Negotiating tough corners is easy for canoeists

For Craig Smith from Homestead, and Debbie Dixon, who are members of Florida Lake Canoe Club, the canoe race in which they completed, in Secunda, recently was just another stroll down excitement lane.

They have numerous Fish River and Trichardspruit experiences behind them and this showed as they comfortably managed the tight corners and big water.

They finished the 18km race as the third Master age group finishers, in 1:47 hours.

Smith also recently finished the Berg River event and saw the Secunda race as a superb warm down exercise after the long 240km, four-day ordeal.

The Sasol Canoe Club hosted the race.

The race goes along their local Trichardspruit, that trickles through the town of Trichard, fed by water releases from the Trichardspruitfontein Dam from time to time, to empty into the Tweedraai Dam, after a number of tight, sharp corners and winding curves.

To some, the spruit is just like a storm water drain run-off; to the canoeists it is another exciting adventure.

When there is a water release from one dam to the other, the sleepy little spruit, that is usually ankle deep, becomes a raging torrent of turbulent water, crashing into river banks to make sharp, tight corners and U-turns, tumbling over rocky ledges like mini waterfalls, a fast, furious paced busy little stretch of 10km.

Paddlers from Gauteng then stream to the sleepy town, to test their skills and get their adrenalin pumping as they prepare for the Fish River Marathon, in Cradock.

Nearly 100 Gauteng paddlers drove down the N17 highway to chuckle at the sight of the spruit as they drove over it, only to be gasping in awe after rounding the first fast bend in the river and tumbling head first into serious rapids, S bends, turbulent water and much excitement.

Numerous novices also participated in the race, to gain experience on a faster, busier flow of water, and while most finished comfortably and enjoyably, a few boats were forced to withdraw, due to mistakes and damage.