Mothership Meanderings: The GORGE WATERWAY

June-July 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Alan Wilson

Next time you're in Victoria, you should consider paddling the Gorge waterway, which runs several kilometres through the city. We took the opportunity to paddle this lovely stretch of inner water a few years ago and we heartily recommend it.

If you come to Victoria on your 'kayak mothership' (fancy name for a boat with a kayak on top!), Victoria has plenty of dock space in its well-protected inner harbour. If you don't have a kayak, you can rent one from Ocean River Sports (250-381-4233) or the Vancouver Island Canoe and Kayak Centre (250-361-9365).

The weekend of our Gorge paddle coincided with the Classic Boat Festival (held every year on the Labour Day Weekend), so the inner harbour was quite busy with 'brightwork' aficionados congregating in the boat basin in front of the ivy-fronted Empress Hotel. Boat owners were proudly showing off their cherished classics, enjoying the attention of throngs of visitors from around the world.

But our primary motivation that weekend was to paddle the Gorge. I'd played along the banks of this intriguing waterway as a child when visiting my grandparents in Victoria, so it had a special appeal for me. And Laurie, who grew up in the city, had likewise never paddled the Gorge.

It's always a bit strange paddling in an urban setting if you're used to wilderness paddling. We paddled past docks and industry, under a bridge, with urban life busy all around us. And then the development began to thin out and we soon entered quieter, shallower waters, fringed by parks and beautiful waterside homes-ducks and geese, still waters, weeping willows, well kept gardens.

Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club, located on the Gorge (Ph:250-361-4238)

At one point we paddled past stacks of kayaks and canoes on the lawn of what looked to be a large house. This turned out to the be the home of the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club, obviously located in an ideal spot.

The Gorge is a pretty relaxed paddle for novice and intermediate paddlers at least as far as the Tillicum Bridge, which is where the waterway's namesake, the actual 'Gorge'-or Tillicum Narrows-is located. This is a rocky opening through which the waters flow on the tidal cycle, alternately placid then rushing, rising up to 8 knots at certain tides, according to local reports.

You need to time your trip so as to pass safely by this point, ideally heading up on a modest rising tide and coming back with a mild ebb. Unless of course you're a thrill seeker or a power paddler and want a bit of current to play in.

Or unless you forget yourself in exploring the further reaches of the waterway beyond the Narrows. We lost track of time and paddled up Colquitz Creek as it narrowed, became
shallow and twisting, overhung with trees and spanned with attractive footbridges.

As a result, when we returned to the Narrows, the water was running briskly and we had a hard time getting back. One of the tour boats that ply the waterway sat and watched us as we struggled back against a stiff current that surged through the rocky opening.

In retrospect it would have been smarter to pull off and carry our boats around, but we thought we'd give it our best, and fortunately we managed to make it. But it's a serious hazard which you want to time carefully.

At the end of the day we were tired but fulfilled, and the best part of an urban paddle was that we didn't have to haul out our gear and set up camp. We just brushed ourselves off and set off to find ourselves a restaurant for a nice dinner.

When in Victoria, be sure to check out Ocean River Sports, the Vancouver Island Canoe and Kayak Centre, and Helm's Inn. See their ads in this issue.

For the Classic Boat Festival (Aug. 31-Sep. 2), check www.vreb.org (Victoria Real Estate Board) or call Mike Sampson at 250-385-7766 or email: vreb@vreb.org