Yup, you heard me right. There’s free kayaking for members of MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) right here in Victoria. Well, not all the time, that would be a pretty poor business plan. But it seems like in hopes to sell more kayaks, MEC sponsors a local rowing club to offer free kayaking for a couple hours on Fridays to members. Can’t complain. We decided to try them out one weekend and it was actually alot of fun, despite the salty palms afterwords (It’s the ocean after all).

Kayaking at the Gorge

Getting on a kayak for the first time in 2 years was very unnerving for the first 5 minutes. That whole feeling like you’re about to plunge into the water anytime you move a muscle goes away pretty quick but took a bit of practice. I definitely had my wallet and phone on me, which increased the “oh-crap” feeling.

Getting the hang of it

As you can see, we got the hang of it pretty quick. We did learn this one piece of valuable information. If ever you decide to kayak, get one with a rudder. It makes all the difference when battling currents. Saves your arms from doing all the work. This rowing club has a grand total of two kayaks with working rudders.

Johnson Street Bridge

We made it all the way to the Johnson Street Bridge before we realized that we have no idea what the rules of the waterway were in the inner harbour. There was a lot of traffic and sea-planes coming in and going out. Not wanting to get swallowed by those, we turned back. This stretch of water is also extremely popular for those die-hard rowers. Gotta hand it to them. I wouldn’t want to be paddling in a busy waterway and not be looking where I’m going.