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DOWNLOAD FULL RESULTS HERE Some 170 paddlers were presented with a medium level Breede River at Drew Bridge on Saturday 27th for the 37km K2 canoe race scheduled between this bridge and Die Stroom, the end point in the Bontebok National Park, near Swellendam that was the final K2 race of the Breede season before the ‘Hansa Breede River Canoe Marathon’ that will take place in the same area of the river next weekend – 3rd and 4th September.. As with the previous weekends race (Robertson to Bonnivale0, the weather was very good, although, as the morning’s racing progressed, the S. Easter wind that did blow, definitely brought a chill to a good number of paddlers when the course took them head-on into it.
The leading canoes made good of the excellent racing conditions and by the time the big left and right hand turn came after 2 km of sprinting, the leading bunch was down to 4 K2’s – Lance King and Heinrich Schloms (Milnerton/Paarl and the favourites to win this race), Pierre-Andre Rabie and Graeme Solomon (Maties/Peninsula - a new combination this Saturday as both of their Breede partners were unavailable), Edgar Boehm jnr/Ali Glass (Pen/Pen) and Gavin White/Zaren Courtney (CTY/Mil, Gavin just back from the International World Canoe Sprints Championships in Europe). In the turbulent waters around this bend, King/Schloms, Rabie/Solomon and Boehm/Glass shook off White/Courtney to create a 3-canoe chevron that raced together for most of the remainder of the race (i.e. 35kms or so). At the infamous ‘Waterfall Rapid’ (Natal paddlers look with scorn at this description!), the 3 leading canoes all managed the obstacle without any problems, although this was not the case for paddlers further back in the field (even some of those racing in the Top 20 canoes), the pool below the rapid looking for all the world like there was a swimming gala taking place there as more and more paddlers arrived on the scene and did not manage to stay upright through it! With the 3 leading K2’s exchanging the lead throughout the races, managing the various ‘sneaks’ and obstacles this beautiful river hands out on this section, they approached the final, big obstacle – the Swellendam Weir – which is approximately 5 km from the end of the race at Die Stroom. There Boehm/Glass decided to shoot the middle chute in the weir, whilst Rabie/Solomon and King/Schloms took the right hander, hoping for high enough water in the channels through the spit of land that sticks out on river right below the weir. However, seeing Boehm/Glass take the correct option – where the river was strongest, the other 2 crews saw the backs of Boehm/Glass going away from them as they realized their mistake and had to start chasing hard, all the way down to and under the N2 road bridge until in the long, fun, rollercoaster rapids beyond the bridge, Rabie/Solomon, who by this time had dropped King/Schloms, were able to catch up with the leaders and with approximately 2 km to the finish line. Hitting the long, flat section of the Breede into Die Stroom, both crews put down the hammer and the winner was decided by a flat-out sprint to the line, Rabie/Solomon clinching victory over Boehm/Glass by the narrowest of margins. King/Schloms crossed the line 30 seconds later for the final podium position. The senior women’s race this weekend was for the first time in the Breede season, a real race, with the final placing of 1st and 2nd positions, although, 1 minute apart, being 16th and 17th overall, showing that the two crews of Alexa Cole/Jackie Barnes (Pen/UCT – respectively both former senior and junior women’s national colours holders) and the current Junior national K2 crew for the World Canoe Marathon Championships in Singapore in October, 2011, had somewhat of a ding-dong battle over the 37 km between Drew Bridge and Swellendam. Initially racing in the same batch over the first 7km of the race and down to the Waterfall Rapid, it was here, when canoes needed to shoot the obstacle in single file, that Cole/Barnes, made their break from Flanagan/Cleworth, the latter crew being forced to take position several canoes behind the leaders when the racing bunch split around the island on the approaches. Finding slip on 3 male crews, Cole/Barnes increased speed to put a sizeable gap on the younger crew, but unfortunately lost it, when about 5km on, followed the men down an ‘Admin Alley” on river right, and in the ensuing need to portage out of trouble, witnessed Flanagan/Cleworth paddle past in the deeper, faster channel that was on river left. Cole/Barnes raced their way onto this bunch that contained Flanagan/Cleworth and then, racing within a bunch of K2’s, both these leading women’s crews then swapped positions all the way down to and beyond the Swellendam Weir. There, in the same rollercoaster rapids that the leading men’s teams had a mighty tussle, Cole/Barnes got away from Flanagan/Cleworth and using the slips available were in the end to comfortably win by a minute, whilst Kim Brugmann/Angie Austin (Pen/Pen) were 3rd in this category. In the Junior categories, Craig Flanagan/Dominic Notten (Pen/Pen) were able to wipe-out their nightmare race of the previous weekend, to comfortably win the U18 boy’s category from Luke Stowman/Diviono Pieterson (Paarl/Paarl) – both crews are to be commended on their overall positions (8th and 11th respectively) and times, whilst the 3rd Junior crew home was the U16 girls, Kirsten Flanagan/Jodi Cleworth (who were 2nd in the senior women’s race). Marisa Pretorius/She-Earl de Wee (Milnerton/Paarl) were the 3rd U18 crew home, whilst Flanagan/Cleworth, were followed home in the U16 division by Nicholas Notten/Kenny Rice (Pen/Pen) and Michael Farringer/Daniel-Louis Buys (Paarl/Paarl) – 1 position and 3 seconds behind 19th and 20th overall), so a great battle there. Mention needs to be made here about just how well the Western Cape Canoe Union Juniors are doing in the racing stakes at the moment, this thanks to the coaches at the local clubs who put in a huge amount of time and effort – hat’s off to the paddlers themselves for knuckling down and regularly completing hard training sessions under the watchful eyes of coaches like Wayne August and Peter Cole. In the fiercely contested Mixed Doubles category – a favourite category on Breede River races and 14 mixed doubles competed on Saturday – Peninsula’s Tom Schilperoodt and partner, Samantha Murray raced away to an excellent 6th position over all, whilst Simon van Gysen/Amy Hart (Pen/Pen) were also in the Top 10 (they were 10th overall), whilst the Matie pairing of Louw van Riet/Kirsten Penderis were the 3rd Mixed Double K2 home. Results: Top Ten: 1. Pierre-Andre Rabie/Graeme Solomon, Maties/Peninsula, 2 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds. 2. Edgar Boehm jnr/Ale Glass, Pen/Pen, 2:22:31 3. Lance King/Heinrich Schloms, Mil/Paarl, 2:24:03 4. Henri van der Merwe/Andrew Birkett, Pen/UCT, 2:31:05 5. Paul Marais/Richard McMartin, Pen/CTY, 2:32:44 6. Rom Schilperoodt/Samantha Murray, Pen/Temp, 2:33:11 7. Gavin White/Zaren Courtney, CTY/Mil, 2:33:26 8. Craig Flanagan/Dominic Notten, Pen/Pen, 2:34:15 9. Scheepers Schoeman/John de Villiers, Maties/Maties, 2:35:32 10. Simon van Gysen/Amy Hare, Pen/Pen, 2:36:30 Senior Women 1. Alexa Cole/Jackie Barnes, Pen/UCT. 2:41:19 2. Kirsten Flanagan/Jodi Cleworth, Pen/Pen, 2:42:21 3. Kim Brugmann/Angie Austin, Pen/Pen, 2:48:10 U16 1. Kirsten Flanagan/Jodi Cleworth, Pen/Pen, 4:42:21 2. Nicholas Notten/Kenny Rice, Pen/Pen, 2:42:45 3. Michael Farringer/Daniel-Louis Buys, Paarl/Paarl, 2:42:48 U18 1. Craig Flanagan/Domini Notten, Pen/Pen, 2:34:15 2. Luke Stowman/Diviono Pieterson Prl/Prl, 2:38:52 3. Marisa Pretorius/She-Earl de Wee, Mil/Prl, 3:11:48 Sub Veterans 1. Justin Swart/Marcel Basson, Prl/Prl, 2:43:34 2. Roelf van der Merwe/Carlo Laubser, WHR/Blu, 2:54:45 3. Mike Monson/Steven Beattie, Pen/Pen, 2:56:37 Veterans 1. Chris de Waal/Lisa Scott, Mil/Mil, 2:43:32 2. Marius de Waal/Charlie van der Walt, Out/Out, 2:46:34 3. Herbert Conradie/Francois du Toit, Prl/Prl, 2:50:37 Sub Masters 1. Dean Richards/Paul Joubert, Pen/Pen, 2:58:51 2. Russell MacWilliam/Anthony Reed, Pen/Mil, 3:03:47 3. David Waddilove/Ommund Sivertsen, Pen/Pen, 3:34:36 Masters 1. Gerhard Beukes/François Meyer, Maties/Maties, 2:46:33 2. Daantjie Mala/Giel van Deventer, Maties/Prl, 2:46:34 3. Zac Isaac/Danie van Wyk, Kny/Kny, 2:54:25 Sub Grandmasters 1. JT Basson/Hubby Sandberg, Prl/Kny, 2:52:45 2. Rene Boehm/Eric Farringer, SIM/Prl, 3:01:30 3. John Smuts/Mike English, Pen/Pen, 3:08:08 Grandmasters 1. Enslin van Riet/Rob MacLean, Mil/Pen, 2:41:13 Great Grandmasters 1. Angus Hemp/Charles Melck, Pen/Mil, 3:30:32 K3’s 1. Murray Thomas/Bobby Richer/Mandy Simpson, Mil/Mi/Mil, 3:22:03 2. Peter Leppan/Thomas Leppan/ Charles Berrington, Out, Out, Out, 3:33:03. K1’s 1. Peter Cole, Pen, 2:43:35 2. Anthony Pearse, Pen, 2:49:47 3. Kevin Hill, Pen, 2:50:38 |
Race Results/ Reports 
