The first river race on record in South Africa was that of the Vaal in 1939, and this weekend saw Dabs and JCC host the 75th edition of this historic marathon. It may not have been the largest field ever, especially given that it was the SA K2 Champs, but it was quite possibly one of the best events ever. The weather was wonderful, the water was good, and the organization was outstanding.
Thank you to ADG, (Accelera Digital Group who empower businesses through digital transformation) and Gregg Mandy for the generous sponsorship, which went to the organization, prize money, great goody bags, t-shirts and food and drinks at the end of each day. Not happy to give hungry paddlers and seconds just a boerie roll on the Sunday this was then followed up by a lovely lunch at prizegiving. The winners of the many different categories were recognized and rewarded, then there were thank you gifts for the workers, then there were lucky draws, and then there were more goody bag for the helpers and even the seconds. Everyone scored, and given that the entry fee was cheap, this the undoubtably the best value race of the year. Well done to all who put this together.
The race was won by Clint and Wayne, but not without some war stories. Msawe & Sandile from KZN crossed the line first, but they had help from a boat that had started earlier and had then waited to pull them, so they got a 3 minute time penalty which pushed them to third, behind Bongani & Sisieko. Piers & Jaques did really well to finish fourth. They showed their river knowledge on day one when were the first boat to get to Visgat. Siskeo & Bongani led about 8 boats into a dead-end before the chute, so they all had to portage over the rocks, leaving Piers & Jacques to go through the chute first and take a lead of half a kilometer, meaning the rest of the top crews then had to burn lots of matches playing catch up. Well done to KZN scholars Keegan Vogt & James Gotte who were 6th over all; fantastic given that they are U16’s. The Mixed Doubles were won by Wonga and Helen, while the Ladies race was won by Sarah and Jess, with Jess doing her first ever river race. Well done girls. Jess was one of 26 Vaal Virgins, we hope the bug has bitten, and that they will all be back. And then the other winner was the U16 Scarcie, Sicelo Blaai, who won the K2 sponsored by Canoe Concepts – what a fantastic incentive, what a great prize for the young man.
Further down the field, Willie got a sore bum and with this Tex had to be subbed-in, so that Boet could finish yet another Vaal, although he ended up as a DNF. Unfortunately Mr. O’Connor isn’t a good record keeper, and we can only guess that he has done somewhere between 30 and 40 Vaal’s. Well done Boet. (Niels Verkerk had done 34 when he passed back in 2008. He was just 49, so had he still been with us he may have made the 50 milestone.) Well done also to Barry Hawke for finishing inside the top half, and for not leaving a boat or paddle in the river; but he did pick a proper partner in die main-ou, Ryno.
In other paddling news, the 2024 ICF SUP World Championships were held in Sarasota, America over the last week. South Africa had a small team of just 3 and unfortunately for their boss, Anja Burger, she had to manage them virtually from home. Cameron Tripney brought home a bronze medal in the Open Men Sprints while Tarryn King raced into 7th in the Open Women Sprints.
Then, while most normal people went to work on Monday morning, six tough men set out to sea at 04:00 to paddle the Harbour to Harbour: 160km’s from Richards Bay to Durban. Initially in near perfect downwind conditions, some paddled a few kilometers off the coast; Quinton Rutherford stayed out deepest, about 18km from land hoping for a stronger tail wind and Mozambique Current to help him home, but 5km inside of him was Bevan Manson who went fastest. Imagine barely being able to see land, just watching for deep blue swells to put the nose of your boat into – and they call this ‘Heaven’. Bevan did it in 11hours, averaging 14.5kph, the last paddler needed 3 hours more. Barry Lewin was their safety guy, roving on a jet ski. What a way to spend a Monday, assuming you could.
Talking tough surfski guys, Oscar Chalupsky made a guest appearance at Time Trial on Thursday and dragged Andy Leith out for his first paddle of the year. Oscar signed and sold some books before giving us a pep talk. Tex then gave him some of his magic potion which should get him to about 100. Go Big O!
Over the next few weekends there will be some great Umko events. This Sunday is No 8 to Josephine’s – an ideal introductory race. It’s a fun and easy section, perfect for Umko novices to help them build their skills and confidence. If you want, the organisers will hook you up with a seasoned paddler to take you down – call Scott on 084 539 9954.
It’s the 10-in1 on Thursday. Who will be bold enough to line up for this epic event? Can Flem Pup set a new record? Or will he be dethroned? What else might go down? Come to the club and see for yourself. And finally, there’s another Dabs Dash on Saturday morning, entries are open.
Till next time. Go Dabs!