Vast Vaal pleasure-boat armada sails into new era for Emfuleni

A vast pleasure-boat regatta of more than 500 vessels reclaimed in a magnificent weekend marine display the now-accessible Vaal River in Emfuleni as one of the brightest playground jewels in South Africa’s tourism crown.

Of the dreaded sewage-loving aquatic weed that had throttled river navigation, tourism and boating on the Vaal River there was no sign, the clearest indicator of a remarkable watershed – pun intended – local patriotism initiative that is clearly restoring not only the marine economy, but the much-abused River ecosystem itself.

A sense of wonderment, amazement and yes, awe, – all emotions that had come over the years not to be associated with the Vaal River and region, bounded back as the glittering regatta left upriver of the Riviera Hotel, south -bound past Stone Haven and gathering new vessels as it proceeded to Millionaires Bend near Loch Vaal and back.

Saturday dawned as the perfect day for kicking off the boating season and Lady Vaal was to show case the magnificent restorative work done by the Vaal River Community project, with Rhodes University Centre for Biological Control, companies such as Omnia and Government entities such as Rand Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

Embedded in the Spirit of Jen, Stone Haven’s two-decker vessel, along with dozens of senior officials, media, company executives, Councillors and environmental experts, and partaking of its gracious hospitality, little prepared us for the spectacle of marine pageantry and visual cliches about to unfold aplenty.

Overhead, five brightly-coloured locally-owned and piloted helicopters performed fly-pasts over the gathering armada, providing the essential ingredient of effortless access to the aquatic playground lifestyle the Vaal has always been renowned for.

Just as remarkable as the flotilla itself, spread as it was across the full width of the River and stretching back kilometres , was the discipline and safety sense shown and maintained throughout by all vessels in an event of such magnitude it could never have been rehearsed beforehand.

That allowed the sheer marine pageantry of it all to blaze and spill over us throughout – hundreds of beautifully painted or stickered boats in every colour, shape and size  imaginable – adorned of course with the obligatory beautiful people and beautiful bodies sporting every brand of sunglasses – all proceeding at a stately pace as the regatta unwound to its full extent.

But nothing prepared any of us for the truly exceptional visual spectacle when the regatta had unfolded to its full length, passing the hundreds of impressive lawn-fronted mansions, lodges and guest houses lining both the Free State and Gauteng sides of the Vaal River .

Looking back at kilometres of boats behind the Spirit of Jen,  a collective gasp of awe went up from the boat, followed by the immediate raising of smart phones to capture the magnificent spectacle, but also, one strongly suspects, to hide that scarcely a dry eye remained aboard .

A quick glance at the Liquid Lounge vessel behind us – filled with party-goers – revealed much the same reaction, revealing that a certain indefinable visual and emotional moment that heralds a new era had happened on the Vaal River on Saturday.

Welcome back to our gracious Lady Vaal River!