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A perfect spring day saw 59 paddlers tackle the 14km Eerste River Canoe Race through Stellenbosch and hosted by the Maties Canoe Club on Saturday, 24^th September, 2011.

Upon arrival at the start the paddlers were greeted by the sight of a strong flowing Eerste (50% more water than in previous years!). The excitement in the parking lot was tangible – what better way to start Heritage Day than with a bash and a splash down what must be one of the most exciting rivers in the Western Cape.

The Eerste River provides for fantastic paddling with many diverse and exciting challenges along the way. At stages the river narrows to little more than a meter wide and rockets paddlers along. At other places, rocky rapids have to be navigated and trees dodged. The first two weirs make for fun paddling while the Broken Bridge causes many shocked expressions as paddlers realise the size of the drop! Then there is Stay Main rapid which, with lots of water, is Stellenbosch’s own mini-version of Keith’s Flyover rapid on the famous Fish River Canoe Marathon – a known ‘canoe-muncher’!. The race is unique in that it winds through the town of Stellenbosch providing excellent viewing for spectators and a carnival feel for the paddlers.

The time trial start, with paddlers spaced 30 seconds apart, saw a visibly nervous Lance King (Milnerton) set off first, followed by a strong field consisting of young guns Pierre-Andre Rabie and Lance Kime (both Maties). Race founder Ernest van Riet (Maties) was next in line with SA sprint aces Mike Authur and Shaun Rubenstein (both Peninsula) hot on his heels. The continuous wave train that makes up the first few kilometres saw Rabie catch and pass King with Kime gaining steadily on the front two. At the compulsory portage (third weir) Kime used his Dusi skills to sneak past King and catch Rabie, effectively moving into first place. Rabie led the leading three on to a fallen tree that had been marked by the marshals as a compulsory portage. Rabie deemed it safe and snuck underneath but King protested saying the instruction was to portage. In a show of true sportsmanship Rabie turned around, paddled upstream and got out of his boat costing him valuable time and resulting in him being dropped off the front group. Mike Authur, appearing out of nowhere, had since joined Kime and King at the front and was therefore leading by a few minutes. The blistering pace set by the front paddlers was too much for the water and they overtook the flow a few hundred meters above Stay Main (Lance Kime was overheard saying “Stay where? There’s no water!”). From there to the finish the leaders had to deal with a shallow, bony river that required lots of carrying over dry rocky sections. Once again Kime’s Dusi pedigree came to the fore and he pulled away from the other paddlers to secure what he thought was a sure win. Running out of water had cost the front paddlers dearly however, and many of the favourites finished well outside of the top 10. Kime’s quick-fire portaging served him well and he managed an impressive third (“The river was ridonculous,” he said). He was eventually beaten by UCT’s Stu McLaren (second) whose recent absence from river racing saw him start further back in the field and have water all the way to Spier. The surprise winner was Maties’ Owen Gandar who, starting right at the back of the field, paddled a flawless race in the gushing flow to claim the fastest time of the day.

In the ladies race it was Robyn Henderson (Milnerton) who drew on her river experience to complete a hassle free run to Spier and finish ahead of Marisa Pretorius (Milnerton) and Kirsten Penderis (Maties) in second and third respectively.

The race was thoroughly enjoyed by paddlers and spectators alike. Next year promises to be even better with more water on the cards and a full on festival a possibility, depending on the securing of a race sponsor.