The action was again on the Breede River yesterday, as 70 canoes lined up at the Darling Bridge at the foot of the Bain's Kloof, to contest the 18 km section down to Wyzersdrift. And so it will be that paddlers line up on different sections of the Breede for the next 3 weekends as well, two of them being 'double-headers (next weekend), 22nd/23rd August followed by a one-day race on the 29th before on the 1st weekend in September, 5th and 6th, when the 2009 K2 season will culminate in the annual 80 km Breede River Canoe Marathon raced off between Robertson and Swellendam.

Yesterday saw the return to their winning ways of Ernest van Riet/Heinrich Schloms (this crew has won a good number of the-Breede Marathon races in past seasons and have been on the podium as well at the marathon itself) when they took on previous K2 winners of events this season, P-W Basson/Lance King and Gavin White/Graeme Solomon, and won in the excellent time of 1 hour 6 minutes 14 seconds - the 2nd canoe was 4 seconds off the pace and the 3rd, almost another 4 minutes back. Is this the resurgence of a top crew that has been in partnership for several seasons now and will this experience pay against the potent new pairings of Basson/King and White Solomon?

Unfortunately, the expected K2 senior women's crews did not pitch for this event so, paddling in a K1, Jemma Hofmeyer led home Lisa Scott and Romy Findlay - all in K1's - perhaps with the return to the longer races over the next 2 weekends and they being more specific to the Breede Marathon, we will see a return to the water of the excellent K2 women's combinations that this province possesses. 

Yesterdays event, paddled in perfect weather on a medium-low river, saw a number of other paddlers excel, in particular 2009 S.A. Canoe Marathon team members (Sub Master) Eugene van der Westhuizen, who was first home in a K1 and 7th overall; (U23) Pierre-Andre Rabie and his father (Sub Grandmaster) Andre Rabie, racing as a father/son combination were 5th overall whilst (Grandmaster) Giel van Deventer, paddling with Paarl club mate, John Stadler, came home in 11th place. Best wishes to them all in their training up to an including the World's on 16th/17th September, in Porto, Portugal. 

Results

Top Ten.

1. Ernest can Riet/Heinrich Schloms (US/Prl) 1 hour 6 minutes 14 seconds.

2. P-W Basson/Lance King (Prl/Mil) 1:06:18

3. Gavin White/Graeme Solomon (Pen/Pen) 1:10.08 

4. Andrew Birkett/Patrick Birkett (UCT/Pen) 1:10:35

5. Pierre-Andre Rabie/Andre' Rabie (US/Prl) 1:10:36

6. Chris de Waal/Frohann Visser (Mil/SSW) 1:11:47  1st Sub Veterans

7. Eugene van der Westhuizen (Mil) 1:13:26              1st K1/1st Sub Master

8. Angus McIntosh/Mynhardt Marais (US/Prl) 1:14:19

9. Matthew van Heerden/Greg van Heerden (US/Mil) 1:14:39

10. Ivan Kruger (Mil) 1:14:40 1st U18

Senior Women

1. Jemma Hofmeyer (Pen) 1:27:40

2. Lisa Scott (Mil) 1:29:12

3. Romy Findlay (Pen) 1:50:28

Mixed Doubles

1. Rob Hart/Tina Gallagher (Pen/Pen) 1:19:28

2. Louw van Riet/Kirsten Penderis (US/US) 1:22:02

3. Wayne August/She-Earl De Wee (Prl/Prl) 1:22:30

Juniors

1. Ivan Kruger (Mil) 1:14:40

2. Marissa Pretorius/Michael Pretorius (Mil/Mil) 1:26:22

3. Emile Minaar (Prl) 1:30:55

U23

1. Michael Watson (UCT) 1:19:34

2. Adrian Cox (UCT) 1:19:44

3. David Black/Daniel Sheard (UCT/Pen) 1:25: 52

Sub Veterans

1. Chris de Waal/Frohaan Visser (Mil/SSW) 1:11:47

2. Angus McKintosh/Mynhardt Marais (US/Prl) 1:14:19

3. Herbert Conradie/Francis Steyn (Prl/Prl) 1:20:08

Veterans

1. Duncan McIvor/Mike Duffus (Pen/Pen) 1:16:36

2. Rob Hart/Tina Gallagher (Pen/Pen) 1:19:28

3. Guy Glanville/Mark Dykes (Mil/Mil) 1:26:16

Sub Masters

1. Eugene van der Westhuizen (Mil) 1:13:26

2. Phillip Pla-Pillans (Cty) 1:26:01

3. Christo Smit/Ross Meyer (Mil/Mil) 1:26:43

Masters

1. Ian Glass/Shaun Butler (Pen/Pen) 1:16:41

2. Francois du Toit/Neil Bartie (Prl/Prl) 1:22:14

3. Willem van der Westhuyzen (WSK) 1:30:22

Sub Grandmasters

1. Rene' Boehm/Peter Tucker (Sim/Pen) 1:22:22

2. JT Basson/Johan Serdyn (Prl/US) 1:25:47

3. Chris Anderson (Mil) 1:46:28

Grandmasters

1. Gerfried Nebe/Peter Unite (Pen/Pen) 1:22:41