Raced off in excellent conditions, Saturdays Alle’ Bleue Berg River Dam 26.5 km K2 canoe racing event drew some 77 paddlers – 66 in K2’s and 11 in K1’s - to the 2^nd ever canoe race upon this pristine dam.

Set on a impressive backdrop of high mountain peaks and on crystal clear (drinkable – something that just doesn’t happen any more!) water, the race got under way under clear skies (cloudy over some of the nearby peaks) and a gentle North Westerly wind, that tended to abate as the race progressed.

These numbers were encouraging, especially as it is not the K2 part of the season and that the W.C.C.U. canoe sprint team was in KZN at the S.A. Canoe Sprint Championships over the same weekend.

The winning crew of the Alle’ Bleue K2 Berg Dam 26.5 km canoe race, with sponsored products along with the Chairman of the organising club – Paarl Canoe Club Herbert Conradie) and the Race Organiser (Eric Farringer).

Watched over by one of the resident Fish Eagles of this beautiful mountain dam, the top three K2’s of the day – Peninsula Canoe Clubs stalwart, Graeme Solomon and his young, new partner, Alastair Glass (who is a National Junior oarsman – he won his rowing colours when at Bishop’s and at U.C.T.), old-time partners, Ernest van Riet (Stellenbosch CC) and Heinrich Schloms (Paarl CC) and the family combination of Patrick (Peninsula CC) and Andrew Birkett (U.C.T.), set off at a blistering pace from the gun to split the field by the time the first turn was made up alongside the dam wall.

The two and a bit laps that followed saw these three crews exchange the lead several times, but this was merely for the purposes of slip-riding, until the final sprint home over the final kilometre saw the Birkett’s drop off, whilst Solomon/Glass and van Riet/Schloms sprinted for the line, the Peninsula crew taking the honours by 2 seconds in 1 hour 55 minutes 11seconds.  Van Riet/Schloms were 2^nd in 1:55:15 and  the Birkett’s come home 3^rd , 7 seconds off the pace in 1:55:20, putting these top three a full 5 minutes ahead of the next canoe across the line, that of Veteran’s Chris de Waal and Frohann Visser (Mil/SOS), who were in just over the 2 hour mark.

Showing his class in his K1 and as the 1^st K1 paddler home, Stellenbosch’s U23 paddler, Pierre-Andre Rabie came in well ahead of 2^nd place Mynhardt Marais (Paarl) and Johan Swart (Southern Swells) although it must be said that both Marais and Swart are paddling as Sub Masters – i.e. 45 – 49 years age group – so, excellent racing from them, because it is a long way in a K1 when there is no flow (as on a river) to help.

An interesting tussle for the Sub Grandmasters class developed between the ‘new’, yet ultra experienced crew of Lionel Ekermans and John Lee (Milnerton) against the crew who have paddled for 3 seasons now, Rob MacLean (Peninsula) and Andre Rabie (Paarl), which saw the Milnerton crew chase all the way to the finish to end just off the pace, 1 second adrift and in 13^th place overall. This sets the scene for some excellent K2 master’s racing this coming season.

The first Mixed Double home was Stellenbosch’s Mike Owen and Robin Kime – 8^th overall and in the very good time of 2 hours 4 minutes and 52 seconds. They had a ding-dong battle with the Sub Masters crew of Peninsula’s Rob Hart/Garth Watters, such that these two canoes could only be separated when the crossed the line by 100^ths of a second!

Thanks are to Alle’ Bleue Wine Estate (Franschhoek valley) who sponsored the main prizes along with The Paddle Centre in Fish Hoek and to Paarl Canoe Club for organizing the event and setting up the course (in weather conditions the previous evening reminiscent of a blustery day on False Bay and therefore only good for a surf ski! – thanks to Herbert Conradie and Burger Coetzee for this).

Results.

Open K2 Seniors

1. Graeme Solomon/Alasdair Glass (Peninsula Canoe Club) 1 hour 55 minutes 13 seconds.

2. Ernest van Riet/Heindrich Schloms (Stel/Paarl)  1:55:15

3. Patrick Birkett/Andrew Birkett (Pen/UCT)  1:55:20

Sub Veterans

1. Dirk Nel/Marcel Brown (WHR) 2:16:03

2. Daniel Kantor (Mil) 2:20:14

3. Sean Hooper/Flynn Corry (Mil/UCT) 2:20:52

Veterans

1. Chris de Waal/Frohann Visser (Mil/SOS) 2:00:36

2. Herbert Conradie/Gary Cromie (Paarl/WSK) 2:02:17

3. Tom Thring (Pen) 2:21:09

Sub Masters

1. Rob Hart/Garth Watters (Pen) 2:04:52

2. Mynhardt Marais (Paarl) 2:17:15

3. Johan Swart (EVP) 2:19:59

Masters

1. Francois du Toit/Neil Bartie (Paarl) 2:19:37

2. Eric Farringer/Francis Steyn (Paarl) 2:20:53

3. Gavin Finch/Colin McClement (Pen/Cty) 2:22:05

Sub Grandmasters

1. Rob MacLean/Andre Rabie (Pen/Paarl) 2:11:00

2. Lionel Ekermans/John Lee (Mil) 2:11:01

3. Christo Smit/Robin van Rooyen (Mil) 2:16:01

Grandmasters

1. Giel van Deventer/Peter Tucker (Paarl/Pen) 2:20:54

Super Grandmasters

1. Angus Hemp/Charles Melck (Pen/Mil) 2:40:55.

Mixed Doubles

1. Mike Owen/Robin Kime (Stel) 2:04:52

2. Helen Rabie/Joseph Williams (Paarl) 2:40:55

3. Frank Mallows/Bev Mallows (Mil) 2:43:19

K1’s (singles)

1. Pierre-Andre Rabie (Stel) 2:04:49

2. Mynhardt Marais (Paarl) 2:17:15