Dabs paddlers take the win at at the Vaal River Canoe Marathon
Local paddlers placed in the top ten at this competition which is a seeding marathon for the Dusi.
The historic Vaal River Canoe Marathon recently took place and, as with most canoe competitions, Dabulamanzi Canoe Club (Dabs) participants came paddling to take top prizes.
This race, which covers 70km, is said to be one of South Africa’s oldest races and attracts top paddlers from across the country for two days of challenging river paddling on the iconic Vaal River. Dabs paddlers Clinton Cook and Luke Salmon were this year’s winners after they finished 04:52:00 as the first K2. The Soweto team of Benjamin Mntonintshi and Siseko Ntondini, came in only a few seconds behind them.
In third place were other Dabs top achievers, Wayne Jacobs and Robert Crichton, who crossed the finish line in 04:52:00 as the first sub-veteran age category. Euro Steel CEO Colin Wilson, who sponsors the top achieving paddlers in SA, with Bradley Boulle finished in 05:05:00, as the eighth K2 kayak. Michael John Robb finished as ninth K2 and second in the sub-veteran age category in 05:11:00, with his partner Michael Stewart.
The Dabs ladies also had a good presence at the race and finished in the top of the ladies ladder – in very tough conditions with Christie Mackenzie partnered with Kwa Zulu-Natal’s Emma Hatfield as they finished as the first female team in ninth place in a time of 05:24:00. While the second ladies boat finishers were Kwa Zulu-Natal ladies. The third ladies’ finishers were from Dabs and they were Sonja Bohnsack and Karen Field, who came in third in the sub-master age category in a time of 06:17:00 and the 21st K2.
K3 paddler from Dabs, Raoul Goosen crossed the finish line as the first mixed double combination, and as the third K3 in a time of 06:27:00 with partners Claudia Feige and Travis Smith from Centurion.
This event is an official Dusi Canoe Marathon seeding race and remains a cherished part of the country’s canoeing calendar; this year was one of the most closely contested races as three boats were locked in battle starting below the dam wall, finishing at Umfula Lodge in Parys.
The river below the dam wall has tricky windy rapids between boulders and rocks, with shallow rocky shelves, and some deeper gullies. Further below the dam wall, towards Three Rivers, the water flow becomes resistant and hard work as the flow flattens out due to weirs across the river which paddlers can shoot down a ramp, or portage by carrying boats and walking around them to put back into the water below the weir wall.
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