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The 2008 Olifants River race for K1's, was held in what competitors enthused as perfect conditions, the river being high enough to ramp onto the Algeria Bridge; high enough to make most of the known (and unknown!) channels work - as well as a few that didn't because of  collected debris from the high waters of recent times, and high enough for many to find the 'mythical' Waterfall Rapid, even though the entry channel had changed after the floods.

Kevin Goodspeed followed by Lloyd Ferreira in "Waterfall Rapid"

Check http://www.milnertoncanoeclub.co.za/cms/content/view/204/1/ for more images

Under a clear sky and with  no wind, the first bunch got off to a cracking start and remained as a bunch until, at the cutting under the telephone tower, Heinrich Schloms (Stellenbosch) opted to take the left, shallow channel, whilst the rest of the main bunch opted for the deeper, right hand channel. This was to be their undoing. for, by the time they had emerged from a narrow, choked Palmiet channnel of fast flowing, but tricky water,  Scholms had made approx. 400m of them and proceeded to build on this gap until the end of day 1, coming in comfortably 4 minutes ahead of the 2nd placed canoe of Lance King (Milnerton).

Day 2, started on elapsed times and in small bunches (top 5 and then in batches of 10 canoes every 5 minutes) because of the narrowness and swiftness of the river. Heinrich Schloms, starting in pole position, never relinquished his lead from Day 1 and eventually came in a full minute ahead of 2nd placed Lance King with 3rd placed Mynhardt Marais

(Paarl) racing on King's slip.

The 50 plus canoeists who competed in the race echoed their enthusiasm for this event as loudly as have fellow competitors of previous years - it is a classic canoe race on a pristine river in magnificient surroundings and the message going out is that more paddlers should consider doing this race here in the Western Cape. As mentioned in the preview to this event - this is a good race for any canoeists C.V.