Take five kilometres of ocean channel. Throw in seven sharp turns, three bridges, four rocky outcroppings, and a set of waves rivalling white water rapids. Now stick approximately 340 costumed athletes in 84 rowing shells of varying sizes. The result? Utter chaos and anarchy. Welcome to the Head of the Gorge.
Nicknamed the Hog, the regatta takes place on the Gorge Waterway in Victoria B.C.
Beginning at Johnson Street Bridge downtown, the finish line lies in Craigflower park approximately five kilometres away. Rowers race in traditional head race format: one boat at a time with about ten seconds between crews, time trialing for the fastest.
Hosted annually by the University of Victoria’s rowing team, the race traditionally attracts costume-clad athletes from all over the region. 2009’s regatta, which fell on October 24 proved popular with a turnout of over 20 clubs sending crews, including an eight from the Victoria Training Center. “It’s one of our best fundraisers of the year,” says Howie Campbell, long time head coach for the UVic men’s rowing team. “We try to make this a regatta that everyone keeps coming back to.”
Despite the endless planning and preparation by the UVic athletes, this year’s regatta was not without its setbacks. The early morning started with a five-knot tide, making navigation through the narrows difficult.
Traditionally, athletes launch their boats out of Craigflower Park, and row up to the start line before racing back. Officials guide boats one by one through the charging current under the narrow Tillicum Bridge pass, but the steep tide made it more difficult than usual. “It took us 20 minutes to get 10 boats through,” remarked Daniel Hamson, 24, who rows with the UVic lightweight team. “That’s two minutes a boat, and much more time than usual.”
Crews joked with each other while waiting in line, comparing costumes and trying to get ahead of nearby teams. The delay in the narrows left the regatta well over an hour delayed for the morning race, and when all boats had finally made it to the starting line a barge entered the waterway, circling to its dock while sending stray crews scurrying out of the way.
“It wouldn’t be a UVic regatta without problems,” joked Richard Herlinveaux, one of the varsity heavyweights. “It wasn’t enough to be delayed in the narrows. They had to send a barge in too.”
Aside from the morning delays however, the logistics went fairly smoothly; the only other problems being small such as a few flipped boats and broken rudders.
Brent Dalimore, another of the UVic varsity men encountered such a problem as he headed back through the narrows in his single sculls race. Rowing over a rock that was slightly too high under the water, his stern alarmingly jumped in the air. But like a pro, Dalimore just smiled and rowed on.
“I went to go look at the crash site after the races had passed,” Coach Campbell said laughing. “There was a fin shaped chunk out of the rock in the narrows.”
“Not so narrow anymore.” Dalimore joked back.
The day finished well for all clubs, with UVic scraping up five first place finishes, five second places, and a third place finish. The University of British Columbia also finished well, coming first in the Women’s Varsity eight.
Top three finishes can also be attributed to the Gorge Rowing and Paddling Center, Victoria Training Center, Everett Rowing Club, and Victoria City Rowing Club.
So as the organizers pulled up the last of the finish line markers, and the last trailers pulled away from Craigflower Park, the sun set on five kilometres of ocean channel, seven sharp turns, three bridges, four rocky outcroppings, and a set of waves calming for the night.
Note: This was the sports cover story project. I actually got quite a good mark on it 
I think somewhere something in the Diet Diary has gone wrong…