Paddle Mag 1 2019

Issue 1 2019 Feb/Mar

Lost at Sea

PE2EL Get a Grip Padldle holds KAYAK

CANOE POLO

SURFSKI

AR The

Paddle Leg CANOE

Full Calendars

IMAGE Graham Daniel

FEATURES

12 mthobisi rising 16 pe2el 22 lost at sea 39 plan your year 42 breaking down

barriers to entry 46 i have a dream 58 the quest for plastic superiority 62 canoe polo 67 adventure racing The paddle leg

70 growing the paddling community

RACES

24 JCC 2 day klip 28 cape point

challenge 34 drak challenge 74 the berg river marathon 81 Orange Descent

8 tidbits News! News! News!

51 Opinion Multi Day Trips 72 paddling tips Get a Grip 84 Out and about 92 Calendars 98 view from the back of the boat

on the cover

Contents

REGULARS

IMAGE EVENT FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon 2018 PHOTOGRAPHER Graham Daniel Send your letters to admin@thepaddlemag.co.za

FIND us on the WEB thepaddlemag.co.za FB @thepaddlemag PUBLISHER Terrence Pomeroy-Ward terrence@thepaddlemag.co.za AD SALES admin@thepaddlemag.co.za DESIGNER Tracy Ward ADMIN admin@thepaddlemag.co.za PUBLISHED ON Issuu.com

CONTRIBUTORS KEVIN BRUNETTE

Kevin is an established surfski paddler, having completed three Cape Point Challenges. He is motivated by technique and boat speed, and can often be seen on the water perfecting his stroke or at the gym working on his fitness.

He has authored and published a number of books of surfski. They are available in epub, pdf or kindle formats. Google ‘surfski book’ for the links.

jamii hamlin Jamii is an inventor, product designer and eco-entrepreneur.

These pursuits have yielded him acclaim with numerous accolades, including a SABS Design Award for The Performer Canoe Seat to relieve paddlers of ‘dead leg’.

With an appetite for outdoor pursuits he discovered surfsking as a summer time activity until the waves got heavy again. With 12 Cape Points, 8 PE2ELs and 5 Bergs later the passion and quest to paddle continues. Writing, photography, restoring or creating things are hobbies he enjoys.

peter roussouw

He developed his passion for paddling as a surf lifesaver. He has a number of Dusi’s and Fish Marathons to his name and many of the local river races. He served as Chairman of JCC for years and Marathon Chairman for Gauteng for 9 years and for CSA for a year.

He has organised events for many years, including the Vaal Marathon.

Pete is the founder of Sports4life.

Natali Coetzee Natali is an avid photographer and writer, but she’d just as soon exchange the tools of the trade for a paddle and canoe. Rapids still terrify her, but sometimes, she’ll face those fears. She believes that everyone needs encouragement, and will happily cheer on all other paddlers.

CELLIERS KRUGER Writer of paddling books; designer and manufacturer of some of the most innovative kayaks on the market; expedition paddler with descents on four continents; veteran of races like Dusi, Fish and Berg; freestyle kayaker representing SA at World Championships; safety kayaker and raft guide on various rivers in Africa and Europe; ex-competitor in canoe polo and raft racing; experienced in open canoeing, surfski, slalom, wildwater racing and oar rafting; mechanical engineer with intimate understanding of fluid dynamics; reluctant coach and eternal student.

LISA DE SPEVILLE 20-years ago Lisa de Speville discovered the sport of adventure racing, which was her first introduction to paddling. Lisa now lives in the town of Parys on the Vaal River. She enjoys hard-andfast flatwater paddling from the canoe club and leisurely tripping the whitewater section from the town with friends. Homemade flapjacks and crunchy apples are her favourite river-trip snack foods.

DON WEWEGE Don is the National u21 mens canoe polo coach and heads up canoe polo in the Western Cape. He is a former national and African champion in canoe slalom and has raced in everything from extreme-kayaking to flatwater sprints.

PHOTOGRAPHY Graham Daniel iSLE of TAM Celliers Kruger Photo King Ken Findlay Photographics Photos by Caroyn J Cooper Cape Town Sports Photography

FROM THE ED In the last edition there were a couple of things that were a bit controversial and I half expected paddlers to get back to me saying ‘You are hopelessly off the mark!’ but there was a remarkably little comeback.

But I was surprised by how fast we got feedback from the surfski paddlers about our safety article. I think that it was brilliantly written and still do. I live around the corner from the world famous Millers Run. While most people opt to do it for the first time with our very experienced coaches from Go Downwind or Mocke Surfski School, every summer without fail we have paddlers who try and do it on their own and come unstuck. The most common reason for getting in to difficulty is not being able to remount followed closely behind by those that lose their skis. So the article was written from the angle of A. don’t lose your ski B. how to inform people that you are in trouble so that NSRI can come and fetch you. In fact I think that the NSRI had us paddlers in mind when they built Station 10 in Simons Town.

IMAGE Photo King

But the feedback I got was clear; a lot of paddlers feel that self-rescue is far more important than relying on gadgets and technology.

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As if to make their point I have been involved in four rescues this summer all on the Millers run. three were real rescues and the forth was searching for a paddler that checked in and then did not do the race! The three rescues started because paddlers were unable to get back in to their craft. As you read Tim Fey’s article later on in this edition about being rescued on day two of the PE2EL his comment about your need to do something constructive to keep yourself alive resounds in your head.

So I am delighted to hear that Hayley Nixon has been working on a proficiency test for surfski’ers in which ones ability to remount is assessed. I think that it should be an annual assessment. As a magazine we have readers that will not be funnelled through the proficiency system so we have taken it upon ourselves to start documenting self-rescue techniques starting with the three ways to remount in the next edition. As with everything in our sport – the key to doing it well is practice, practice, practice.

Ed.

Ponta do Ouro

Orange River Mouth

Tugela River Mouth

Port St Johns Dassen Island Cape Agulhas

SALDANHA PORT CONTROL Tel: 022 714 1726 Stn. 24 Lambert’s Bay – 060 960 3027 Stn. 04 Mykonos – 082 990 5966 Stn. 34 Yzerfontein – 082 990 5974

CAPE TOWN PORT CONTROL Tel: 021 449 3500 Stn. 18 Melkbosstrand – 082 990 5958 Stn. 03 Table Bay – 082 990 5963

Seal Point

Great Fish River Mouth

Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Tel: 021 938 3300 NSRI HQ: 021 434 4011 MOSSEL BAY PORT CONTROL Tel: 044 604 6271 Stn. 33 Witsand – 082 990 5957 Stn. 31 Still Bay – 082 990 5978 Stn. 15 Mossel Bay – 082 990 5954 Stn. 23 Wilderness – 082 990 5955 Stn. 12 Knysna – 082 990 5956

EAST LONDON PORT CONTROL Tel: 043 700 2100 Stn. 07 East London – 082 990 5972 Stn. 28 Port St Johns – 082 550 5430

DURBAN PORT CONTROL Tel: 031 361 8567 Stn. 32 Port Edward – 082 990 5951 Stn. 20 Shelly Beach – 082 990 5950 Stn. 05 Durban – 082 990 5948

Stn. 14 Plettenberg Bay – 082 990 5975

RICHARDS BAY PORT CONTROL Tel: 035 753 1991

Stn. 10 Simon’s Town – 082 990 5965

P.E. PORT CONTROL Tel: 041 507 1911

INLAND DAMS AND LAKES

Stn. 16 Strandfontein – 082 990 6753

Stn. 36 Oyster Bay – 082 990 5968

Stn. 22 Vaal Dam – 083 626 5128

Stn. 09 Gordon’s Bay – 072 448 8482

Stn. 21 St Francis Bay – 082 990 5969

Stn. 27 Victoria Lake – 060 991 9301

Stn. 17 Hermanus – 082 990 5967

Stn. 37 Jeffreys Bay – 079 916 0390

Stn. 25 Hartbeespoort Dam – 082 990 5961

Stn. 29 Air Sea Rescue – 082 990 5980

Stn. 06 Port Elizabeth – 082 990 0828

Stn. 35 Witbank Dam – 060 962 2620

Stn. 30 Agulhas – 082 990 5952

Stn. 11 Port Alfred – 082 990 5971

Stn. 38 Theewaterskloof – 072 446 6344

Stn. 02 Bakoven – 082 990 5962 Stn. 08 Hout Bay – 082 990 5964 Stn. 26 Kommetjie – 082 990 5979

Stn. 19 Richards Bay – 082 990 5949

CRAIG LAMBINON: 082 380 3800 (Communications)

You can download a digital version of these emergency numbers from our website: http://www.nsri.org.za/emergency-numbers/

IMAGES Ken Findlay Photographics

TIDBITS

Mocke & Van Gysen’s cape point challenge

The 2018 Cape Point Challenge is going to be remembered for years to come. It’s not often you get to race in wild technical conditions like that, and man did we love it! It really was our (Kim and my) only hope for a “fun” race as training wasn’t high on the

doing it for love

priority list. Skill and years of time in the boat stood us in good stead and we used all of that out there on the water to have a cracker!

What made the race more exhilarating was that there was a greater cause for our paddling

efforts, instead of the usual ‘racing to win’ agenda we were trying to raise awareness and funds for an organisation that is doing something that is so phenomenal I cant stop talking about it.

a healthy cooked meal and professional Occupational and Physiotherapists. Children using the school facility are collected daily using the “Sabrina Love Bus” to transport them to and from their home.

The Sabrina Love Foundation gripped my heart two years ago when we went up to Plett for the Sabrina Ocean Challenge. This organisation is truly making a difference in the lives of the Plett community and surrounding areas. The Sabrina Love Foundation is a true example of community upliftment and are changing and improving lives daily.

So in a nutshell they do all of this…

1. Provide access to professional care and equipment for disadvantaged special needs children and their parents. (Wheelchairs, Protheses, and all the necessary equipment) 2. Educate and provide coping skills to parents and their special needs children to adapt to their disability.

3. Create awareness within the community about the need to integrate special needs children into day to day society.

Established in 2004, The Sabrina Love Foundation was set up to care for children with special needs and their families providing them with medical and professional support.

Children are assessed and where possible integrated into everyday school and society and provided with equipment and caregivers to make this possible. For those children requiring full-time care, the day care centre ‘Die Sterreweg” and school is fully equipped with therapeutic equipment, permanent trained staff,

Isn’t that amazing! And they do it all by donations and support through events. So, if you are ever wondering who or what to support, I have seen the Sabrina Love Foundation in action and they are relevant, real and changing lives.

Check them out here: http://sabrinalove.co.za/

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CANOE POLO ON THE ROAD TO ROME IN 2020 Ready to start! The second round of selection events for the senior and u21 teams took place in KZN at the end of January. The best polo athletes in the country descended on the Zulu Kingdom to show they have what it takes to make the national team!

50 MILER

The 2019 edition of the 50 Miler saw the win in the Men’s race going to Andy Birkett and in the women’s it was to Christie Jo Mackenzie.

DUSI 2019

Former Springbok and Sharks rugby star Stefan Terblanche has added his name to the entry for the FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon from 14 to 16 February after agreeing to paddle in a K2 with former rugby team mate Justin Swart.

five capes expedition

Freedom Paddle Double Series Last week FHBSC hosted the first race in the series and set the course from Millers in to Fish Hoek. The wind grew steadily during the morning to finally settle at about 30/ 35 knots blowing straight down the course. The end result was a very fast race aided by some big surf to really mix things up. Bianca Beavitt and Melanie van Niekerk teamed up to take the ladies honours and Mark Keeling and Alan Houston took line honours in the men’s field.

FREEDOMPADDLE.CO.ZA

Experience the southern coast of South Africa like so few have. Mocke Paddling are looking for three Intrepid paddlers to join the most amazing Five Capes Expedition, 4 - 14th April, 2019.

This is a trip filled to the brim with life-changing moments!

Five Capes / Ten Days / A Lifetime of Memories. dawid@mockepaddling.com

Paddling against the flow.

Did you know, that 90% of the world sunglasses market is monopolized by just ONE company from Italy? They own nearly all the major brands, nearly all the major retail outlets and nearly all the major supply chains… WORLDWIDE. This means they keep the prices high, and keep everyone else out.

Subsequently, getting into the sunglasses business is a lot like paddling upstream; it is hard work, and progress is slow, but for one South African company, the rewards are still well worthwhile.

30 South Eyewear was founded in 2017 by a pair of adventurous friends in Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, and they have since been making waves in the South African sunglasses market. Their ambition to try to bring you the same quality eyewear as the top brands, for prices that are genuinely fair to everyone, sits well with South Africans and the 30 South tribe is growing... Fast.

The premise is simple, a single design; comfortable and tough enough to withstand any adventure, but stylish enough to wear to the after party.

For a paddler these sunglasses are fantastic; super lightweight, with polarized and UV400 protection, scratch resistant lenses, and with no metal parts that can rust or break. They fit snuggly, so won’t fall off your face even when wet, and the best part is they look great. Add a really cool soft bag, designed by a local South African artist, a durable case and free delivery anywhere in South Africa and you are getting a lot of value for around only R400….

The founders of 30 South eyewear are themselves keen watermen, and have big plans for some pretty epic paddling adventures in the near future. But for now they are working hard to keep developing their sunglasses to bring the best quality eyewear they can to the South African market.

shop the collection 30southeyewear.com THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 11

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IMAGES Supplied by Mthobisi Cele

Mthobisi Rising Ever since Martin Dreyer first laid down the gauntlet of getting his protégé in to the top 50 we have watch wave after wave of eager paddlers from the Change a Life Academy screaming past us on the portages or bouncing over the rapids using a route that we did not imagine was passible. Once they had conquered the Dusi they turned their attention to the mammoth river races that of the Non-stop Dusi and the Berg and have turned in very impressive results year after year.

In the excitement of the Dusi we caught up with one of the paddlers that has been turning in those astounding results – Change a Life Academy/ Euro Steel U23 athlete, Mthobisi Cele.

Some of his resent results: • 1st U23 and 7th overall 2018 Dusi with Mplo Zondi • 1st Non-Stop Dusi 2018 with Zondi • 1st U23 and 8th overall iBerg 2018 • 1st U23 and 4th overall iBerg 2017 TPM How do you think that your 50 Miler went? With Dusi only a month away how did it feel to race that section? Any changes that you will make to your training?

MC My 50 Miler wasn’t great I had Flu two days before the race, racing that section of the river was lot of fun for me because I’ve been tripping it many times, I don’t think I’ll change my training program yet since i’m

racing every weekend maybe with one week before Dusi than I’ll change my training program.

TPM How old are you?

MC 23 years of age TPM Home town?

MC Pietermaritzburg TPM What are your weapons of choice for the 2019 Dusi?

MC For Dusi I’ll be using Gara Odin paddle and Kayak Centre Attack boat.

TPM What inspired you to start paddling?

MC I have five older brothers who were paddling at time and whenever they came from a race and talked about it I was so entertained, another thing is when you were paddling at home then you won’t be punished for not collecting cows every afternoon!

TPM Who is your mentor?

MC Definitely Martin Dreyer.

TPM How is your training going?

MC At the moment training is going according to plan, Martin Dreyer gave us a training program and we formed a group of seven Change a Life paddlers. We train together almost everyday, we have a lot of respect for each other because we all want one thing… which is to do well in this year’s Dusi.

TPM Do you have any sponsors for the Dusi 2019?

MC Euro Steel and Change a Life are my sponsors for this year’s Dusi.

TPM What position are you hoping for in this year’s Dusi?

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MC I can’t tell what position I want this year, I missed my top 10 finish at Burma Road in 2017 and I would love to correct that mistake.

TPM Where do you train and how often?

MC I train at Nagle Dam under the guidance of Lucas Mthalane who is my coach, I train 6 times a week.

TPM Do you prefer to train in a group or on your own?

MC I like both. Training with a group helps me to improve every day and it is more fun being with other people on water. I enjoy training on my own because I can be focused and not ride a wave or hide with other guys at training.

TPM Do you change your diet in the run up to the Dusi or do you keep it the same?

MC No I don’t change a diet.

TPM Will you get to scout the river

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before the Dusi? Or only on race days?

MC If by any chance there is water in the river then I’ll like to train on the river.

TPM What are your plans after the Dusi? We are hoping to see you in some of the other major races.

MC After Dusi I would love to race Non-Stop Dusi and if I can get the support I would love to race every race possible.

TPM Is the Berg on your list? It is tough and cold but not nearly as technical as the Dusi?

MC I’ve done Berg five times in six years. Every time I finish I always say I’m not doing it again but I always see myself in Paarl a day before the race. If I get the help from sponsors I would give it a go, Berg is very different from Dusi even if you made a mistake on the 1st day you

can still catch up as if nothing wrong happened and I like it.

TPM It cannot be easy to fit in training and all your other commitments - how do you manage?

MC My life is all around paddling!

Staying at home with my brother who I paddle with and having a Chance a Life team mates as my friends (we are practically family) really helps. I spend most of the time with Mpilo Zondi who I won Non-stop Dusi with in 2017. So we all make time to focus on training together.

TPM Does Change a life give you a training programme to follow?

MC Yes sometimes Martin gives us a training program. For this year’s Dusi training we are using his program

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PE2EL 2018 Camaraderie Personified 16 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

IMAGES Photo King THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 17

Sunburn, chaff, blisters, headwinds, sharks, currents and heavy rolling seas are as much the expectation along with the deep camaraderie and biltong like demeanour that’s shared by a very unique group of paddlers who assemble early on alternate Decembers in Port Elizabeth for the sea pilgrimage that retraces John Woods pioneering 1972 feat in a race against John Ball who ran along the beach for three days to arrive some 90 minutes ahead of Woods in East London.

Over the years The PE2EL has seen a long list of iconic sponsors supporting the four day ocean odyssey and the 23rd edition saw Carbonology Sport under the guidance of Hein van Rooyen and Jason Goedhals giving back to surfsking is an indication to the deep passion and devotion the quest invokes.

In the PE2EL fabled 46 years, less than 900 paddlers have stood at the start line, with nearly a 20% DNF rate and as it stands only 15 paddlers have completed ten or more finishes. These are daunting numbers, but the Sunshine Coast

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expedition etches a mark on ones heart much like a reunion of forgotten friend’s & fond memories that are rekindled at race briefing the evening before.

Since 2014 Border Canoe Club have officially transformed the Challenge with incremental refinements and paying special tribute to the PE2EL legends in the inaugural awarding of permanent numbers with John Woods receiving No1 along with Robbie Bester & Ralph Teulings each on 16 finishes, Keith Theron 14, Rob Welsh 12 and Marcus Buri 11 successful completions whilst other paddling greats of Tony Scott on 14, Paul & Oscar Chalupsky, Glen McGregor, Dave Gillmer, Craig Dohne, Peter o Connor, Murray Smith and Duncan Boyd & Mias van der Westhuysen now on 10 a piece.

Safety protocols are paramount and rigorous with new inclusions to the rule book, race director Richard Tebbutt announced that subject to inspection and safety concerns, paddlers may replace damaged craft’s without receiving a DNF. The other stressed point was that singles and doubles may not sit on

each other’s slip. With NSRI safety crews monitoring us on the water and SafeTrx Flotilla provided a cyber eye to any wayward slip leaches there was nowhere to hide.

Day 1 dawned for a glassy

& small Bluewater Bay start with slow doubles leading ahead of slow singles in 15 minutes intervals with the fast batches chasing the field, by Sundays River 25km with a R2000 hot spot for the fastest singles & double, the leading slow singles bunch just nosed around the NSRI boat ahead of the slow doubles with an awkward confusion and banner ‘No Richard I wasn’t sitting on their slip, I was just passing very slowly’ and as the paddlers regrouped respectively so to avoid any disqualification they split into a glaring rising sun with diverging lines seeking Woody Cape some 51km away.

As the day warped on, groups splintered and spluttered in the building headwind that made any steady progress a taxing slog with a remaining 20-25km to go. With the reverse order advantage Kyle Harris with Bianca Beavitt holding on to

his slip reached Woody’s just ahead of van Rooyen / Goedhals leading the doubles and Bevan Manson the singles. Rooyen/ Goeghals and Manson also bagged the hotspot cash so it was a good day for them.

Woody Cape in turn managed to smash a few more skis reinforcing her reputation as a boat cruncher.

Day 2

forecast was The ominous despite a dropping swell the raging easterly enforced the ‘over 15knots rule’ to turn the day for a late 7:30 am start and an unprecedented downwind to Woodys without a Kenton-on-Sea stop over. Port Alfred always has a merciless shore break and troubled several starters, notably Lood Rabie and Stephan du Toit losing a rudder that kept them beached for 45 minutes until the spare was found and fitted yet almost in ‘an act of God’ in their delay they became saviours in a day of high sea drama. Whilst the racing snakes Brett Hardiaris & Ross Fountain went deep, unbelievably 8km deep to beach a mere 67 seconds ahead of Bevan Mason who smashed 3h13.11 for the 56km, meanwhile

somewhere nearer to shore between Kenton and Bokness Tim Ven Fey drilled down a big steep run and became unstuck in the heaving sea when his leash snapped and craft quickly blew away.

Not panicking ‘Bob’ activated his SafeTrx distress call for NSRI to locate his position linking Medical Rescue Centre (MRC) to broadcast the scramble relay for a rescue boat.

Miraculously following his activation Lood and Stefan found Tim bobbing in the rolling sea and for the next 40 minutes tried to tow him closer to shore. Unbeknown to them a ‘dead communication shadow’ caused by the Woody Cape dunes, the relay of info via mobile phones to the NSRI rescue boats was hindered and unforeseen the local radio towers that broadcast MRC messages were undergoing routine maintenance and obstructed the NSRI water crews receiving the blanket activation. With the onset of hypothermia Lood & Stefan were experiencing difficulty in a wooly sea and needed to take a really tough decision to self preserve but not until had Tim again called NSRI.

Then it was the turn of Robin Tindall who was land based monitoring the SafeTrx Flotilla App who was able to confirm his position to the response crew and remaining talking to Tim. At the same time back marker Peter van der Merve had seen Tim’s drifting ski and had paddled to shore to call NSRI. While standing on the beach, Peter saw one of Tim’s pencil flares which provided a visual marker to his position.

The midway race briefing and prizing giving at Port Alfred brought home the see saw emotion from the day to a gritty reality which yielded that a strong presence of mind, the buddy system, a calm awareness and ability to self rescue always prevails over technology or other devices that can easily undo the best made contingent plans. As paddlers we raised our glasses to salute our assembly and acknowledging that any successful rescue is a good one.

Now reunited with his recovered ski we gathered around Tim in his galvanised resolve to continue. In reflection Tim later revealed, ‘A number of paddlers approached me afterward, most I didn’t know but

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they offered to paddle with me on day three and not leave me alone.

It’s truly a one of a kind and a very special race. It’s because of the paddler’s camaraderie that I’ll be coming back.’

Day 3

is Traditionally the giant killer that tempers the body & soul into a pliable form, yet the mood was buoyant with the promise of diminishing surf and another pumping downwind forecast, but arriving at the start it yielded very soft conditions with prospects for another long day.

Once past the Fish River check-in the moderate wind that had eased us along until the 35km mark when it suddenly died, the sea wobbled with head currents that had every paddler shallow or deep searching for help. The pain and suffering was obvious as Bevan stammered in the days highlight interview at Hamburg, ‘It was just so, so, so hard, it was flat, the wind was there and it was teasing us, there were currents into us and it was really tough for us.’ And shrugging his shoulders to shake of his head in disbelief,’ 68ks, just..... ja hardcore.’ Echoing the feeling of anguish were 1st double in of Hayden Homes with his 16 years old partner Graydon Mitchell as Homes relayed, ‘One thing this race will tell you that it’s never over, until the fat lady sings. Until we get to Orient and put our feet on the beach, we don’t take anything for granted.’

Hamburg camp site is rustic at best and Strand legend Tienie van Schoor who in 1985 with his doubles partner Adam Lang had over shot Hamburg by 16km in epic SW conditions with a 4m swell but in turning back failed to make the 8hour cut off and were DNFd. Now seconding Andries Smit and Adie de Kok, Daantjie ‘my Bra’ Malan and young gun Bartho Visser he shared his bitter sweet nostalgia admitting to feel a ‘little emotional’ camping again as the merry assembly of campers each formed sizable lagers slipping into some R&R relaxation 20 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

and well deserved massages whilst the collection of regional NSRI squadrons held joint initiation ceremonies and sharing highlights of the past few days to the amusement of all the paddlers late in to the night.

day 4 is bitter sweet

as the temptation is to give everything you have left until you surrender around the East London harbour wall to the welcoming seconds cheers and the oversize handshake of John Woods with an immediate medal presentation that sentimentally weights more than your ski. But the finish of day four was still another 55km away with a slight following sea and a lone ship that caused a minor disruption to the celebrations.

Jason Ekstrand finishing 3rd had gone out hard to try make up time and had created a decent lead, yet Bevan had a comfy 30 minute advantage over Steve Woods 2nd and along with Duncan Boyd 5th reached the Kids Beach checkin together, as Philip Smith 4th and Quinton Ruderford 6th they worked their way through the collective field playing catch up or open any gap to the final results with Anton Holtshausen, Crispin Thompson, Fanta Gous and Derek Henry rounding of the top 10 with Bianca Bubbles Beavitt finishing her 6th Challenge in an credible 12th after 250km.

Race director Richard had a difficult task to determine the double winners as Howard Loftus and Andre Stone chasing van Rooyen/ Goedhals with a 3:11cushion advantage had put the hammer down early to drop the leaders and rounded the harbour wall sufficiently ahead. A randomly departing ship dissected the pairings to force the NSRI safety RIB to hold the leaders until the vessel had past which naturally caused a dispute to the Mobii time keeping and a count back result that slightly favoured van Rooyen/Goedhals with Brett Hardiaris & Ross Fountain

3rd, stalwarts Brendon Thompson / Andre van Wyk in 4th with father Gavin McNish and speed merchant son Luke in 5th.

The Strand Downwind Junkies had 21 paddlers participating with nine strong doubles teams under “Robbie rules’ establishing the tradition to paddle the flat legs together and picnic as much as possible yet most importantly to regroup in the remaining kilometre to finish in solidarity and share a ‘dysfunctional family’ wave to cross the line collectively as it bonds the seasoned ysterbaards and rookies alike with watery eyes and congratulatory hugs that acknowledges the camaraderie developed in training and finishing.

These small snap shots moments don’t fully share the experience or give gratitude to our seconds and loved ones nor the superb organisation of the Boarder Canoe Club and others who have labour tirelessly to present the best organised Challenge I’ve attended, yet as Richards detailed written explanation to the controversial double result that followed a few days later, the real depth of character of The Carbonology PE2EL Challenge was revealed when van Rooyen & Goedhals felt that they would rather share the podium with Loftus and Andrew Stone than spoil camaraderie or sacrifices any longstanding friendship shared amongst this special group of paddlers and in the words of Great John Woods he fondly refers to anyone who paddles the PE2EL as ‘Bloody idiots.’

Jamii Hamlin

THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 21

Lost at sea...

Timothy Fey gives his account of being out on the high seas with a paddle but no boat!

It was day two of the PE2El and there was a strong NE wind blowing so the race organisers decided to race down the coast from Port Alfred to Woody Cape. By the time we got on to the water the wind had picked up to about 30knots and there was some big swells rolling down the coast. The first trick was to negotiate the huge break at Port Edward before heading out to sea in order to avoid getting pushed on to any of the rocky outcrops that jut out to sea along that coastline.

I headed out for about 3km before turning south and setting course for where I hoped Woody Cape would be.

I have spent a lot of time with Mike Shwan training for the PE2EL and in that time we had done a lot of cracking downwinds in all sorts of conditions in preparation 22 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

for the race. So things were going well and I was having the time of my life surfing these huge waves.

A big swell came through and I turned left to ride it and must have overcooked it because all of a sudden I broached and then fell out.

My first thought was ‘there goes my great finishing time for today’. I was quite comfortable in the water and was making a plan to retrieve my ski when the second breaking swell went over me and suddenly I felt my leg leash go tight and then snapped.

Suddenly I had been separated from my ski! 50 metres soon became a 100 and suddenly I could not see my ski anymore. Strange how quickly one can go from ’top of the world’ to ‘you are going to die if you do not do something’ in the ocean. I realised that I was in a lot of trouble and luckily I had bought myself one of those Mocke dry bags for my cell phone so I activated the call for help on the Safetrx app. This then gave me the option of calling the call centre so I did and spoke to an agent at the call centre. As a flying

instructor I had flown over this area hundreds of times so I was able to give them an accurate description of where I was. The call centre agent assured me that they had me on their screen and that they would come and fetch me in the next couple of minutes.

I was still in the water some 20 minutes later and trying not to think about all the sharks that I had seen while flying over this area.

The strong NE wind and swell was pushing me closer in to shore and while I was not able to swim with my paddle I was able to use it to help drift in the current.

While drifting out at sea just by pure chance Lodewyk Rabie and Stephan Du Toit had chosen the same line as I was on. 20 metres to the left of right and they would never have seen me. They let me hang on to their ski and I again phoned the NSRI. They once again assured me that they are coming.

In those conditions it was very difficult to hang on without tipping

I resolved to wait five minutes from the time we said good bye before lighting my pencil flare. At the same time Peter Van Der Merwe had suddenly come across my ski floating in front of him without me and realising that there must be a huge problem. So he paddled straight for shore with a fellow paddler. In order to scout the sea better, they then clambered up a big sand dune and from there phoned the NSRI. While on the phone suddenly they spotted my flare and were able to better direct the NSRI

to my whereabouts.

In the meantime Robin Tindall had been watching the race unfold from the Safetrx Flotilla app and had noticed that I was taking a long time to cover any real distance.

So he sent me a Whatsapp “ Tim if you get his – realise that you are not alone” at that point I phoned Robin and explained my situation to him. When he realised that I had snapped my leash and lost my boat he started to do everything in his power to calm me down; he asked me about the best part of the race and what I could see in order to get check points from the land. All the while he was in SMS contact with the NSRI skipper as they searched for me. Eventually he asked me if I could see a red buggy on the beach and I said yes! I am about 90 degrees out from the buggy. He then communicated that to the NSRI boat and moments later I saw the big NSRI vessel. When they got close I raised my paddle in the air and they came to fetch me. I tell you it is the most rewarding feeling

in the world when you finally see them.

I was in the water for just over an hour from the time I activated Safetrx to the time I climbed on the boat. Luckily they were able to treat me for hyperthermia right there and took me down to Woody Cape where I was transferred to a rubber duck and brought ashore. Just as I was about to formally withdraw from the race a bakkie pulled up with my ski on top still in perfect condition. So I asked the race organiser if I could finish the race even though I had not completed day two and he said yes so I went on to paddle day 3 and 4 and complete the race.

I must tell you that the camaraderie of that race is what makes it great – I will keep coming back for that reason. The lessons I took from the experience are that you are your best form of equipment, it is up to you to make a decision and do something. Lastly stay calm and keep afloat!

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IMAGE Photo King

the double ski so there were times when I lost contact with them and had to swim to get a hold of the ski again. This went on for a while before Oom Loot had to concede that the two paddlers were getting cramp and exhausted from trying to hold the boat upright so they needed to continue before they themselves became casualties. We said our good byes and within seconds they had disappeared from sight.

IMAGES iSLE of TAM

JCC

2 Day Klip

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26 & 27 January 2019 After all the rain the Vaal has received lately, the 2 Day Klip was a race to remember. Some rapids changed to wave trains, while others were transformed over night to monsters. This always creates an interesting twist to the tale, especially when some paddlers in

the front bunch decide to go cool off in the water.

Day one starts with paddlers hastily getting up early on the morning of the 26th of January, eager to make their way to Heidelberg Bridge.

From there, they paddle all the way down to Caravan Park, Meyerton some 30km away. At this level

the water is merciless to those who forget their lines or make momentary lapses of judgement like the one paddler who decided to keep river left at the caravan park rapid instead of the usual right hand line. At the end of an exciting day of racing it was Siseko Ntondini that snuck over the line just two seconds ahead of Siyabonga Tyiki THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 25

(U23) and following them was another up and coming U23 paddler Simmikiwe Ntondini about three minutes off the leading pace.

The supporters’ version of events would definitely differ from the paddlers’. There are a number of spectator points, but you have to be there before the paddlers are; so while the main focus will stay on the race in the river, there’ a whole different race going on, on the side of the river banks as the spectators jostle for the best parking and vantage point at the next view point. The best thing about the community of the paddlers and spectators is that everyone will cheer on a paddler, regardless of they know the athlete or not.

When the sun rises on day two, you’ll see the canoes all lined up on the side of the riverbanks, as the paddlers huddle over their last coffee before the day begins.

Starting at Scouts Hall, Henley-onKlip, the day finishes at Waterfront, Three Rivers some 31km down river. The athletes that have trained will feel the strain of day two, but day two certainly takes its toll on

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those that have spent too much time sitting around the table and not on the water. The day is long, but there are enough viewpoints to make sure the paddlers receive all the additional nutrition from their seconds.

This 2 Day Klip race stretches the athletes with its technical sections, weirs, and big drops that are then followed by ‘flat’ water, as they head towards the end of the race. Most Gautengers have paddled sections of the Klip River and enjoyed it but the ones that have done the two day race love it and always come back for more. Thank you, JCC for doing such a spectacular job! As for the racing snakes it was Siseko Ntondini that really managed to grind a defining three minute lead out in front of the chasing pack to take the win in emphatic style.

But credit should also go to young Simnikiwe Ntondini who gave it his all and managed to pip day 1 U23 winner to the post by an amazing two minutes. Unfortunately it was not enough to knock Siyabonga Tyiki off his second step of the podium and after all that effort he had to

settle for the third step on the podium. It made for really exciting racing and we cannot wait for the next encounter!

Final results Siseko Ntondini(DABS) placed first with a three minute lead. Siyabonga Tyiki (DABS) placed 2nd and was the first Under 23. The first Sub Vet was Alex Robberts (DABS), followed by first Vet, Kobus Filmalter (WAT). Benjamin Mntonintshi (SOW) was the first Under 18.

The first Sub Master for the day was André Zandbergh (WAT), followed by the first Master, Troy Clark (DABS). Connor Erwee (DABS) was the first Under 16.

Michael Merry (DABS) and partner, Craig Johnston (VIC), were the first Sub Grand Masters to finish the Two Day Klip. Kevin Davie (DABS) was the only Great Grand Master to complete the race.

Sylvia Nel (LIK) was the first female competitor to finish, followed by Hanlo Bezuidenhout (CEN).

natali coetzee

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IMAGES Ken Findlay Photographics

Cape Point Challenge Blown Away

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The joy of an outdoor sport is that you never know what you are going to get in terms of the weather! Our Friday evening races have dished up some challenging conditions and while they are generally lots of fun to battle the odds and quietly see which one of your mates is tough enough to be out there secretly we have all be grateful that it is only 6/8km and generally it is in the bay.

Not so with last year’s Cape Point Challenge! The race was held on the 16 December and unlike other races it has not bowed to the pressure of ‘window periods’ – instead the race organisers have taken a hard line of ‘what you see – is what you get!’ Early in the week all the weather apps pointed to the CPC being a challenging but good year. The basic early prediction was 10 – 20 knots SE wind picking up in the morning. This meant that the back markers (and those off in the early batches) would have an increasing wind on their faces up to the point and then a great 30 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

push home as they rounded the point. But as the day grew nearer the predicted wind speed began to grow and grow. With the general paddlers safety in mind the race organisers were forced to make the call on Saturday afternoon to hold the race inside the bay for the first time in five years.

When we got to the beach at 4:30am the wind was already whipping up sand-blasting gusts and we knew that the paddlers were in for a tough day. Long Beach, Simons Town is remarkably well protected from the wind but as the first batch took to the water at 5:30am, sheets of spray were already visible off the harbour wall so the wind was still picking up. By our count at least ten boats paddled off the start only to retire soon after they rounded the harbour wall.

The CPC follows a tried and tested format of letting the slower paddlers go first and the racing snakes get to chase them down for the first half of the race. The idea

is that in a normal race everyone rounds the Point at about the same time making marshalling on the Atlantic side much easier. This year because everyone was forced to keep close to shore to try and stay out of the wind spectators were treated to the incredible spectacle of the leading pack hunting down bunch after bunch on their relentless charge out to the Cape Point. Even the top paddlers were finding the conditions hard work taking nearly an hour to get to the Millers rocks (about 11km in to the race). The carnage at Millers and Partridge Point was a sight to behold as paddlers desperately trying to find a way through the rocks fell victim to rouge waves that appeared out of nowhere and suckbacks that left them with nowhere to go as the water disappeared from under their skis. The noise of rudders and skis slamming in to the rocks could be heard above the wind. We witness at least five paddlers falling out of their skis at the Millers rocks while we were

there. The strong winds forced paddlers to be very close to each other in order to effectively ride their slip sometimes to the leading boats peril. What was a safe distance between the boats disappeared in seconds as the leading boat got hit by a wave or missed a stroke and the chasing boat then slammed in to the back of them forcing more boat to retire from the race. We were aware of 15 boats withdrawing on the course but there certainly could have been lots more – this is one of those years that will be remembered in pubs for years to come.

After Partridge point there was no escaping the wind as it tore in to the peninsula lifting sheets of water that stung the paddlers faces as the soldiered on toward the safety boat at Buffels and then the turning buoy just off the tip of the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Some paddlers clearly having enough of the bumping between boats set a course on their own. Others

worked really hard to stay in a bunch but with the side chop now coming off the cliffs at Smitswinkel made it exhausting trying to stay upright, go forward and stay in the bunch. The mortal paddlers could do little to prevent their boat speeds from plummeting from an uncommon 8km/h to as low as 4.5km/h as the wind and resulting waves buffeted them around. At the front of the race the leaders were also reduced to speeds that Hank McGregor would describe as pedestrian at best! But despite this a breakaway bunch had started to form between Millers and Smitswinkel of McGregor, Mocke, Rice and Notten. Unfortunately it was impossible to tell how the ladies were doing as the leading ladies seemed to be making full use of the slight windbreak that the bunches in front of them were providing. Only Bridgette Hartley’s bright red Nelo was distinguishable in the glare and waves but without another reference point it was hard to tell how she was doing. While

we were watching the race unfold from the cliff at Smitswinkel news of the race organisers call to shorten the race broke. The increasing wind speeds forced the race organisers in conjunction with NSRI to make the call that that the new turning buoy would be the safety boat at Buffels. This was going to be a welcome relief for all the exhausted paddlers. By the time the call had been made a number of the leading men had already passed the safety boat meaning that they had to be chased down and then convinced that there had been a change before they turned their boats north and started. It is never easy to make the call to change the route especially in the middle of a race but having been there and watched paddlers battling for nearly an hour to get from Partridge point to in front of us at Smitswinkel we are in no doubt that it was the right call. It was McGregor, Rice then Mocke around the safety boat but anything could happen on the way home after such a shattering paddle in to the wind.

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The downwind from Buffels Bay to Fish Hoek is best done about 1.5km out to sea otherwise one risks getting pushed in to the cliffs and flung around as the rebounding waves slam in to the wind driven waves. Since the returning paddlers had disappeared from sight there was nothing else to do except bolt

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for the finish to see who got to the Fish Hoek Beach first. Unfortunately for the paddlers the section from Buffels back to Millers are not ideal conditions as one really has to have ones wits about you as the wind and waves try to push you in to Smitswinkel Bay and one has to constantly work right just to skim

the rocks of Partridge Point It was a frustrated looking Hank McGregor that made it to the beach first followed by Dawid Mocke and then Kenny Rice. The reason no one was celebrating was that in the confusion of the changed turning point and the conditions

none of the podium positions could be absolutely sure that they had completed the required course fairly. In the end it was proven that Hank McGregor paddled further than any of the other competitors and still managed to get to the beach first making him the emphatic winner of the 2018 Cape Point Challenge. This gives Hank McGregor a super human feat of eight wins in the Cape Point Challenge since 2008. In a show of incredible sportsmanship Mocke and Rice agreed to share second place due to the confusion of the moving turn buoy and an acknowledgement from both that it could have gone either way.

In the Ladies race it was also a return to her winning ways as local favourite and champion of the longer races Bianca Beavitt came charging home to take the ladies race. She first won it in 2007 and again in 2015 so this win makes her tie with Nikki Mocke (also three wins) and one behind Michelle Eray.

This was a magnificent way for

Bianca to finish what has been an amazing year of paddling; first lady home in 2018 Berg and lady winner of 2018 PE2EL. About 20 minutes behind her was another local lady Melanie Van Niekerk who’s training on the Atlantic seaboard is clearly paying off. Melanie has a sprints and more recently marathons background so it fantastic to see the depth of South African women’s paddling at the moment. The next lady home was our sprint queen herself – Bridgitte Hartley herself.

Bridgitte’s ability to make it three podiums in three years shows her consistency and ability across the disciplines and conditions. By her own admission she had two swims and still made it on to the podium.

The 2018 Cape Point Challenge was the toughest in recent years.

The last time it was raced inside the bay was in 2013. CPC 2013 had big waves coming around the point but at least they did not have to contend with 35knot winds. So a big thumbs up to all the competitors that took to the water whether

www.boatcompany.co.za

you made it to the turning buoy or not.You are a champion just for being on the start line on the 16 December 2018.

A big shout out to the Simon’s Town Boat Company who took photographer Ken Findlay out so that he could capture this awesome event.

See more images in the Out & About section.

083 257 7760

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IMAGES Graham Daniel 34 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

N3TC Drak Challenge THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 35

One might be forgiven if one made the mistake of thinking the results of the 26th running of the N3TC Drak Challenge was pretty much a forgone conclusion. In the run up to the race there were two certainties; 1: that the water would be low 2: that it would be a runaway race between Euro Steel team mates Hank McGregor and Andy Birkett.

Sensible money was on Andy as he had won the last five outings but anyone who watched the recent Cape Point Challenge would know that Hank was in brilliant form. This was going to be a fascinating battle between the two powerhouses of men’s paddling in South Africa. For the ladies race the bookies down in the south were all predicted that it was going to be a huge battle between the reigning Drak

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Champion Jenna Ward and the formidable Bridgitte Hartley. But it was not a done deal as there was U23 Christie MacKenzie who is in great form in the run up to the Dusi having just won the recent 50 Miler and Nikki Birkett who seems to be getting stronger and stronger since announcing her return to racing.

The Drak Challenge was also host to this year’s SA K1 champs so with such a prestigious title on the line paddlers travelled from far and wide in order to be on the start line. But the question on everyone’s mind was how low was the river going to be?

Thankfully the race organisers made the call to start Day 1 just before the Swartberg bridge which meant that the first 5 minutes of the race were not spent scratching over

the rocks before trying to make the dogs leg turn at the bottom at the traditional start. With the low water rules the race is dramatically shortened as paddlers race from the Swartberg Bridge to Callaway Bridge; a distance that is more of a sprint than a marathon. The excitement in the A Batch was tangible as the front runners jostled for positions on the water before the starters gun went off. They knew that in the low water it would be very difficult to play catch-up through the batch and so where they started could have a huge effect on where they finished day 1. As the starters gun went off the A Batch shot forward reminiscent of classroom pandemonium as the lunch bell rings – it was every man for himself and nobody was going to

give and inch today!

an eventful day.

The smart money appeared to have nailed it once again because by the time Andy and Hank reached Scotston Bridge they had a commanding lead on the chasing pack and it looked to be a two horse race once again. But somewhere between the Bridge and the entry to the Gorge Hank broke his paddle shaft and so the two horse race became one as Andy paddled off in to the sunset.

In the ladies race it was impossible to call it. Defending champion Euro Steel’s Jenna Ward seemed to just have the edge at some of the viewpoints but the ladies were so close it was very difficult to be certain. She was constantly shadowed by the likes of Christie Mackenzie, Bridgitte Hartley, Nikki Birkett and to the surprise of all of us Abby Solms. Abby Solms holds the record for being the most crowned winner of the Drak Challenge with an incredible 7 wins under her belt. In the end it was Jenna Ward in a time of 1:35:48 then Abby Solms, Christie Mackenzie (U23), Bridgitte Hartley, Nikki Birkett. To have the top five ladies all finish within two minutes of each other is truly remarkable and

Hank on the other hand was left to watch first Stew Little then Siseko Ntondini, Owen Gandar and finally after a swim at Glenhaven David Evans come past before he was able to borrow a paddle from one of the marshals in order to cross the line in a very respectable 6th after such

speaks volumes about the quality of women’s racing at the moment.

With results like this, we are looking forward to a very exciting year of racing.

Day 2 broke with the promise of some very exciting racing to come.

Everyone knew that Hank would be trying his level best to catch the paddlers in front of him. So there were some big questions being asked of Stew Little; would his training in the Drak over summer pay off, did he have enough in the tank to keep going at that pace for two days in a row.

In the ladies race bets were being placed and withdrawn and placed again on who would eventually lift the SA K1 Ladies Crown. Jenna Ward had been able to hold off the

THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 37

charge and claim the day 1 victory with a four second lead; would she be able to do it again on day 2 and retain her crown. All eyes were on the leading groups as today was going to be do or die for the leaders. Any mistakes would have devastating consequences as one would not have the time to make up the difference in such a short race.

As expected Hank tore off the start line on Day 2 and made short work of reeling in the leaders and

by Greenend Bridge it looked like he was lying second with only Andy to catch. In a stroke of dreadful luck Hank holed his boat soon after that and was left to watch all his hard work unravel as the leaders paddled past him once again. To his credit he patched his boat and still managed

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to finish in 14th position.

But the day belonged to belonged to Andy who claimed his sixth tile in a row proving that he is king of the mountain race! To his credit Stew Little paddled well out his weight division and hung on to a largerthan-life second position followed a minute and a half later by Siseko Ntondini.

In the ladies race it was a passionate affair of desperately holding on to ones position through the rapids and on the tough flat sections. In a colossal display of strength and determination the top five lady paddlers hung on to each other all the way down the river. The end result was that it came down to the

end sprint in order to determine who would be the reigning SA K1 Champion for 2019. Abby Solms proved why she is the Drak Queen as she mustered up the strength to put in a last second burst across the line and claim her eight crown in a row. A second behind her was Jenna Ward and taking the last step on the podium was Bridgitte Hartley.

Plan your Paddling Year Our Top Picks

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FebRuary 14 – 16 FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon

March

2 High Altitude Surf Ski Champs 9 – 10 SA Canoe Polo Champs 16 – 17 Umkomaas Marathon

April

20 – 21Orange Decent 27 Freedom Paddle 28 SA Single Surfski Champs

May 11 – 12

Durban International Canoe Polo Festival

June

15 – 17 SA Marathon Champs 22 Pink Lady Drakenstein Marathon 22 – 23 JCC Vaal Marathon 30 Harbour 2 Heads

JULY

3 – 6 Berg River Marathon 6 Scottburgh 2 Brighton 6 – 7 Senior World Champs Sprint Trials 13 – 14 Knysna Canoe Polo Festival 40 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

august

31 – 1 Liebenbergsvlei 2 Day Race

september

7- 8 Breede River Canoe Marathon 10 – 11 Canoe Polo Africa Champs 27 – 28 Hansa Fish Marathon SA K2

october

9 – 10 Lowveld Croc 19 – 20 Likkevaan 2 Day Race

november 2 – 3 Pete Marlin Surfski Race

December 21 Cape Point Challenge THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 41

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Breaking Down Barriers to Entry As I have mentioned on a number of occasions in the past, CSA, your unions, and your clubs are run by yourselves. They are not government appointed agencies who toss down legislation on a whim or a prayer.

Society all over the world tends towards adopting structure and rules that govern our behaviour.

Our paddling community is no different.

Over the years, the paddlers before us have formed clubs, unions and a federation. Each having its own set of rules. Periodically, there is a changing of the guard, and rules get amended by a majority vote.

One of the rules that has been handed down is the one pertaining to membership. The CSA and union constitutions state that anyone wishing to take part in an event needs to be registered with a club, union, and the federation.

Depending which province you reside in, the costs involved in this registration can be viewed as a barrier to entry into the sport, especially if you only wish to try

the sport out, or if you only wish to paddle socially.

so ago, to introduce the category of “social member”.

Through your club and union chairmen, CSA have arrived at a solution that they are going to give a bash. I have published this in the past couple of weekly newsletters.

Excerpts of which are reflected below:

This membership category costs the princely sum of one hundred SA ront. It officially registers you with CSA and allows you to enter club time trials, minor flatwater races, and inshore surfski races (once you have completed the respective proficiency test).

The First One:

Many paddlers, who don’t wish to race an entire season, find the annual subscription fee (CSA and union) to be excessive. They either choose to sneak into races unregistered, giving the organisers headaches, or they don themselves in a lot of lycra and ridiculous looking sunglasses and climb onto a bicycle seat that looks like it was designed by a pervert.

The CSA and union fee (approximately the price of a dinner with the family or a round of golf) is often viewed as a “barrier to entry”.

(Even for some who have daughters who ride horses).

The CSA board, in its immense wisdom, made a decision a year or

It does not allow you to enter any major races, provincial championships, river races, or open ocean races.

So, paddlers wishing to enter the short inshore surfski series races such as the Marine Series, the Seadog series, the wall and back series, etc, plus some of the flatwater races (like the Vaalies do around all sorts of ponds), can do so with no guilt by parting with one small buffalo.

The organisers of races who allow unregistered paddlers to participate in their races are putting themselves under massive exposure with regards to public liability. They are also compromising our delicate THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 43

relationship with SAMSA. Those paddlers wishing to register themselves under this category, who then decide to become full members (because their mate convinces them to do the Fish or Berg), will then need to register themselves as full members (and kiss their Buffalo goodbye).

An indication of why Gauteng is the economic hub of the country is the fact that in a single club alone in that province, there are over 400 registered social members. In the Western Cape - zero.

We have even gone one step further. We have introduced an “event license” for major races.

Many paddlers complain that it is unfair that are obliged to pay an entire years’ worth of registrations when they only ever do one race a year. Whether it be the Drak, the Fish, the Umko, etc. They threaten to invoke the “lycra clause”.

To combat this exodus, CSA has introduced an “event license”.

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The way it works is this. If you have been a fully registered paddler before, you can elect to race one major race per year without having to pay a CSA or union registration fee.You will, however, be charged a fee equal to 50% of the race entry (over and above the actual race entry). Also, if you have utilised your one “event license” and you then decide to do another major race, you will need to pay a full membership, and kiss your 50% goodbye.

Many of the rules that we have had to introduce are not put there out of our own free will but because we have to comply with certain conditions.

Life is full of choices.

The Second One:

These dispensations (social and day license) have nothing to do with club fees.Your club fees should be aligned with value received in the form of facilities and cold beers.

We, as a federation are trying to grow the sport and encourage participation. We have to do this within the parameters that are dictated to us by outside agencies like SAMSA, SASCOC, SRSA, SAPS, Events act, ex-wives, etc.

The CSA rules that are in place have not been handed down to us

by Pontius Pilate. They have been formulated, over the years, by paddlers such as yourselves. If you do not like them, make an effort to have them changed (or just opt for the lycra).

Jeez!!!!!!! My short bit about social membership and day licenses in last week’s blab certainly opened the proverbial.

Union chairmen and secretaries have cursed me on more than one occasion during the week, as their phones have been ringing off the hook.

It’s like Black Friday for canoeists.

The Cappies did not take kindly to

being left off the wagon, and have almost knocked the door down.

Along with all the excitement has come a few questions. I will try to explain.

Both the social membership and the day license (which changed its name to “event license” at the CSA AGM on Monday, as it also encompasses multi day races) were introduced to knock down a few “barriers to entry” to the sport.

Many of the non Land Rover Discovery type paddlers get a bit shell shocked when they are asked to pay four digit figures to enter their first race in a sport that they do not know whether they will like or not.

The main question being asked regarding the social membership is the question of club membership.

The CSA constitution requires that all members of CSA need to be members of a recognised canoe club (and by virtue of this, a union).

The buffalo that you have thrown

at the problem only pays for your union and CSA portion, it does not include a club membership.

If you are already a member at a club, and enjoy the facilities, you can carry on as usual. If you don’t belong to a club, and have absolutely no desire to use any club facilities, you have a small, but not insurmountable problem. Clever unions like KNCU have floated a “virtual” club.

So, if you live in Kokstad and there is no local canoe club where you can leave your boat to squat (before it gets sold at the annual auction), or use their showers, or drink their cold beers, then you can belong to the virtual club.

Although the constitution stipulates that you need to belong to a club, it makes no mention of how much the club needs to charge you. Hopefully, the other unions will start to think out of the box and come up with a similar solution.

Bear in mind that the social membership category only allows

you to enter small, local flatwater races and inshore surfski races. It was also not designed for people with short arms and long pockets who are looking to side step their club fees and use the showers and drink the beers in any case.

The “event license” was not put in place for new comers. It is strictly for paddlers who have already been fully registered members of a club before. If you are one of these, you can enter one race per year without having to pay any registration at all.You would just need to pay the event entry, plus a further 50% of what the entry is, again.

So, for a race like the Berg, with an entry fee of R3000, it does not make sense to take advantage of this offer, unless your basic arithmetic is Zumaesque.

collin simpkins

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I have a Dream

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We first got to know Peter Rossouw while covering the Eurosteel FNB Sports4life Marathon event on the 17 November of last year. Peter you will discover is passionate about paddling and building the sport and his plans of provincial competitions will be inspirational when they get off the ground. But it was the fundraising drive on the 15 December that really caught our attention. The idea was simple; get as many people to sponsor Peter and friends while they paddle or run from 8am on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday in a bid to raise money to buy a building on the Wemmer Pan. Why keep going for 30 hours? Why this building? What’s the plan? Armed with these questions we headed off to chat to Peter about his huge plans.

Where does this incredible passion for developing the sport come from?

My paddling started as a 19 year old surf lifesaver at Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club, in Cape Town and progressed from there to K1 and K2 paddling, flat water marathons and rivers. I got very involved in the Western Province development program (Ryno Armdorf – now a successful husband, father and business guy was in primary school when we got to know each other.)

I coached a number of schools at Zandvlei/ Marina Da Gama for years and ran the Peninsula Canoe Clubs development and schools program for years as well.

I was eventually transferred to Gauteng in June 2002, and got very involved at the Johannesburg Canoe Club (JCC) at Wemmer Pan for many years, and was Chairman there for a number of years. I established my

canoe marathon racing series there and ran it from January to May every year, for the last 10 years, ending with the Gauteng Marathon Champs.

This series was held with the fond hope that we would be able to inspire more folk to race marathons and to prepare our marathon paddlers well for Gauteng and SA Champs.

I was asked to serve as Gauteng Marathon Chairman, which I did for nine years and as SA Marathon Chairman for one year. During this time I had the privilege of serving as the Dabulamanzi Canoe Clubs General Manager for 18 months, where we saw the club grow from 480 members to 1300 members.

I have taught over 850 people to paddle there in the last five years.

I have an amazing opportunity to develop a long standing vision of mine at Wemmer Pan, having been offered 1400sqm’s of buildings, virtually on the waterfront, for R2 million. My vision is to subdivide the building in to three separate sections.

The first section will house a Human and Sports Development Centre.

The second section will house a Medical Care Centre (my back ground), especially for the terminally ill, poor and especially for kids. Our athletes would have access to the medical care centre if the need arose. The third section would house an Artisan Training Centre. We have to acknowledge that while it is very important for our athletes to train it is also very important to keep an eye on their futures. It is hoped that if we offer accredited training to both our athletes and walk in students we would be able to offer them the possibility of learning skills that can lead to employment whilst still being able to train.

This vision is based on many years of paddling, coaching and a passion to help empower and maximise human potential.

The benefits of playing sport are well documented in terms of the person’s gross motor skills and interpersonal skills. I have just filmed a video where Dr. Annette Martins (a 2 x PHD Psychologist) teaches on the benefits of canoeing to mental health, especially with kids with ADHD and learning difficulties, stressed executives etc. which is very interesting, CLICK HERE to watch. Paddling with good technique is one of the few sports where the left brain/right brain reconnection happens through crossing the median central line while paddling, with subsequent great mental benefits.

The full benefits of paddling will be discussed in subsequent articles, but it is interesting to note that paddling whether socially or competitively is good for a person’s development on a number of levels.

I believe that the Wemmer Pan Complex would be a great asset in growing our sport as we make use of existing structures to enhance the training of young athletes to ensure that they are better equipped to make their mark on the international stage. I will be putting in some serious time visiting our private and government schools to promote the benefits of paddling as a school sport.

I intend to start within this next week to utilise the facilities at JCC in the meantime, coaching at and promoting our Wemmer Pan venue, being the only City Dam in Africa with its own sprint lanes. Our focus will be on sprints and marathons.

Peter Rossouw

improvE your paddling experience

Available from www.lulu.com (just type in “surfski”), or contact author Kevin Brunette: brunette@iafrica.com THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 49

Opinion

The glory of multiday trips

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IMAGES Ray Chaplin IMAGE Celliers Kruger

In my last article, I touched on multiday trips. Since then, I received a bunch of requests to write more about this subject.This is easy to fulfil as multiday trips have always been my favourite way to enjoy paddling.

Why Floating down a river or paddling across an open expanse of water is an intimate encounter with Mother Nature. Sleeping next to the water, listening to the beat of waves crashing on a beach or the rumble of water cascading down a rapid is therapy for the soul. Doing it all over again the next day is as good as life gets.

What To be clear, a multiday trip can mean anything from a two-day-one-night excursion to extended expeditions taking multiple days, weeks or months to complete. Personally, when I do river expeditions, I always find that I only really get into the rhythm of river life after the second night.

By the third day, I have completely switched off from modern life with all its distractions and I’m entirely absorbed in the here-and-now.

In essence, a multiday trip implies that all the essentials you need for camping are taken along on the trip. The purest way of doing this is by packing all of these items into or onto your own craft. There are other ways to do it too, of course.

For instance, I have done a number of raft-supported kayak trips, where most of the gear is packed onto the raft.You could even have the luxury of a backup vehicle that meets you at certain spots along the bank to set up camp, but, in my opinion, this defeats the purpose of going on a multiday trip in the first place.

Where The easiest place to do a multiday trip is on a large dam or lake.

Depending on the size of the dam, you can circumnavigate it, embark on a route that takes you to specific spots on the dam like islands and beaches, or just paddle to a destination along the dam’s edge.

When you plan a trip on a dam, always make sure to obtain the required permission or permit - if any are applicable. Understand the conditions on the dam. For instance, if there tend to be high winds and big waves, make sure you have the right equipment and skills to deal with this. Also, if there is a possibility of encountering fast motorboats on the dam, attach a flag on a pole to your kayak for visibility.

Rivers cater for all kinds of adventures.You can do an easy flatwater trip where the focus is simply on relaxation and experiencing the tranquillity of nature, or you can scare yourself on a Class-5 mission in a deep, isolated gorge; or anything in-between. Whatever you do, make sure that you don’t attempt a section of river that is above your skill level.

In fact, don’t attempt a multiday trip on a river that is close to the limit of your skills. A heavy kayak is more difficult to manoeuvre through rapids, and the risk in case of a mishap is increased if you are in an isolated, unreachable section of river.

Needless to say, a multiday trip on the ocean along the coastline inevitably involves paddling through the break and back again, dealing with changing weather conditions and the possibility of having to negotiate rocks and shore break if an easy landing spot cannot be found. This is not to be attempted unless you are already a skilled and experience ocean paddler.

If you camp wild at a random place next to the water that is not a designated camp site, you have to make sure that there are no access THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 53

issues. It is common sense not to pitch your tent close to someone’s house, or in any area that the locals may frequent. And the old saying is 100% applicable: ‘Take only pictures, leave only footprints’.

When Any time is a good time for a multiday trip, provided there is water. The important thing is to dress for the occasion and prepare for changing weather conditions.

If you go in the summer, hats and sunscreen are your friends.

If you go in winter, drytops and drypants could make the difference between a beautiful experience and hypothermia.

If you do a trip in winter, keep in mind that days are shorter, which means less paddling hours. Plan your

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distances accordingly.

How Now we get to the nitty gritty of multiday trips. The bottom line is that there is no perfect way to do it. As you gain experience, you will figure out what works best for you.

Below are a bunch of points that I consider to be important to keep in mind.

What boat to use This is the most debatable point, but personally I prefer sit-on-top kayaks for most multiday trips in South Africa. The two big advantages of sit-on-tops are safety and versatility.

The obvious advantage from a safety point of view is that the boat will float if you capsize, won’t fill with water and you can get straight

back onto the boat instead of having to swim to the bank to empty the boat.

The other advantage is that sit-ontops are a lot easier and quicker to get on and off. If you end up in strainers in moving water, being on a sit-on-top is a big advantage for self-rescue. If you get chased by a croc or a hippo or if you just can’t hold your pee any longer, you can very quickly jump off a sit-on-top when you reach the bank instead of having to get out of a closed cockpit.

From a versatility point of view, you can sit sideways and hang your feet in the water when you take a break, and you can easily jump into the water for a swim and then climb back on. This may not sound like a big advantage, but on our recent

three-day trip on the Orange River, I was very glad to be on my Marimba, for this specific reason.

Other types of craft that can be used are sit-in touring kayaks, open canoes, inflatable rafts or, in the case of serious rapids, a whitewater kayak with enough speed and volume for the type of rapids you intend to run.

What to pack The rule of thumb is to pack as little as possible. Most craft used for multiday trips tend to have more packing space available than a typical backpack for a hiking. It is tempting to use all that space, but keep in mind that the extra weight will have an effect on the handling of the boat, it will be more tiring to paddle over longer distances and there might be a situation where you actually

need to carry the boat around an obstacle or pull it up a steep bank.

My typical packing checklist includes things like small tent or bivvy bag, self-inflating mattress, sleeping bag, head lamp, medical kit, sunscreen, minimal cool and warm clothing, cooking and eating utensils, food, toiletries, water filter and camera.

Each trip is different and will require a slightly different list.

If there is a raft on the trip, I pack in a patching kit. I always make sure there is at least one spare paddle in the group. If it is a very leisurely trip, I take a book along. If there are small children on the trip, I add some toys.

How to pack The most practical way to pack is to have everything in drybags.

There are many different styles

and sizes of drybags on the market.

Make sure you buy good quality drybags; there are few things that can ruin a trip faster than having your food, clothing or sleeping gear soaking wet. If the drybags will be tied on top of a sit-on-top or on a raft, make sure that the drybag has D-rings or other attachments points on it.

I tend to pack all my sleeping things into one big drybag and use smaller drybags to separate the other gear to makes it easier to find what I need.

Weight distribution is important too.

Pack your heaviest dry bags closest to the middle of the boat. This way the handling of the boat will not be significantly compromised. When I paddle a sit-on-top like my Marimba, I put my stove, gas bottle, food and

snacks inside the boat through the hatch right behind the seat.

My clothing and other light items go through the hatch on the bow.

My large drybag with sleeping stuff is packed into the tankwell in the stern of the boat.

It is always wise to pack water purification tablets as a backup. It also doesn’t hurt to put some antidiarrhoea tablets in your medical kit in case your filtration systems fail.

How to cook

This is a contentious issue, and there is no simple solution that works in all conditions. But, it is an important point to bring up.

How you deal with poop can have negative repercussions on the environment, for other paddlers using the same campsite, and also for local people who might use the area where you pitched camp.

Most people don’t want to spent a lot of time on cooking on a trip, so it is best to stick to meals that can be cooked in one pot. When we do trips with larger groups, we take turns to cook dinner. For instance, if four of us do a five-day-four-night expedition, we take a turn to cook one dinner for the group. On our recent three-day trip on the Orange River, with six families on the trip, three families were responsible for each dinner, with one family doing the main meal, one family doing a salad and the third presenting a worthy dessert.

When you do a true wilderness trip, on a section of river that is not frequented by many paddlers, you can bargain on using drift wood to make a fire for cooking. If you cook on a fire, always keep safety in mind and make sure to extinguish it properly. The last thing you want to do is to cause a veld fire. For most trips though, it is best to take a small camping stove along for cooking, even if it is just as a backup.

Dealing with drinking water On a multiday trip, it is essential to ensure that you have enough drinking water for the group for the whole period. On short trips (two to three days), you can take along fresh water in containers. It does add quite a bit of weight, but if there are no big rapids to portage, it is a viable option. On longer trips, a filter system is definitely recommended. I prefer gravity filters as they are so convenient.

Pump filters have stood the test of time, so you can’t go wrong with these either, especially if you do not need to prepare clean water for a big group.

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How to deal with poop

The first prize is to not leave anything behind. In larger groups, it is always best to take along a simple porta-potty system (a seat, a 25l bucket with a well-sealing lid and chemical additive). Put it at a secluded spot a discreet distance from camp, and use some sort of signal to show when it is in use.

For instance, place a paddle across the path before you make yourself comfortable.

Small groups can relieve themselves in the bush, especially if the trip is on a section that is not frequented often. Walk a good distance away from the water and from the camp. Then, find a spot that is not directly on a path used by humans or animals. Next, decide whether you should dig a hole or not. While digging a hole is best in most cases, if you are in a very dry and hot environment, and if you are certain that there is no human activity in the area, you could just leave your poop on the surface to dry out like animal dung.

Regarding toilet paper - don’t leave it where you use it. Don’t bury it either, because wind or animals could expose it. Burn toilet paper if you are able to safely do so without causing a veld fire. Otherwise, put it in a sealed bag and take it home for disposal. Instead of toilet paper, you can use leaves and bury them with your poop. Tip of the day: some

leaves have an after-burn effect; use leaves with caution.

Logistics There are many ways to skin this cat. Sometimes it is easiest to take a shuttle driver along, especially if you have a small group with one vehicle.

Make sure your shuttle driver will have a good time while you’re escaping from real life on the water (book them in for a spa).

I prefer to use local people whenever possible. If the takeout is in a safe and secure area, for instance on a farm or at a commercial campsite, I drive to the put-in and off-load all the boats and gear. A driver from each vehicle then drives their vehicle to the take-out.

Beforehand, I arrange a local person to meet us at the takeout and to transport us back to the put-in for the start of the journey. By arranging it this way, I don’t need to coordinate with a shuttle driver to meet us at the end at a specific time or day, as my vehicle is patiently waiting for me there.

Other options If it sounds too intimidating to organise your own trip but you are a competent paddler, or even better, part of a group of competent paddlers, hire a guide who is familiar with the river. This reduces a lot of pressure and prevents secondguessing when you’re on the water.

Alternatively, join a commercial trip!

There are a number of experienced commercial operators who offer guided, multiday trips on a number of rivers. This is a safe and relaxing way to get yourself acquainted with the glory of multiday trips.

For their simplicity, multiday trips offer an experience like no other.

Spend each day paddling, enjoy the peace of a water-side camp and disconnect from technology to connect with friends and family in your group.

CELLIERS KRUGER

Vagabond Kayaks is a new South African kayak company that is built on decades of experience and pedigree. We design and manufacture top-quality, plas�c, high-performance recrea�onal, angling and whitewater kayaks.

Our launch line-up includes a children's kayak, a tandem and four single recrea�onal sit-on-tops that are also available in angler versions.

For beginner and experienced whitewater kayakers, we have a sit-on-top whitewater kayak as well as two sit-in whitewater creekboats with lightweight, composite ou�i�ng. Our sit-on-top sur�ayak will revamp your beach holidays.

The revolu�onary, super-stable Mokolo wraps up our range.

Whether you paddle for fun, fitness or sport, your Vagabond kayak will take you anywhere.

DESIGNED BY CELLIERS KRUGER Award-winning kayak designer

vagabondkayaks.com

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The quest for plastic superiority

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Vagabond Kayaks founder and mechanical engineer Celliers Kruger offers a tutorial on the advantages of the different plastic processes and explains why Vagabond has chosen to combine foaming agents and polyethylene on their quest to find the perfect balance between durability, stiffness, and weight.

Materials used to manufacture kayaks have come a long way since the days of sealskin on driftwood frames. While there are still new kayak designs based on the concept of skin on a frame, albeit, with modern materials, the vast majority of kayaks today are made from composite materials or plastic.

Composite materials have the upper hand when it comes to stiffness and weight, but there is no doubt that plastic, in general, is the more

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durable and also more affordable option.

Plastic kayaks are made by three different processes, each with different advantages and disadvantages. Blow moulding (used

by Prijon and a few others) is a process that has stood the test of time. Blow-moulded kayaks can be made of polymers like HTP, a very stiff and durable polyethylene.

The downside is that the moulds are prohibitively expensive. The nature of the process also results in limitations on the shapes and features possible to mould.

Thermoforming, on the other hand, utilizes a variety of different thermoplastics, such as ABS, to create stiff and durable kayaks.

Delta, Native and a few other kayak companies use this process. The technology and materials come at a price though (literally), and it also means that where the two halves of the kayak join there is always an actual “split-line.�

The majority of plastic kayaks are made using the process of rotational

moulding, or rotomoulding as it is commonly called. The advantages of rotomoulding are numerous.

It is possible to mould complex shapes, the aluminum moulds are relatively inexpensive (compared to other plastic processes), and the material is affordable. The main disadvantage of rotomoulding is that very few types of polymers can be successfully used. The polymer that is the mainstay of kayak manufacturing is LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene).

LLDPE is a tough and durable material; qualities that resonate well with kayakers. It is quite flexible though, which explains why rotomoulded kayaks tend to be on the heavy side. Wall thicknesses have to be beefed up to create sufficient stiffness. The holy grail for rotomoulded plastic kayak manufacturers is to find the right balance between durability, stiffness, and weight.

The most interesting development in this regard is the use of foaming agents to create a double or triplelayer kayak shell that combines the

durability of PE with the stiffness and weight saving of a foam layer.

In this process, the first step is to rotomould a solid LLDPE skin. The application of LLDPE determines the thickness of the skin.

surface finish on the inside of the boat is just as important as that on the outside.

Rotomoulders with good process control can mould a thicker skin where high wear is expected, with a thinner skin where the focus is mostly just on dimensional stability.

The second step is to rotomould a second layer of LLDPE that has a foaming agent mixed into it. Once the layer has been moulded, the foaming agent is activated. The resultant expansion of the foaming agent creates a foamed LLDPE layer that is highly rigid and also buoyant.

It is a difficult process to master, but, if done correctly, the foamed PE has a closed-cell structure, and it is perfectly bonded to the solid LLDPE skin.

Most rotomoulding companies stay away from this foam system as it is notoriously difficult to achieve consistent results with the process. Those who do, use it for different purposes. Some use it to create lighter kayaks at the expense of long-term durability by making the outside solid PE skin relatively thin and using the foam to create the bulk of the rigidity.

Other companies use the foam layer to create kayaks that weigh the same as standard kayaks, but with the added advantage of much higher stiffness. The added stiffness increases performance on the water, reduces oil canning, and creates extra buoyancy that makes the kayak virtually unsinkable even if it fills with water.

Sometimes a third layer of solid LLDPE is rotomoulded to sandwich the foam layer, creating a perfectly smooth inside surface. This is often used in open canoes where the

The only disadvantage of the foam system is that it does not handle point-loaded high impact very well. For this reason, the foam system is not appropriate for use in

whitewater kayaks where impact of this sort is part of the game.

Because of the difficulty in getting consistent results with the foam system, many companies that use the technology only offer it is as an extra, for which there is an additional charge. At Vagabond Kayaks, launched at PADDLEexpo 2018 in Nuremburg, Germany, we have chosen to make foam technology the standard on all of our sit-on-top kayaks, from those designed for small kids to doubleseater family sit-on-tops.

Committing to the application of foam LLDPE technology enables Vagabond to achieve one of their goals: offer kayaks of high quality to a market currently inundated by cheaply produced kayaks. As to the why? We are in this for the long run, and we want our customers to enjoy not only our innovative designs but also the extended lifespan of our kayaks.

CELLIERS KRUGER

THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 61

Selection fever hits canoe polo

The 2nd selection camp for the 2019 National Canoe Polo teams took place in Pietermaritzburg, KZN over the weekend of the 2627 January. The first day’s training was held at a small dam outside Bishopstowe. The weather did not play its part and the super slippery and muddy conditions of the roads into the dam made for some interesting events off the water!

Once the players were on the water, a number of drills and games were played till late in the afternoon. The squad that took part was mostly u19 players so lots of game time was planned to give the players some good experience. The

skills learnt in playing reffed games are extremely important! The games also allow the coaching staff to watch how the players perform in different scenarios as, this being a selection camp, is what these events are for!

The next days training was moved to the ever popular UKZN PMB pool, the home of KZN canoe polo. Once again, the day was spent playing games with some small drills.

The entire squad was mixed up so each team had a good mixture of men and women across all the agegroups.

The selection focus for the next season now ramps up with an

u19 camp on 2-3 Feb in Knsyna, followed by the final snr & u21 camp, also in Knysna on 23-24 Feb. After that it is SA Champs at Shongweni, KZN on the weekend of 9-10 March. The provisional national teams will be announced there as well as the national champions for 2019 crowned. After the huge 2018 event, the organisers are expecting another bumper event with over 100 players expected to descend on Songweni!

If canoe polo sounds like your thing and you want to give it a try, contact your local club to find out where and when they train!

DON WEWEGE

To find out more about canoe polo in your area, chat to these guys!

Gauteng and North West Chris de Bree 079 659 5068 Western Cape (CT Area) Don Wewege 072 299 6233 64 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

Western Cape (Garden Route) Nelson Das Fontes 072 277 7664 KwaZulu-Natal Clive Whitton 082 873 5544

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Adventure Racing Paddle Leg

IMAGE www.arworldseries.com 66 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

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Paddling is a primary discipline in the sport of adventure racing Paddling is as much a recreational activity and fitness sport as a competitive discipline, but in the sport of adventure racing it has not achieved the priority of the land-based activities of trail running and mountain biking.Yet paddling is one of the four key disciplines (map-and-compass navigation being the fourth) and it is integral to this multi-discipline sport.

When it comes to paddling, the range of kayaks available is extensive and the type of kayak that features in a race depends on the event’s location, duration and time of year.

Teams may find themselves on dams, lakes, rivers (flatwater or whitewater), seas and canals; and they may have to paddle racing kayaks, sea kayaks, surfskis, plastic sit-on-tops, dug-out canoes, bamboo rafts, traditional boats and inflatable rafts (two-man or bigger). An event could include more than one type of paddling setup. For a discipline that is very neglected in training, a significant amount of time could be spent on the water and hours may be gained or lost in the race.

Nicholas Mulder, founder and navigator of one of South Africa’s most successful teams - Team Cyanosis - says, “It is important to be an all-rounder in your paddling skills for adventure racing. Races can throw anything at you and courses can incorporate any flatwater, river or ocean paddling.You need to be comfortable in as many different situations as possible”.

Paddling takes a bit of effort Compared to running, which you can do from your doorstep, paddling is like making pasta from scratch. Until you’re kitted with a PFD, paddle and kayak (or have a friend with a boat), and you have a watery location to paddle from, it is an activity that takes some effort.

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It definitely helps to live within a reasonable distance from a dam, a river, lagoon or the sea.You then need to be able to transport the boat on roof racks or to store it at a kayak club for easy access. Once these are sorted, paddling becomes as convenient and accessible as going mountain biking.

Get a coach

Even if you’re heading to a coastal race with +40km of sea kayaking, paddling laps on Emmarentia Dam in Jo’burg is good training for paddling fitness and endurance. A trip to the coast - with an experienced seakayaker - will polish your preparations.

To get ready for a race, begin paddling months (or at least weeks) in advance by paddling an appropriate kayak, like a sit-on-top that offers both stability and speed.

Your initial learning curve will have a gentle gradient and you can focus on good form and building strength in your back and shoulders. There is absolutely no need to train in a fibreglass racing K1 if you will be paddling a plastic, double sit-on-top at the race. Some new sit-on-top designs offer stability and speed with feature-rich offerings so that your training is effective and not a slog.

While a person can paddle with poor form, paddling is - like golf and tennis - a technical discipline where you benefit greatly from instruction by a coach. Learning a correct and efficient technique from the start, in a boat that is suited to your skill level, is essential. Paddling a boat that is above your ability will only cultivate poor technique and posture that will be hard to correct later.

In adventure racing, the paddling style and cadence is different to that of say a K1 sprinter. A coach will be able to guide you to developing the most efficient style that will enable you to paddle for hours (and hours and hours).

“Although improving your long-distance

paddling endurance is always the goal, you need to have confidence in a widerange of paddling environments,” says Mulder. “You never know when you might need to shoot some grade 3/4 rapids or bring your kayak in through 6’ surf.That said, I’ve experienced some hectic ‘flatwater’ sections that saw us paddling through thick mist at 2am with a strong cold front bringing every wave over the deck of our kayaks.”

To borrow or buy

Kayaks can be rented from kayak clubs or borrowed from friends.

This gives you the opportunity to try many different types of kayaks.

Demo Days presented by a kayak store allow you to try a number of kayaks in one sitting, together with advice on the right type of kayak to consider for your preferred activities. Buying your own kayak is the next step.

What you do need to buy is your own paddle and PFD (personal flotation device aka ‘lifejacket’) as these are personal items, like running shoes and a backpack.

Roof racks are also a necessity so that transporting the boat is not a limitation.You may need to transport your kayak to races and to take it on holiday with you.

Get on the water

Designate at least one session a week to paddling; two would be better. The point of regular paddling is to develop technique (use your back, not your arms!), upper body strength and water awareness.

Time trials hosted by kayak clubs on dams or lagoons around South Africa are open to everyone. Start by paddling part of the distance until you have built-up your endurance to complete the full distance.

These sessions are social and well attended, especially in summer.

Canoe polo is a paddling discipline that is currently enjoying a growing interest and participation. Based from a number of paddling clubs, this fun kayak game hones paddling skills in an environment that is

social, supportive and encouraging.

Kayak triathlons are, sadly, few-andfar between, but they are brilliant fun if you can catch one.

BYOB - or not?

Some adventure races, like those presented by Kinetic Events, provide teams with double kayaks and paddles. Others, like the fiveevent A1 Adventure Racing Series, allow you to Bring Your Own Boat (BYOB). BYOB events may specify a length:width ratio, a kayak type or a maximum length to which kayaks must comply. The benefit of BYOB

is that if a team puts effort into paddling, improves their skills and is able to paddle kayaks at the top of the specifications, they will paddle faster and thus gain time on their competitors.

For a country with great weather, nine-months of summer (at least!), a massive coastline, hundreds of dams (even in cities) and accessible rivers that are suitable for nontechnical paddling, this discipline has been neglected by adventure racers for too long.Purchase your own kayak and makeuse of accessible

waterways and events, to increase your opportunities to effortlessly incorporate paddling into a multidiscipline training schedule.

Kinetic Events: kineticgear.co.za A1 Adventure Racing Series 2019: facebook.com/adventureracingZA

lisa de speville

THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 69

Growing the Paddling Community We had the opportuntiy to catch up with Kim Van Gysen and Nikki Mocke over their thoughts on how to better grow the sport, in particular amoungst women.

We all love what we do and the opportunity our sport presents us.

I don’t think any paddler that you chat to will deny hoping that it will grow as a sport. Women and moms 70 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

tackle challenges when it comes to participating, So we were really keen to have a conversation with Nikki and Kim, who manage to not only be moms and wives, but also be top athletes.

Most of us like to have reasonable expectations... knowing the distance to be covered, the level of experience needed, what kit is needed, and will there be others at the same skill level.

top piece of advice

COMMUNITY

The golden Rule is “Don’t Stop’!

Keep on keeping on... keeping your mind an body in sync. The hardest steps to getting out and enjoying our sport is that first step out the door.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

We all need to feel part of something and be involved in something a little bigger than just ourselves. That certainly can be the paddling family. That does mean that we all need to step up to the plate.. to be welcoming and supportive. To encourage others. Having open days, family picnics, even the possibility of

IMAGE Cape Town Sports Photography child care and play spaces at races might well help moms feel free to take part too.

the Lifesaving clubs, through to the developments programmes at clubs like Peninsula.

development

challenges & Solutions

Combining membership and development programmes with clinics for women or women’s days would be great to see happening.

Surfski School also provides a great entry point for the sport, with the opportunity for some camaraderie and ‘gees’.

Children’s craft have also come a long way, and the opportunity does exist to get our children involved through programmes like nippers at

Being involved in any sport is not a cheap exercise, and especially if you are a family. Events are not particularly cheap, particularly if you start to include petrol.

Having things happen at club / local level is great. Things like Seadog, the Tuesday Houtbay races etc make things easy, and should be a fabulous space to start for families.

We need to build the base: include

recreational stuff like tripping where families are encouraged to come and be a part of the fun of being outside in our beautiful country.

This is obviously a topic that really does need addressing. So take the bull by the horns, challenge your club, your friends, other moms, your kiddies to get out there and have some fun together as a community in action.

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Get a grip...

IMAGE Ken Findlay Photographics 72 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

A tight grip is not necessary in a paddling action, because power should come from your torso and legs, with your hands and arms guiding the blades in their exact trajectories.

Hold the paddle shaft as lightly as possible, even when delivering maximum power. Hold it just tight enough to complete a stroke, varying this at the relevant times in the stroking cycle. The control wrist makes the rotation, while the feathering wrist remains straight, with the shaft rotating freely in this hand.

The diameter of the shaft and grip should be such that your thumb just overlaps your index finger. Too thick a grip makes it difficult to hold, increasing stress in the muscles in your hand and forearm.

When fitting a taped grip, wind the spirals away from the blades to prevent the ridges digging into the palm of your hand.You can fit half the length of a rubber cricket bat grip, which is easy to get over the shaft connector by rolling it up and down the shafts.

Determining the positioning

Opening and closing a hand

Position your hands equidistant from the blades.

Determine the reference point by holding the paddle horizontally above your head, with your forearms at marginally less than 90 degrees to the shaft, perhaps three to four centimetres in.

Only tighten your hold when a blade is in the water. Pull the shaft with all your fingers, not just your index and middle finger to promote a balanced hold, increasing the potential for power and avoiding stress in your wrist.

Your hands can slide up and down the shaft, requiring continual correction. If not using a grip, wind marker tape on the shaft to indicate the precise positioning.

Open your pushing hand as it moves forward through the air in recovery, relaxing your fingers. Opening and closing improves blood circulation, flexes the joints, relieving the pressure on your nerves. There is no need to fully straighten and point your fingers in an exaggerated action. Keep your wrist straight, in line with your forearm; otherwise you risk straining the joint.

Holding with a finger tight grip A finger tight hold promotes a catch far forward and pulling a blade in a precise trajectory.You should be conscious of the differences in grip as you advance through a stroking cycle. A firmer grip is necessary only for short periods with the extra power needed for acceleration and when traversing rough water. The control hand can be marginally tighter than the feathering hand.

A tight hold can be the result of an excessive paddle length, forcing you to produce power through increased muscle tension. Holding a shaft tightly means that you are also unnecessarily tensioning other muscles in your powertrain.

Fitting a grip The shaft can slip and turn in your hand if the grip is too thin.You can fit a grip to address this, perhaps only on the hand doing the control work. Some paddlers apply candle wax on the shaft for a firm hold. It does not last long, however, and is messy.

Incurring numbness Pushing a paddle shaft excessively into the joint between your index finger and thumb can cause numbness. The first sign of holding a paddle too tightly is the extremities of your fingers feeling tingly. Any numbness building up over time, particularly your thumb, index and middle finger is a sure sign of gripping the shaft too tightly, affecting the medial nerve in your forearm.

If numbness becomes a concern, explore alternative stroking dynamics. In a recovery action, this might mean pushing the shaft more with the palm of your hand instead of into the joint. Any numbness not immediately relieved by shaking out a hand could be an indication that the condition is more serious, needing a medical intervention.

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The Berg Heads Up

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So you have been thinking about doing the toughest kayak ultra-marathon in the world!

The Berg River marathon is on from the 3-6 July 2019 so you like us better get training! The organisers have stuck to their guns and kept it a team event so the first thing you need to do is find a partner. Singles are still welcome and you will enjoy the vibe but the results and prize money will be focused on the teams. Find a team mate soon so that you can plan together, train together so that you will be in good form to make the most out of the race.

what you’re in for One of the most off putting things about four day races is the expense of B&B accommodation. The next is how to find someone silly enough to follow you down the river for four days.

Luckily the race organisers agree with you so they have made a plan so that you can do it on the cheap. There are loads of really nice B&B’s on the way down the river that would love to take your hard earned cash, many of which are listed on the race website. But if you don’t have a second to drive your car and you are prepared to rough it with the guys that have been doing it for years then the race organisers lay on accommodation right next to the river. So book cheap accommodation and all your meals on line so that you only need to travel with beer and snacks money.

There is also a truck to transport your kit from one overnight stop to the other which can be booked. There is electricity at all the accommodation in order to charge your cell phone and Garmin.

Day 1 In the only slight hiccup is that you finish at Zonquasdrift and need a lift to Riebeek Kasteel.

So make a plan with a mate that is paddling it or just jump in with any one of the many people heading that way at the end of the race. We stay at the Riebeek Kasteel school hostel in dorms of 8 – 10 beds. Snacks and drinks are available in the afternoon and supper and breakfast can be booked on line or paid for on the day. Plus you are in town so you can get anything else you need within a stroll up the road.

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Traditionally we start at Zonquasdrift and paddle 46km to Bridgetown. But we may have to start at Gouda Bridge due to the water hyacinth problems of late. So ask the same people who gave you a lift in to town to take you to the start again.

Bridgetown is great, the bungalows are right on the water’s edge. So you can finish, have a hot shower and jump on to your bed and snooze all within 100m of the finish.

Beers and snacks are on sale. Again supper and breakfast can be booked online and it is recommended that you do so.

Day 3 This is the tough day of 75km.

You paddle from Bridgetown to Zoutkloof. Here we all get to sleep in a huge barn. This is the night that you will need your own mattress.

The farmer very kindly puts hessian down on the barn floor but you will need something more substantial between you and the floor if you are going to get a good night rest.

Foam mattresses work best because

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while the inflatable mattresses are easiest to transport - you don’t really want to be blowing up your mattress after 75km of paddling. The Potjie around the fire with fellow paddlers is a wonderful experience.

Supper and breakfast can be prebooked again.

Day 4 57km and you are done! So where you spend that night is entirely up to you. We suggest that you book in to accommodation that is very close to Velddrif that night as prize giving starts late in the afternoon and you will probably not want to drive home in that state.

Time to get training At this point paddlers are just trying to get their mileage up after the Christmas break. If you are not already training for the Dusi then a basic guideline would be to try and do three time trial distances in the week and a long paddle of 15 – 20km over the weekend.

Please bear in mind that although it is a team event, The Berg River

Marathon is a K1 event. K2’s are not allowed for all the upcountry folk who may be thinking team event = K2!

Thinking about a new K1 for the Berg.

There are only small rapids and weirs along the Berg River so there is no need for a big water boat.

But having said that, unless you are being seconded you will need to carry all your juice with you from the start of each day, (at least 3L for day three).You may also find it useful to pick a boat that you can stretch out in. It is one thing to be in a nice racing position for 30km, but after 50km your knees and hips will not be thanking you. Mostly it is about being comfortable in your boat for such a long time; so work on relieving your dead-leg syndrome now.

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When last did you paddle on the Orange River?

We have a feeling that 2019 should be your year. The Orange Decent is 82 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

this amazing two day journey down you guessed it – the Orange River.

Starting just outside Upington and paddling a stunning 69km towards the roaring Augrabies Falls it is a breathtakingly beautiful route.

Thankfully the race stops about 20km short of the actual falls themselves so there is more than enough time to jump out after the

finish of the race. Here are just some of the iconic things that you will get to do:

• Race on the longest and biggest rivers in South Africa. It is about 2200km long from the Drakensburg to Alexander Bay. • Paddle through the southern part Kgalagadi Desert and see the

contrasting vegetation.

• Paddle with wonderful people who make this expedition every year.

• Hear the roar of the falls as you enjoy sun downers at the Augrabies Falls.

The race is set for the 20 - 21 April which is just perfect as it smack bang in the middle of the Easter Weekend. With Friday and Monday being public holidays one can have a four day adventure without taking a day off work! The mornings will be cool but by midday it will be warm enough to really appreciate the cold beer or glass of wine.

The race organisers have even arranged to have a mobile race village set up so that you can stay in decent sized tents right next to the river. Plus for a little bit more one can pay to have your car driven to each of the finishers. So there is no need for seconds except that your better half is not going to thank you for leaving them behind this time. There are loads of really great wine estates to be visited, Karoo

hospitality to be enjoyed and kayak hire outfits for those that want to paddle the Organge but are perhaps not that keen on racing or covering those kinds of distances.

For the non-paddlers wanting a challenge right on the river trying to catch either the smallmouth and bigmouth yellowfish. It is a great way to pass the time.

Day 1: 30km After the start and this odd little paddle upstream, paddlers get to settle in to some great river conditions and fun rapids such as Eerste, Rasswater, Oukamp and Kanoneiland Weir. In between the rapids paddlers will have the opportunity to glance around and marvel at the contract between the vegetation growing near the water and the stark desert biome.

Day 2: 39km This simply has to be paddled for two WOW factors that are almost unique to this race. There are no less than 5 weirs that have to be negotiated and a wonderfully long wavetrain to be enjoyed but it is

the two unique factors that make this race a must on the calendar.

The first one that you will come across in the race is the canal.

For those that have been to the Fish you would have noticed small canals / Lywater (Afrikaans) that feed water to the farm plots. But this one is massive. It is so big we paddle down it for 1.6km. It is feels like you are paddling down stairs with the flat sections followed by little weirs repeated again and again.

It is weird and wonderful and we stand corrected but it is completely unique to this race.

The next irreplaceable experience happens soon afterwards as one enters the ‘Neus Gorge’. As you paddle through the gorge one is surrounded by towing cliffs of black rock that drop almost straight in to the water. It is an experience best seen rather than described. We are sure that as you paddle the last few kilometres of the race you will be grateful that you made the time to be there.

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JCC 2 Day Klip January 2019 IMAGES iSLE of TAM

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Cape Point Challenge December 2018

IMAGES Ken Findlay Photographics

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Cape Point Challenge December 2018

IMAGES Grant Thiel IMAGES Ken Findlay Photographics

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PE2EL December 2018 IMAGES Photo King

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IMAGE Romy Parker

Let’s Race Events , events & more events

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EASTERN CAPE DATE FEBRUARY FRI 1 SAT 2 - SUN 3 FRI 8 FRI 15 FRI 22 SAT 23 SUN 24 MARCH FRI 1 SAT 2 THU 21 SAT 23 MON 25 WED 27 APRIL SAT 13 SUN 14 SAT 13 SAT 20 SUN 21 MAY SAT 11 SUN 19

RACE Border Summer Series Canoe Polo Border Summer Series Border Summer Series Border Summer Series Canoe Polo

Border Summer Series Little Fish SA Schools Sprints SA Sprints Cup 1 Selection

secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za

Knysna secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za

Knysna

secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za

BWCC Buffalo River, East London, 500m, LD, 200m, 100m Buffalo River, East London

FRCC

Clipperty Challenge Pam Golding King of the Kromme Plettenberg Buco Race

secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za

Gougamma Race Chalumna Challenge

DATE

SUN 5

CONTACT

Brak Challenge

GAUTENG FEBRUARY SAT 2 / SUN 3 TUE 5 SAT 10 SUN 24 MARCH SAT 2 SUN 10 APRIL SUN 14 SAT 27 SUN 28 MAY SAT 4

DETAILS

RACE

SPFC Plett CC Knysna CC East London

secretary@bordercanoeclub.co.za

DETAILS

CONTACT

LCC Elands Memorial Elands River VLC Nite Race Victoria Lake, Germiston Schools League Sprints Race 2 K2 Marathon

Herman Vogel 076 092 2566 Theresa Welsh 082 330 0214 Theresa Welsh 082 330 0214 Mike Roy 083 274 6643

High Altitude Surf Ski Champs K1 Marathon

Dabulamanzi Canoe Club

info@dabulamanzi.co.za JCC

Florida & Schools League K1 Marathon K2 Marathon

Race 6, FLC

BASF Watuni Klip Novice Race Sprints

Scout Hall to Caravan Park, 16km Roodeplaat

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JCC JCC

E WAT

DATE SUN 12 SAT 18 SUN 19 SUN 26

RACE

DETAILS

Likkewaan Vaal K1 Marathon K2 Marathon VLC Flat & Schools Race

CONTACT JCC JCC

K W A - Z U L U N ATA L DATE FEBRUARY FRI 1 SAT 2 SUN 3 FRI 8 SAT 9

SAT 9 SUN 10 SUN 10 TUE 12 WED 13 THU 14 SAT 16 FRI 22 SUN 24 MARCH FRI 1 FRI 1 FRI 8 SAT 9 SUN 10 SUN 10 FRI 15 SAT 16 SUN 17 SAT 30 SUN 31 APRIL SUN 28 MAY SUN 5 SUN 12 SAT 11 SUN 12

RACE Marine Surfski Series 4 Capitol Caterer’s Schools Sprints Inanda Dam to Durban Marine Surfski Series 5 Capitol Caterer’s Kayak Centre Interschools K1 Sprints KNCU Sprint Championships Dusi Open Day Marine Surfski Series 6 Dusi Expo and Registration Dusi Canoe Marathon Marine Surfski Series 7 Nyala Pans to St Elmo’s Non-Stop Dusi Marine Surfski Series 8 Marine Surfski Series 9 SA Canoe Polo Championships Hella- Hella to Josephines Bridge Marine Surfski Series 10 Umkomaas Marathon Tugela Marathon

DETAILS

CONTACT

Camps Drift, 10km

KNCU Schools

Water release dependent, 35km

secretary@kingfishercc.co.za

Shongweni Dam

KNCU Schools

Shongweni Dam info@dusi.co.za

Camps Drift to Blue Lagoon, 120km Umkomaas, 25km

nfo@dusi.co.za Mary Millward 033 342 1528

admin@umz.co.za

Camps Drift to Blue Lagoom, Mary Millward 033 342 1528 120km

Shongweni Dam Umkomaas, 32km

secretary@kingfishercc.co.za

67km

secretary@kingfishercc.co.za

Middlesdrift to another Big Fig, 75km

info@crusaderscc.co.za

Durban Surfski Race Winter Surfski Series 1 Winter Surfski Series 2 Durban International Canoe Polo Festival

Shongweni Dam

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DATE SAT 18 SUN 19 SUN 19 SUN 26

RACE

DETAILS

KZN Marathon Champs

CONTACT

Camps Drift

Winter Surfski Series 3 Winter Surfski Series 5

WESTERN CAPE DATE FEBRUARY SAT 2 SAT 9 SAT 16 SUN 17 SAT 23 MARCH SAT 2 SAT 16 SUN 17 THU 21 APRIL SAT 6 SAT 13 SAT 20 SUN 21 SAT 27 MAY SAT 4 SAT 11 SAT 18 SUN 19 WED 22 SAT 25

RACE

DETAILS

WCCU Junior Sprint Series 1 West Coast Canoe Challenge Junior Sprint Series 3 Surfski Doubles Series 2 WCCU Junior Sprint Series 4

Tygerberg Velddrift, 10am Peninsula Canoe Club Milnerton Paarl

Stanford Festival WCCU Sprint Champs Surfski Doubles Series 3 Nekkies to Alfies

Stanford Peninsula Canoe Club Milnerton Breede River, 10am

There and Back Surfski Challenge Paarl - Le Bac Orange River Descent

Fishhoek Berg River, 9am Uppington

Freedom Paddle / SA Champs

Oceana Club

Marina Da Gama K1 Paarl to Lady Loch WCCU Marathon Champs

Peninsula Canoe Club Novice K1, Paarl

10km K1 Paarl to Skootjie K1

Milnerton Paarl

CONTACT

Dawid Mocke

Robin Tindall

I N T E R N AT I O N A L DATE MAY 23 - 26 MAY 26 MAY 31 - JUN 2 MAY 31 - JUN 2 JUL 25 - 28 JUN 29 - 30 AUG 1 - 4 AUG 3 96 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA

RACE ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup Molokai Ski Race ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup ICF Canoe Marathon World Cup ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships

Mauritius Surfski Race Junior & u23 Sprint Championships Sella Descent

DETAILS Poland Hawaii Germany Norway Romania Mauritius Pitesti, Romania Spain

DATE AUG 21 - 25 SEP 9 - 15 OCT 15-16 OCT 17-20 OCT 23 - 24

RACE ICF Canoe Sprint World & Paracanoe Championships ICF Ocean Racing World Championships ICF Canoe Marathon Masters Championships ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships Perth Doctor World Cup

DETAILS Szeged, Hungary St Pierre de Queberon Shaoxing, China Shaoxing, China Perth, Australia

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View from the back of the boat Last year we set the challenge to both you our reader and ourselves to attend as many coaching sessions as possible.

Well we loved it as we bumbled our way through four coaching sessions.Various coaches picked up on different aspects from dramatically improving my river skills, to changing the way I hold my paddle to training and gym sessions. All of which I would say was money well spent.

Yes, even as the paddle mag I have paid exactly the same as everyone else to be on the various courses. But it is a new year and we think that it is time for a new challenge.

This year’s challenge is to try and attend as many events as you can in your neck of the woods. If there are sprints in your area – go down and participate. Even if you come last it is all over in 1000m max and in the end at least you would have tried it. When the marathon trials come around put your hand up for either K1 or K2. Unless you are super human you will not survive doing both events. If you are a river paddler then at least enter 2 new races this year. I have been challenged to do the Berg River Marathon which is a truly daunting prospect. I have paddled on the Berg River twice and both times I froze, so this year is going to be a crash course in getting to know the Berg.

There are lots of out of town races also on our calendar for this year that could really do with your support. The Orange

Decent is coming up during the Easter weekend. There is the Liebenbergvlei race at the end of August and the Fish at the end of September this year. All of which put on a great race and go out of their way to make the whole weekend a festive experience.

But don’t just get caught up in the racing scene there are lots of wonderful activities out there. Try your hand at kayak fishing or take the family down the river on a croc. If you are not sure what to do then read the article on multiday trips or if that sounds too daunting first the first time hook up with one of the tour companies that offer guided trips down our rivers. We live in a beautiful part of the world so get out there and make the most of it! I have also been invited to join some friends on a 3 day kayak trip down the Orange River that I am really looking forward to. It will be a completely new experience for me and I am hoping that I can resist the temptation to paddle hard.

But wherever you are this year get up and get going. Travel with club mates to share petrol. Try and make a weekend of it if time allows; spend Saturday with the family exploring the area and then race on Sunday. But whatever you do make a plan or this time next year you will be thinking – I wish I had…

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IMAGE Photo King