Wake Up the Gorge 2023
Wake Up The Gorge is the VCKC club's annual weekend of racing for OC6 Outrigger canoes and Small Boats. It kicks off the racing season for many of the Victoria and area paddling clubs who use the Gorge Waterway for racing.
In 2023 WUTG will be held on March 25-26 (OC6 on the 25th and small boats on the 26th).
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: March 25-26, 2023
Time: Clubhouse opens 8am, Races start 9am, (ends before 5pm)
FEES
OC6
Earlybird: $120 through MARCH 9TH *
Regular: $150 from MARCH 10-20TH *
Small Boats (OC1-2, MC1-2, kayak, SUP, surfski)
$25 for one or more small boat races through MARCH 26th .
In-person registrations accepted on race day, MARCH 26th
* registration fee includes a lunch ticket
Registration
Online registration for the OC6 (Saturday) race will be closed as of midnight March 20th. Please contact the registrar after that: wutgregistrar@vckc.ca
Registration for Small Boats remains open until race day, March 26th.
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 ($30 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
2. 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.
3. For Small Boats races, adult paddlers and crews must now ‘race their age’ and may not race in a younger age division. So Open for Small Boats is not "any age", it's those between 20-39 in the year of the race, and Masters 40 is those between 40 and 49 in the year of the race, etc. Only one competitor is needed for an age category to be awarded a prize.
4. Teams must include a qualified steersperson who will attend a WUTG Safety Briefing.
5. All team members must have submitted a signed waiver in order to paddle.
6. 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
7. 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 MARCH 25th - 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.
Juniors - paddlers who are under the age of 20 at the time of WUTG and who will
not turn 20 in 2023
Open - Women, Men, and Mixed Open - (any age)
Masters categories- Women, Men, Mixed - Paddlers who are at least 50 years of age in 2023, or who will turn 50 within this calendar year
Sunday MARCH 26th - Small Boat Races
The Race Director will determine which events to hold based on registrations and interest (minimum of one competitor per category). Race categories: Junior, Adult Men, Adult Women, Mixed and Open (20-39) plus Senior Women, Senior Men, Senior Mixed - age groupings by decade from 40+ . Small boats include: (Marathon Canoe (MC1/MC2), Outrigger Canoe (OC 1/OC2), K1, Surfski and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP).
Small Boat Races - Morning - race start 9am.
This race is for OC1, OC2. The course is approx. 10km in the Gorge Waterway and Portage Islet. (two loops of a 5.0 km course) Awards to be presented at the clubhouse after the race.
Marathon race (MC1) - Race starts at 10:30 am ( plus surfski, K1, and SUP)
Marathon race (MC2) - Race starts at 1:30 pm
The course will be approx. 10km in the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet, there will be buoy turns. (two loops of a 5.0 km course) Awards will be presented at the clubhouse following the race.
*there will be a mandatory race briefing for both races 15 minutes prior to racing.
Small boat race map
Click here to view the MARCH 25/ 26th race schedule (when it's ready.)
