Are these your booties left behind at "Die Stroom" - end of this weekend races? (found)

Did you lose a zippy splash cover on the race this weekend? (found)

Did you borrow a red & blue splash cover at the start of Nekkies-Elandie race? (not returned)

If you have any info on the above please contact Richard Kohler 0832996569

Download full results go HERE

The 38 km section of the Breede River between Drew Bridge and Die Stroom, Swellendam, provided high drama in Western Cape canoeing circles when the two favourite crews on the day, the National K2 crews of Ant Stott/Graeme Solomon (KZN/Pen) and Ernest van Riet/Heinrich Schloms (Maties/ Paarl), were upstaged by the young and determined Matie and Peninsula Canoe Club's Pierre-Andre' Rabie/Patrick Birkett who took the race down to the wire, ending it in a final sprint for the line as well as Gavin White/Zaren Courtney (Pen/CTY), who were 3rd home on the day, the National crews placing 2nd and 4th overall!

                                  Pierre-Andre' Rabie/Patrick Birkett (Pic by Tracey-Lee Anderson)

EVENT: PCC Boat Auction

DATE: 12^th September 2010

TIME: 11:00am start (Viewing at 10:00am)

VENUE: ZANDVLEI

REMARKS: Loads of 2^nd hand K1’s K2’s, Surfski on show.

Cash only.

Everything HAS to go!

Go HERE for full results

With the Breede River running at its lowest levels since 2004, it was decided by the WCCU Exco. on Thursday that the annual running of the McGregor Bridge (Robertson) to Diggton Farm (Bonnivale) would be moved to the Berg River and the 30 km Gouda Bridge to Bridgetown section, as there was sufficient water there and it was ideal for the occasion, sponsored for the 1st time by Bamboo Warehouse, one of the Directors of which is the iconic Western Cape paddler, Graeme Solomon, who won his SA National canoeing colours for the umpteenth time in 2010 (he first won back in the mid 1990's).

And as it turned out, Solomon (Peninsula CC), not only was the winner of 'his' event, but with his 2010 SA K2 partner to Spain next month for the World Canoe Marathon Championships, Ant Stott - the manager of Bamboo Warehouse in KZN, enhanced an already stellar field, Ernest van Riet (Maties) and Heinrich Schloms (Paarl) also having been chosen for the SA team at the World's next month. Throw into the  mix, Pierre-Andre Rabie, an SA U23 team member last year, Edgar Boehm jnr, an SA Junior from several years back and it was always going to be a good race, but no-one could have predicted just how dominant the Stott/Solomon combination was going to be, they winning by more than 5 minutes over their fellow Protea's, van Riet/Schloms.

Download full results HERE

The Rooiberg Winery, Breede River Nekkies to Eilandia K2 (doubles) canoe race, over 27 km, was held on Saturday 14^th August, 2010, in perfect weather and on a medium high Breede River in the Worcester area.

This event, part of the K2 races leading up to the Breede River K2 canoe marathon on 4^th/5^th September (and paddlers are reminded that entries for the marathon close of 25^th August), was another excellent lead-up race to get partnerships ‘clicking’ and canoes prepared for this iconic event that in 2010 will be its 43^rd running.

A very interesting canoeing innovation was launched last evening (Wednesday 11th August) by the Milnerton Canoe Club, with their ‘Sunglass Hut 10km K2 Challenge’ and drew good initial response by paddlers from all the clubs in the Western Cape.

The idea was to create a different ‘vibe’ in canoe racing for K2 (double canoes) where elite’ paddlers could be paired off with paddlers of lesser stature and this by an auction process to raise funds for the various canoe clubs.

Well the Berg has come and gone and Hank defended his title. Ali will tell you that he is an awesome paddler who is so much in control. Until someone can dominate him he will continue to win the Berg. Now on to the race itself.

The time trial had about 46 canoests challenging for spots in the seeded rows for the Wednesday marathon start. Now if anyone is serious about doing well in the Berg it is important to get out to Paarl and take part in this time trial on Tuesday afternoon. The results of the time trial were fairly predictable except for some people asking who this Alasdair guy was who had cruised into 3^rd place!!!! Ali was very chuffed with his result and fired up about the race the next day. I did not go out for the time trial due to work pressures and it definitely cost me a few places on day 1.

Download full results HERE

The WCCU canoe race held on Monday 9^th August (Public Holiday – Ladies Day), was held (this time!) on the Breede River, as the rains that fell on Saturday night and on Sunday raised the river levels sufficiently and in any case, this section of the river is a long way upstream from the pumps that are taking water from the Breede River into the Brandvlei Dam.

Download full results HERE

The 1^st race, scheduled to be run on the Breede River on the 26 km section from Nekkies to Eilandia, had to be changed, as with the authorities pumping water out of the river and into the Brandvlei Dam, the amount of water from Nekkies downstream wasn’t enough to hold a canoe race on. The Berg River substituted and so paddlers tackled the 24 km section between Paarl and Skooltjie is very good conditions, weather-wise, and with the river at a medium to low level, but quite passable. It was also important that this, the 1^st river K2 race of the season, be on a relatively easy section of river, ‘difficulty-wise’ as traditionally (and this weekend was no exception), a host of new, inexperienced paddlers take part, the K2 season being much more of a social one than the K1 (singles) season. 

Download full results HERE

The 2010 running of the annual K1 Olifants Canoe race, followed the lines of recent canoeing events held in the Cape as it was held in perfect weather in which to race a river on and what a river this is. Cold (of course) but crystal clear (drinkable too!), although at a slightly below medium level, meant that action was the order of the day where rapids, narrow Palmiet and sapling-lined channels caused the usual mayhem associated with this event. Several sections below rapids and ‘gangetjies’ resembled what the Midmar Mile looks like as canoeists, sans canoes, shot rapids and came out of ‘gangetjies’ in the ‘cocktail’ position looking for a place to beach, collect their canoes and paddles, before emptying (affecting repairs – some major, some minor) and paddling on. 

                          KING & QUEEN of the OLIFANTS(Heinricht Scholms & Robyn Kime)

Download newsletter HERE

Download full results HERE

In perfect weather on Sunday 22^nd July, the Peninsula Canoe Club annual K2 Mini-marathon was raced off over 21.5 km on Zandvlei and through the canals of Marina da Gama.

As this was also the first K2 race of the season and coming on flat water before the start of the Breede River K2 season, this was an ideal opportunity for paddlers to try out various doubles combinations that will ‘do battle’ in weekends to come.

As with the Spier Eerste River race held the day before, the turnout was disappointing – especially as the weather was perfect and the water, though low, was mostly weed-free. – as only 26 canoes took part though, being a K2 race, the arithmetic shows that 52 paddlers took part.

Download full results HERE

 Saturday 21^st July saw the third annual running of the Spier Eerste River race hosted by Maties Canoe Club.

Thanks to the department of water affairs, a consistently full 14 km river from start to finish and the involvement of Spier wine estate saw the most successful race yet.

Forty-five lined up at the Hangbrug for the time trial format start (a disappointing number given the nearly double that number that competed last year, but maybe this can be put down to a very full season – after all, the Berg River Canoe Marathon only ended last weekend! Those who missed this race on Saturday though were the losers, such was the excitement of taking part in it) above the small fish chute weir.

All the images from the Berg are now available at www.capetownsportphotography.co.za

 John Hishin

Cell: 083 343 2598

Fax: 086 671 3323

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Web: www.drumbeatphotography.co.za

Web Sales: www.capetownsportphotography.co.za

South African Canoe Marathon team that has been selected to compete in the World Canoe Marathon Championships to be held in Spain from 22 to 26th September, 2010.

The team includes 13 paddlers from the W.C.C.U.