A Victoria rowboat company is expanding in a novel way, launching what it says is the first open water rowing club in the area.

Whitehall Rowing & Sail is holding its grand opening today of the “Whitehall Spirit Rowing Club,” based at the Canoe Club Marina in downtown Victoria. The club allows members to sign up, pay a monthly fee and use rowboats that can be booked through an online reservation system.

Andrea Guyon, who does international sales and marketing for Whitehall, said the company decided to start the club largely to address an unfilled niche.

“We have a lot of people who are very interested in rowing but they don’t have the money to purchase a boat outright for themselves or don’t have a place to keep it,” she said. “There’s nowhere that people can come and rent boats or use boats, so we decided well, we’ll just create a club.”

Guyon said the club is intended to provide an affordable, easy way for people to get into rowing. Members might include people who rowed in college but have gotten away from the sport, she said, or those who want to try out rowing but are not prepared to join a team and commit to early morning practices.

“Shell rowing is quite an elite sport,” she said. “It’s quite a commitment. The equipment is expensive and the coaching is quite expensive as well.”

Olympic gold medalist Adam Kreek tries out a Whitehall Spirit Solo 14.

Started in 1985, Whitehall Rowing & Sail makes classic design row boats, slide seat sculling boats and sailing rowboats. Made with a combination of teak woodwork and lapstrake fiberglass hulls, the boats are virtually unsinkable and suitable for anything from fishing to exploring, Guyon said. They were designed to be sturdier than regular rowing shells, she said—making them ideal for novices.

The club will have six thermoformed boats available for use, two Whitehall Spirit Tango 17 doubles and four Whitehall Spirit Solo 14 singles. Membership packages range from four one-hour rows (and two freebies) monthly for an introductory rate of $69, up to 16 uses monthly plus 52 freebies for $2,099 annually. The bigger the package, the more freebies are included. The cost breaks down to between around $10 and $17 per use.

“It’s economical. It’s no hassles,” Guyon said. “There’s no insurance. There’s no maintenance. You just book your time and come to the club.”

Today’s kick-off, from 1 to 4 p.m., will be attended by rowers including Brad Vickers, who in 2006 was part of the first team to ever row unassisted across the Atlantic from North America to the United Kingdom, also taking first place in the inaugural Shepherd Ocean Fours Rowing Race. Vickers is also the boat show manager for the Northwest Marine Trade Association.

Also on hand will be Canadian Olympic rowing gold medalist (2008) Adam Kreek, U.S. Olympic rowing gold medalist (1960) John Sayre and Canadians Julie and Colin Angus, named National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year in 2007 after circumnavigating the globe by foot, ski, bike and rowboat.

The company, Guyon said, sees the club as both a way to make rowing accessible and a means of diversifying in a challenging economy.

“Our philosophy here at Whitehall,” she said, “is when the going gets tough, we get creative.”

Canoe Club Marina is located at 450 Swift St., Victoria. Additional information about the Whitehall Spirit Rowing Club is available on its website.