VLC co-hosts fun river racing event

The Maluti Canoe Club in conjunction with the Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC) hosted the Liebensbergvlei river race on November 4.

The K3 friends in the Grand Master age category are Franz Fischer from Bedfordview, Rodney Carpenter from Benoni, and Vincent Buttrick from Boksburg who have been paddling for years and have long mastered the rapids quite successfully and with great joy.

The K3 team finished the 31km race in tenth position in a time of 2:15 minutes as the first Grand Master age category winners.

The river water is pumped from the Lesotho Highlands project into the Ash River near Clarens and flows into the Liebensbergvlei through Bethlehem and the Free State into the Vaal Dam. “It is an exciting stretch of clean fresh water with rolling wave trains, a few shootable weirs and some fun white water. While enjoyable, it is quite challenging for novices in their first months of river racing, said Jennie Dallas, Gauteng’s Canoe Union public relations officer.

Other finishers from the Germiston-based canoe club included Nick Bradley and Anton Nel who were fourth in 2:07. Most of the VLC canoe club paddlers were marshaling and working at the race however, as the race was hosted by the club.