont
Site Corodinator
• Lady Catherine Rose Lamont
• Gate – Kennari Thorfinna gra’feldr
• Royalty Liaison – Lady Tshaya of Little Egypt
• Accommodations Coordinator – Baroness Pesha of Little Egypt
For those looking to book a hotel room for the weekend:
Comfort Inn 7777 Kent Blvd, Brockville, ON K6V 6N7
(roughly 10-15 minute from site)
Phone: (613) 345-0042
Group Name: Sockburner
Rate: $109 + tax per night
There are a block of rooms set aside for the event. Please let the front desk know you are booking for Sockburner and what type of room you are looking for (1 King Bed or 2 Queen Beds).
Please note: If a room is cancelled prior to March 17, 2026 there is no fee, cancellation after March 17, 2026 will result in a charge for all nights being cancelled.
Martial Activities Marshalls
• Armoured Combat – Sir Laurenz Tonnemacher – Gangplank / Boarding Party / Rope style Pas d'Arms
• Fencing – THL Brennait la Belle Fleur
• Thrown Weapons - Lord Martin Brua
Four Hour A&S Competition - See post for full explanation!
• Rytsar Varakii Varenko Idanovich
Preplanned A&S tournaments advantage the established over the new and slyly creative. Sailors were sly, and so to succeed in this tournament, so too must you be. There is no requirement to plan ahead of time; just show up, enter, and set sail for creative shores.
Participants will report to the deck of the Bleek Paard (which will be taped out on the floor of the event hall) by twelve bells (noon) in order to begin their four-hour creative ordeal. The tournament will continue to four bells (4 PM) when the items they have produced will be handed in for evaluation. Participants will be allowed to “leave the deck” for biological necessities, but their art and tools must not go with them. We suggest finding a shipmate to watch your items while hitting the galley or heads… Participants may not bring anything onto the ship with them aside from what they would normally wear or carry at a SCA event. Projects will be evaluated according to five criteria: creativity, innovation, appropriateness, cooperation, and execution. The judges reserve the right to interpret their grading sheets in a manner that is charitable to unforeseen, wacky, or mind-bending approaches to art making taken by participants.
Food
• Bar – Yes, provided by the venue!
• Lunch - Ploughman’s Lunch, Bread optional
Lunch will be available on a first come first served basis.
Feast - THL Constance of Caldrithig
Feast Menu:
On the Table
• Sole in Beer - Fish (pollock), dealcoholized beer
• Pickled onions and olives - Ingredients available on the day, Commercial preparation
• Compost (coleslaw) - Root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, radishes, white turnips), cabbage, white wine vinegar, currants, dealcoholized white wine, honey, mustard, ginger, saffron, cinnamon.
• Bread - Ingredients available on the day, commercial bakery
Main Course
• Meat in Wine Sauce - Salt beef, onions, parsley, vinegar, dealcoholized red wine, pepper, cinnamon, saffron
• Sauerkraut - Ingredients available on the day, Commercial preparation
• Frumenty - Barley, vegetable stock
Sweets
• Crispels - Pie pastry, olive oil, honey
*alternatives for folks' restrictions will be available, please contact the cook
Feast Coordinator - Lady Catherine Rose Lamont
To reserve a feast spot(s) please e-mail Catherine no later than Saturday, March 14, 2026 at
MmJvbGRseWdvIHwgaG90bWFpbCAhIGNh. Please include in the email: mundane name, SCA name, the number of feast spots you wish reserved.
FAQ
Q) What is a Sockburner?
A) It symbolizes the end of winter and the return to barefoot sailing days, celebrating Spring, freedom, and a spirit of adventure. The tradition involves gathering with friends, lighting a fire, and tossing socks onto the flame, often accompanied by a beer and conversation about the upcoming sailing season.
Q) Will we actually be burning our old socks?
A) Unfortunately, we can’t have a fire at the site, however Rytsar Varenko is planning to have a hazmat bag at the event. You can deposit your nasty socks into it, and they will be burnt on the first sail of the Bleek Paard this season.
Q) Will there be space for presences?
A) There is space for smaller displays, but the hall is not huge. If martial activities need to be moved inside because of Mother Nature, we may be cozy.
Also check out other Sports events in Brockville, Nonprofit events in Brockville.
