Victoria Canoe & Kayak Club (VCKC) upcoming events

2026 Wake Up The Gorge (WUTG) (11 Apr 2026)

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Wake Up the Gorge 2026 - More info to come

** REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - 28 BOATS HAVE REGISTERED ***

Wake Up The Gorge (WUTG) is the VCKC club's annual weekend of racing for OC6 Outrigger canoes. It kicks off the racing season for many of the Victoria and area paddling clubs who use the Gorge Waterway for racing.

Objectives: To unite the Outrigger and Paddling community through Racing, Competition and Friendship.

Where: At the Victoria Canoe & Kayak Club, 355 Gorge Rd W, Victoria, BC V9A 1M9 (see map). We are located on the beautiful Gorge Waterway.

When: April 11, 2026

Time: Clubhouse opens 8am, Races start 9am, (ends before 5pm)

OC6:
FEES $30 per/paddler

Registration fee includes lunch tickets

Registration

*** REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - 28 BOATS HAVE REGISTERED ***

Online registration for the OC6 (Saturday) race will be closed as of midnight April 4th. Please contact the registrar after that: wutgregistrar@vckc.ca

OC6 teams should be able to Huli and self rescue. If there is a novice team who has not done a Huli, or participants are not able to re-enter the boat, then the racing organizer and the safety boat must know ahead of time

CORA OC6 definition of Open “Open” shall be those paddlers who are of any age. (note that this is different for small boat races)

Waivers: All team members must sign the VCKC waiver form. Click here to review and print the required form. Completed waivers can be scanned and emailed to wutgregistrar@vckc.ca or handed to the WUTG registrar at the event. It helps to speed up the registration process if all team members have signed a waiver prior to race day.

*Notes:

1. Our insurance requires that all participants must be CORA members. Membership is available via the CORA website. An annual membership ($40 for adults and $10 for juniors) is valid for all races in the current year. You must register with CORA in advance of the race. Please show proof of CORA membership at the onsite registration desk.

ONE DAY CORA REGISTRATION can be purchased in advance by going to website CORA - Canadian Outrigger Racing Association - Share our passion for outrigger canoe racing. clicking on the JOIN US TAB , and then ONE DAY MEMBERSHIP from the dropdown.

CORA race rules

1. Individuals may participate on only one team within a race type (i.e. one senior woman's team, one senior men's team). Exception: A paddler is allowed to be on a mixed team and a single-gender team within one race type; separate registrations are needed for this.

2. Teams must include a qualified steersperson, who has experience with buoy turns, and must attend a WUTG Safety Briefing.

3. All team members must have submitted a signed waiver in order to paddle.

4. Parking is limited: Please park only in designated areas. Please DO NOT park directly in front or behind the commercial establishments on the NW corner of Gorge and Tillicum. Parking Map

5. Food will be available for all competitors. Additional food will be available by donation: home made chilli, soup, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, fruit, baked goods.

Saturday APRIL 11 - OC6 Races

OC6 races start at 9am.

Two heats of 1000 meters in two lanes around buoy at 500 Meters (one turn (this is a change!). Each team's time total will result in awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the following categories.

Categories: Women, Men, Mixed and Junior

Divisions of:

Juniors - paddlers who are under the age of 18 at the time of WUTG and who will not turn 19 in 2026.

Open (any age)

Age 40-49

Age 50+ (Paddlers who are at least 50 years of age in 2026, or who will turn 50 within this calendar year)

Age 60+ (Paddlers who are at least 60 years of age in 2026, or who will turn 60 within this calendar year)

Click here to view the April 11th race schedule (when it's ready.)

Stormin' Norman Canoe Race (12 Apr 2026)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Join us for a day in honour of Norm MacDonell

Registration

5km Race: open to small boats (1-2 paddlers).

10km Race: open to outrigger canoes which are provided (spec only) or big canoes (more than 3 paddlers)

20km Race: open to small boats (1-2 paddlers)

Note: Race course may be subject to change at the Race Director’s discretion on race day. A mass start is planned (all race distances running simultaneously) however, this may change depending the number of boats registered by race day.

Registration is open online. Big boats must be complete by April 5, 2026, and small boats by April 11, 2026, by 7:00 pm.

NOTE - when registering a team that has more than one person, you must go to the bottom of the registration form "Additional Guests" and add the number of additional paddlers on the team. For example OC2 would be 1 additional guest, OC6 would be 5 additional guests.

Registration desk opens at 8:30 am. Race Briefing 9:00 am. Race Start 9:30 am.

Questions? For more information:

Contact Mhairi - email: mmacdonell78@gmail.com

Information Required with Registration:

Team name, #of paddlers, boat type, boat description, 5/10/20km, mens, womens or mixed

Fees:

Small boat (solo) $30

Small boat (tandem) $60

Big boats $20 x (# of paddlers in boat)

*Fees include light lunch - registration deadline: April 5, 2026, for big boats and April 11, 2026. by 7 pm for small boats.

Race Rules:

1. All racers must be CORA members.
2. CORA race rules apply.
3. All racers must sign a waiver. Download the waiver here, and hand in the signed waivers on race day - all team members must sign.
4. All racers (or team captain) must pick up race package and check-in at registration desk at 8:30 to 8:45 am race day.
5. Numbers to be worn on bow paddlers chest and stern paddlers back. Solo paddlers wear number on chest and back.
6. All racers must attend the race briefing at 9:00 am race day.
7. All racers supply or arrange for their own boat/PFD/paddle. Note - OC 6 are provided.

Awards:

Prizes for top solo, tandem and big boat

To qualify as a women(s) boat, all paddlers must be women. A team qualifies as men(s) when one or more paddler(s) is male. A mixed team must be even between men and women or it is a men's team.

Prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place (The number of prizes is one less than the number of boats competing in the race. Eg. if there are three boats in the race, 1st & 2nd place prizes will be awarded.)

Parking:

Please be aware that parking is limited on site and is not available in the adjacent parking lot (this must remain available for the public using the park). Please plan accordingly to allow time to drop off boat and find parking. Parking is available on some side streets and at Esquimalt Gorge Park. (Please do not park in the Il Greco parking lot).

Thank-you

Stormin' Norman Race Map

Stormin’ Norman Canoe Race Course Descriptions

5km – race is one loop: from Start Line proceed to marker B for a counter clockwise turn, then proceed to Finish Line.

10km – race is 2 loops: from Start Line proceed to marker B for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker A for a counter clockwise turn, then to B for a counter clockwise turn, proceed to Finish Line.

20km – race is 3 loops: from Start Line proceed to marker B for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker A for a counter clockwise turn, then proceed to marker C for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker D, pass with marker on left, then to marker E for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker D, pass with marker on right, then to marker C for a clockwise turn, then to marker F for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker C for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker A for a counter clockwise turn, then to marker B for a counter clockwise turn, then proceed to Finish Line.

House and Grounds Spring Clean Up (09 May 2026)

Sat, 09 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Come join us for the annual Spring Clean-up at the clubhouse. Tasks include smartening up the outdoor spaces of the clubhouse, deck washing, BBQ cleaning, gutter cleaning, window washing and more. In addition we will be doing a thorough cleaning of the interior including meeting rooms, kitchen and storage areas.

We will also be making an effort to gather up abandoned member items from around the clubhouse and put them in a central area for reclamation. Items such as: hats, gloves, shoes, boots or whatever isn't owned by VCKC. If these items go unclaimed after 30 days we will donate or dispose of them.

More information to follow about what to bring. If you have any questions, contact Gord Evans by email to: clubhouse@vckc.ca

Dragon Boat Team Social / Race Debrief VCKC Clubhouse Main Floor and Deck (26 May 2026)

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Dragon boat team social and Race debrief-Videos. Post FGPC Super Sprints.

Dragon Boat Team Social / Race Debrief VCKC Clubhouse Main Floor and Deck (23 Jun 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Dragon boat team social and Race debrief-Videos. Post Victoria Inner harbour Festival.

Dragon Boat Team Social / Race Debrief VCKC Clubhouse Main Floor and Deck (28 Jul 2026)

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Dragon boat team social and Race debrief-Videos. Post FGPC Vancouver Island Festival.

Thompson River Trip (11 Sep 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Thompson River Trip

More info to follow

Dragon Boat Team Social / Race Debrief VCKC Clubhouse Main Floor and Deck (22 Sep 2026)

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Dragon boat team social and Race debrief-Videos. Post Comox Harbour Festival.

ORCBC River Day (27 Sep 2026)

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Outdoor and Recreational Council of BC Annual River Day

House and Grounds Fall Clean-Up (07 Nov 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Come join us for the annual Fall Clean-up at the clubhouse. Tasks include smartening up the outdoor spaces of the clubhouse, deck washing, BBQ cleaning, gutter cleaning, window washing and more. In addition we will be doing a thorough cleaning of the interior including meeting rooms, kitchen and storage areas.

This is a great way to meet other members of the club and put in your volunteer hours. The more people that show up the quicker things get done!

A reminder email will be sent out closer to the date. If you have any questions, contact by email to: clubhouse@vckc.ca

Dragonboat Team Meeting VCKC Clubhouse Main Floor and Deck (18 Mar 2027)

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 01:00:00 GMT

VCKC Dragonboat Team Meeting