Castle Lager 9 Miler
Ja Boet, the Lion Lager race was cancelled, they are only going to brew it
again in 2018, so we drank Castle, the Delmas okes drank Winkhoek, the
Danville okes drank Black label. But ja, this was the first qualifying race
for the Fish ek se’. It was donners cold, and I hadn’t done much training
for a month, but I had been in Ballito for two weeks, lying on the beach
with the family missus kids grandkids, (when you are young the young chicks
look nice, when you are an old bullet the older chicks also look nice, in
fact all the chicks look nice, bonus). But ja back to the race, we start
off there in the rain, and my partner who is one of my drinking partners
paddling with me for the first time, says this is lekker ek se’. I am
thinking jislaaik, I must do this for five laps, and some of the okes that
paddled races with me jonks back are sitting in the marshals boat smiling
and taking photos, Dolf, maar ja dis alraaight ek sal dit onthou. Anyway we
soldier around the course, dis eintlik baie mooi n’ natuur reservaat met
diere en voels, dit sou seker mooier gewees het as ‘n ou se gat nie lam was
nie, then they said we must look out for hippos, then the hippo is more
important than your gat, dan word die roei aansienlik maliker. Maar ja OK,
die wind het het nie gewaai nie, dit was die platterste 9 miler wat ek kan
onthou, ons kom toe in by die finish line ek se’, ons will net by die bar
uitkom, toe moes ons eers die boot gaan bere. Maar ja the highlight of the
race, we finished and we are in the bar, the East Rand okes are talking to
the Centurion okes, and also to some okes from a club on the West Rand,
can’t remember that clubs name.
But now I am seriously concerned about the
race organizer, Shane, this oke has done a sterling job organizing the 9
Miler race over a number of years, and now he tells me he wants to move to
East London.
Hey Boet, you can’t do that – the 9 Miler would not be the
same without you, neither would Centurion Canoe Club, you are a former
member of East Rand Kayak, all the people that know you are here, think
about it, the decision is yours.
Once again, thank you Centurion Canoe Club for a great race, for reminding
the Fish paddlers of the training that lies ahead.
Chris Rowe
ERK