A howling South Easter greeted the first of the W.C.C.U. events of the year - the 'fun' event know as the Twilight 12 - designed to introduce beginners to canoeing to a racing format and in most cases, accompanied by experienced paddlers. As befits such an event, all prizes are awarded only to these beginners.

Because of the inclement weather, the Chairman of the host club, Peninsula Canoe Club's Mark Torrington, re-routed the event away from Zandvlei and into the canals of the Marina da Gama, where, on relatively sheltered waters, the event was run. Getting to the start, however, meant paddling across Zandvlei and this was not without a numbers of capsizes, the wind whipping up waves which proved too much for some novices - fortunately though, at this time of the year, the water is warm!

Starting under the pedestrian bridge over the Thibault Canal, paddlers completed two full circuits of the Marina, going down to the most southern canal - Battleridge - before heading north again with the wind on their backs (a much easier way to paddle!) up Easthaven South and East Haven North, before regaining Thibault Canal. With 70 paddlers taking part, many a Marina resident was seen on their balconies, patio's and jetties, cheering the fleet along and even in several cases, assisting soaking wet paddlers empty canoes, before paddling on.

The first novice home was Murray Walters, paddling in the back of Edgar Boehm (Jnr's) K2, closely followed by Saskia van der Merwe (with Alasdair Glass), whilst brothers Anders and Ullie Hart, paddling with their father, Rob, and Ken Findlay, in a K4, were the 3rd placed novices home.

But it was all about the novices and such was the importance placed upon them by the host club, PCC, that every single novice who took part, won a prize - so to did some of the more experienced paddlers too!

The results following show the 1st 10 novices home in the 2011 Twilight 12 (and their partners)

(For more photos of this event, go to www.capetownactionphotography.co.za)