With lockdown sporting restrictions, numerous canoe racing events were cancelled or postponed; however, with the upcoming Dusi at the end February, training and race points will be vital to river canoeists.
The Dusi is the world’s toughest known canoe endurance marathon and races throughout the country are geared to providing the opportunity to prepare and build stamina and strength leading up to the event.
In Gauteng, the Liebensbergvlei Race at the end of November was followed by the two-day Vaal River Race, a very tough one to build stamina at the beginning of December.
Clubs will also have an opportunity to train at the two-day Klip River Race scheduled for end of January, provided the new level three lockdown restrictions do not result in further cancellations of events.
The Johannesburg Canoe Club (JCC), based at Wemmer Pan, was the first club to be registered and become operational in Gauteng. It is the oldest canoe club on the highveld.
On December 5 and 6, the club hosted its 71st Vaal River Canoe Marathon, which is well recognised as a tough grinding slog of a river race.
The Vaal River is wide, yet shallow with sections that have very little flow, which results in canoes being pushed, unlike white water narrow rivers filled with rapids where the flow pushes paddlers along. Thus paddlers build fitness and stamina by completing the Vaal River two-day, 63km marathon.
The first day of the race on December 5 takes place at the Vaal Dam sluice gates, and there are 8km of rapids including Kloppers, a weir, the Shute, rocky islands to weave between and Visgat, a rocky rapid with a few winding treacherous channels between rocky islands.
After that, it is plain flat hard work and slog, except for Benoude Boude, another S-bend of rocks and rapid, and Goosebay Weir. Thirty-six kilometres later at the Three Rivers Riverfront Estate, the race finished for day one.
Day two started at the Eden Manor (below the Barrage) and finished 34km later at Smiling Thru in Parys.
With the low water levels and the Vaal Dam being just above 30 per cent at that time, no water release was available to ease the journey and the paddlers got stuck on sandbanks, and rocky flat rocks frequently wading in ankle deep water, but since they are likely to be training for the Dusi, the portaging option of carrying the boat was a good training opportunity anyway.
Paul Chappel and Alain Chanu, long time members of the JCC, signed up to work at the event as marshalls, directing and assisting in tricky situations, such as all the paddlers passing through their tricky sections to sweep at the back of the race, and ensure there were no paddlers left behind or limping with damaged boats or any other problems.
The two young junior development paddlers from underprivileged backgrounds who were able to participate in the event, being strong and fit enough to do so safely, exceeded all expectations with podium positions in their junior age groups.
Thabu Selelo crossed the finish line first as the second u-18 in a time of 6:15 minutes over the two days and 70kms later, while Bert Matruje finished as the first u-16 in a time of 6:35 minutes.
