Florida Lake Canoe Club members finish in top 60

Florida Lake Canoe Club members Bertie Baard, Deon Kearns and Jennie Dallas have finished in the top 60 at the Hansa Fish River Marathon.

The 80km two-day white-water river race, consisting of fun rapids, huge wave trains and big white water, took place between the Grassridge Dam and Cradock on 6 and 7 October.

Bertie (64) and Jennie (59) enjoy the river and have competed in 15 and 14 races respectively and consecutively in K2 (double Kayaks), and in recent years have enjoyed giving a novice the opportunity to enjoy the river with experienced partners in a K3 (triple Kayak) suitable for this type of river. Deon, who is from Rustenburg, is a member of the club, but has not been able to get to the rivers and rapids in Meyerton regularly, due to distance. There are very few options for white water rapids training in Gauteng that are clean, unpolluted and safe, and most are a fair distance from one’s residence.

The club members enjoyed a hassle-free 80kms, with two days of 10km training trips prior to the race making up an enjoyable 100km experience on the raging rapids of the river. The trio conpleted the route in a time of eight hours and eight minutes, finishing in 55th place in the K3 category, and 56th place in the Mixed Boat (Male/Female) category. Over 450 boats finished the race, while nearly 50 did not finish due to their canoes being damaged en route.

Introductory canoeing lessons for novices are offered at Florida Lake Canoe Club on Sunday afternoons. Contact Jennie on 082 857 8571 for more information.

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