Local father and son team take on the Fish River’s choppy white water
The father-son duo finished in a total time of 6hrs 26 mins, which placed them 223rd out of a total of about 600 starters.
A local father and son recently traveled to the Eastern Cape to take part in one of the world’s biggest canoe marathons.
Jarryd Walker in Grade 7 at Crawford Preparatory North Coast and his dad Ian competed in the Fish River Canoe Marathon in Cradock on October 7 and 8.
In an interview with The Courier Ian explained that he has been canoeing for just shy of 30 years – and his son has joined him for the last five.
It was a grueling two-day race spanning 46km on the first day and 36km on the second.
“Jarryd and I have been tackling white water together for nearly five years – and this is our first major race together,” said Ian.
The father-son duo finished in a total time of 6hrs 26 mins, which placed them 223rd out of a total of about 600 starters.
“The shoots over the weirs are my favourite part of canoeing – it’s exciting to go flying over the churning water,” explained Jarryd, who is also a cricket and hockey player for Crawford.
According to Ian their biggest worry was capsizing but fortunately that didn’t happen, “My wife Debbie has done this race with me before so she knows how intense it can get – she was the one doing most of the worrying when Jarryd and I paddled out into the rapids.”
If you would like to get involved in this fun sport, visit www.dolphincoaststriders.co.za or contact Calvin Harris from The Dolphin Coast Paddlers club on 082 552 0252.
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