Wake Up the Gorge 2026 - More info to come
Wake Up The Gorge (WUTG) 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.
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
Online registration for the OC6 (Saturday) race will be closed as of midnight April 3rd. 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 ($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
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 2025.
Open (any age)
Age 40-49
Age 50+ (Paddlers who are at least 50 years of age in 2025, or who will turn 50 within this calendar year)
Age 60+ (Paddlers who are at least 60 years of age in 2025, or who will turn 60 within this calendar year)
Click here to view the April 11th race schedule (when it's ready.)
