Western Cape paddling event buffeted by Cape Doctor

Sunday, 02 May 2010 15:14

An event that normally pulls the largest numbers of paddling craft at any one W.C.C.U. paddling event, was somewhat undermined by the Cape Doctor on Saturday when some 87 canoes (and their paddlers) braved a strong, cold South Easter to paddle the 'ADT Marina da Gama 16', held on Zandvlei and in the Marina canals.
Initial doubts about whether or not the event was actually going to take place - the vlei and Marina canals have been thick with weed these past 2 months - were put to rest when the C.T.C.C. came to the party and worked overtime to clear the route - so much so, that they even started the weed harvester up and had it cutting weed in the vlei before the event began at 10h00 - they are to be sincerely thanked for their effort.
The event, sponsored to the tune of R10,000 in prize money by ADT and in canoeing products by The Paddle Centre, Fish Hoek, was again an innovative one, when race organizer, ADT and PCC's Dave Hitchcock, continued with the introduction (in 2009) of several 'hot-spots' - (R1000 prizes), for being first to a particular mark during the first two laps of the 3 lap course. And to make it competitive for men and women alike, the women started 5 minutes before the men, to give them a better chance of getting to the 1st 'hot-spot' which was the start/finish line opposite the Peninsula Canoe Club clubhouse.
The women's event, predicted to be a 4-canoe show between Matie Robyn Kime, UCT's Jackie Barnes, Milnerton's Bianca Beavitt and Melanie van Niekerk, was just that, although PCC's Jemma Horfmeyer gave a good account of herself and it was terrific to see a return to the water of former S.A. National paddler and Berg River Queen (8 times!) of Jean Wilson. The first lap of the women's race saw the aforementioned top 4 canoes break free from the chasing pack and they stayed that way until re-entering the vlei, when Jackie Barnes fell off and Robyn Kime went through to take the 1st of the women's spot-prizes, Bianca and Melanie riding her slip. However, the chasing men's top two, Lance King and Graeme Solomon, came powering through at the start of the 2nd lap, drawing Jackie along in their wake, she displaying extraordinary slip-riding skills to stay with these two giants of WCCU canoeing. The terrific slip then cracked the women's top 3, with Melanie dropping off, whilst Robyn and Bianca held on, Bianca falling off towards the end of the 2nd lap, where Jackie held on to claim the 2nd of the women's hotspot prizes. Robyn however, using the skill, determination and drawing on those reserves that have seen her win all the major endurance canoe races in the Western Cape in 2009, broke away from Jackie on the 3rd and final lap, to record a 32 second victory over the Ikey student in 1 hour 30 minutes and 5 seconds.
Witnessing these 4 paddling so well was a pleasure, continuing as they do the example of outstanding women paddlers that the Western Cape has been blessed with since the 1980's when Dene Simpson and Margie Alford stepped up to the mark, to stake the Cape's claim to outstanding women paddlers, they being followed by Jean (Yeats) Wilson, Alexa (Lombard) Cole, Abbey Miedema and Nikki (Lihoe) Mocke through to the present.

The men's event, from early on, was dominated by 3 (and then 2), canoeists - Milnerton's Lance Kime, Peninsula's Graeme Solomon and Maties', Pierre-Andre Rabie, who broke away from the field at the 1st turning buoy at the northern end of Zandvlei, chasing down the women paddlers in their attempt to reach the 1st ' hot spot' first - it was not to be, the women coming through about 30 seconds ahead of them and by which time King and Solomon had dropped Rabie, to race on together, setting up a titanic battle that went all the way to the leg on the vlei, when King out-sprinted by a single second, the former 'Master of the Marina waters' - Solomon, an outstanding paddler who has dominated paddling in the Western Cape for more than 10 years. That he, as a Sub Veteran (i.e. 35 - 39 years age group class) is still 'at the top' is a tribute to his tenacity, competitiveness, paddling skills and plain hard work. Pierre-Andre Rabie, paddling most of the race by himself, stuck to the task to come in 37 seconds after Solomon, which was no mean feat seeing that he didn't enjoy the benefit of a slip at all in the final 2 and a bit laps of this 3 lap course.
Of interest in the other age-group categories racing, was seeing Peninsula's Rob Hart winning the Sub Masters category ahead of former National paddlers, Chris de Waal (9th over all) and Eugene van der Westhuizen - 10th overall (both Milnerton) and in doing so, recording an excellent Top Ten placing, being 7th home, whilst former Springbok Surf Lifesaver and canoeist, Garth Watters, now a Sub Grandmaster (55 - 59 years) and Shaun Butler (both Pens), effectively toppled Rob MacLean (also Pens) from dominating that category these previous 4 years.
ADT and in particular Dave Hitchcock and Adrian Goode are hugely thanked for their sponsoring of this event and setting it up as well as Fish Hoek's Dawid and Nikki Mocke of the The Paddling Centre, for providing prizes for the category winners (1st places in each) as well as spot prizes.
Next weekend see the W.C.C.U. Canoe Marathon Championships being held on Saturday 8th May (K1) and Sunday 9th May (K2) on the Misverstand Dam and at the Elani Resort. From these two events, W.C.C.U. teams will be chosen to compete in the S.A. Canoe Marathon Championships, being held on the Keurbooms River in Plettenberg Bay on 12th and 13th June. Paddlers are requested to watch the press and the W.C.C.U. website for details.

Results.
Senior (Open) Men.
1. Lance King (Milnerton) 1 hour 21 minutes 01 seconds.
2. Graeme Solomon (Peninsula) 1:21:02
3. {Pierre-Andre Rabie (Maties) 1:21:39.

Senior (Open) Women
1. Robyn Kime (Maties) 1:20:06
2. Jackie Barnes (UCT) 1:30:44
3. Bianca Beavitt (Mil) 1:32:05

U21(Men)
1. Pierre-Andre Rabie (Maties) 1:21:39
2. Lance Kime (Maties) 1:22:57

U21 (Women)
1. Robyn Kime (Maties) 1:21:39
2. Jackie Barnes (UCT) 1:30:44
3. Bianca Beavitt (Mil) 1:32:05

Juniors (Boys)
1. Kenneth Rice (WSK) 1:39:21
2. Alex Topliss (MIC) 1:48:41

Juniors (Girls)
1. Melanie van Niekerk (Mil) 1:33:43
Sub Veterans
1. Graeme Solomon (Pen) 1:21:02
2. Anton Cartwright (Pen) 1:30:53
3. Corrie Flynn (Pen) 1:36:18

Veterans (Men)
1. Frohann Visser (Maties) 1:26:38
2. Henri van der Merwe (Pen) 1:28:43
3. Sean Privett (Pen) 1:30:49

Veterans (Women)
1. Jean Wilson (Pen) 1:38:49
2. Romy Findlay (Pen) 1:44:18
3. Lis Hart (Pen) 1:47:16

Sub Masters
1. Rob Hart (Pen) 1:22:59
2. Chris de Waal (Mil) 1:23:41
3. Eugene van der Westhuizen (Mil) 1:26:37

Masters
1. Daantjie Malan (Maties) 1:33:35
2. Graham Rowe (Pen) 1:34:03
3. Paul Lange (Pen) 1:34:04

Sub Grandmasters
1. Garth Watters (Pen) 1:29:53
2. Shaun Butler (Pen) 1:29:55
3. Rob MacLean (Pen) 1:31:39

Grandmasters
1. Lionel Ekermans (Mil) 1:37:49
2. David Cade (WSK) 1:39:23
3. Giel van Deventer (Paarl) 1:39:38

Great Grandmasters.
1. Angus Hemp (Pen) 2:13:45

Novices (Women)
1. Desiree van Riet (Mil) 1:46:57

K2 (double canoes)
1. Phil McInnes/Terry Brunton (Pen/Pen) 1:34:01
2. Gill Anderson/Ashleigh Barnes (Pen/Pen) 1:35:50

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