Day one of the Berg River Canoe Marathon

Day one began, as per usual, on the frosty banks by the Paarl Canoe Club. The excitement and tension builds amongst the paddlers. Seconds are a bit apprehensive, trying to ascertain where and when they must hand over food and drinks, looking over maps and plotting a route (or finding someone to follow).

The view of the start is best from the Market street weir portage. There you can see the paddlers gunning it to either the left or right bank, and see the portage and the put in. Then the second’s race is on! There are 12 minutes from the time you see your paddler put in, until they get to Dal Josephat bridge - and there are three ways to get there. You need to make that decision fast if you want to see your paddler wiggle their way over the weir at Dal Josephat bridge (and the paddlers think what they do is exciting).

Whether you got there on time or not, your next destination is the same - you either make your way to the Wellington cement bridge or Lady Loch bridge. Some seconds choose one or the other, but I always go to both. At Wellington cement bridge you can wait, chat and have your coffee - it will take them about 10 to 15 minutes to get here, and you can usually see all of the top paddlers and much of A batch before you have to be on your way again. At Lady Loch bridge you can see your paddlers as they come down the river and paddle under, or you can brave the rickety ladder and watch down at the bank.

Then it’s on to Hermon bridge. You can either take the tar road back over Lady Loch, which will give you time to enjoy nice breakfast at Du Vlei restaurant at the bridge. Alternatively, you can take the sand road to skooltjie and see all the other view points on the way to Hermon.

 

The atmosphere at Hermon bridge was really amazing. We all waited in anticipation to see who would make the dash for the bridge prize (Hank). With a little prompting the children at Hermon shouted and cheered the top 50 or so paddlers down the river. They were an amazing bunch of kids and they really made my day! I loved every minute, and even almost landed in the water a couple of times, but the hugs were well and truly worth it.

There was a buzz on the Zonquasdrift bridge as all the seconds sat in the sunshine sharing the day’s stories. Everyone listens to the vibey music and  cheers each paddler’s name as they cross the line to be welcomed to the end of the first day. Won by Hank Mcgregor