Shooting rapids: Canoeists compete in 30km race
30km white river racing event for paddlers.
A 30km river race was hosted by Florida Lake Canoe Club on Sunday, July 12.
The race ran from Daleside, near the R59 Heidelberg offramp, through Henley-On-Klip and finished in Meyerton.
The race formed part of the canoeists training program and provided new paddlers with the opportunity to gain the experience needed for A grade status in order to do major national events such as the Fish River Marathon or the Dusi.
Due to the low water levels, some of the rapids have become quite shallow and avoiding rocky ledges and other obstacles created some difficult situations for the canoeists. Nevertheless, the paddlers had an exciting time and gained experience and river knowledge along the way.
Grant van der Merwe, an experienced white water river paddler who lives in the Alberton area, partnered with a novice learner, Claire Zulstra. Both are members of the Johannesburg Canoe Club based at Wemmer Pan. The pair finished the 30km race without incident, in a time of 2:27, as the fifth mixed double boat (male and female combination).
