By all accounts a great event!
Next year's event THE DURO BWF will be in 50 cumecs. Entry forms and race details will be issued at the Fish River Marathon. Date will be either the the Saturday before or after Easter weekend. The race organizers would appreciate comment from all who paddled (and others) send such to Anton Erasmus at epcanoe@intekom.co.za

Race Report:

STATS

River level: 40 cumecs
Weather: 20c and windy (head wind of course!)
Distance: 56 km
Route: Prospect Bridge to Cradock
Portages: 3 weirs
Start: Batched start - 30m run with craft to bank get in.
Number of craft: 28

Verbal Race Briefing:
Anton Erasmus thanked the paddlers for supporting this inaugural event and announced that DURO PRESSINGS (The market leader in steel window and door pressings) had agreed to double the first prize money to make it R3000 and stated that they will sponsor the 2006 event with a whacking R20000. Pete Mote of Red7 gave a double canoe as a lucky draw prize and agreed to give support to the 2006 event.

The Race:
Good clean start for all batches. A one canoe at a time channel caused some congestion soon after the start then thru Soutpans Weir. The technical section from the weir to Soutpans bridge saw some swimmers. Soutpans claimed Mote and Schuddinh. The entry through the bridge required good boat speed and then a good line through to missing the big hole by keeping left. Lead boats at this stage were Louw brothers, Von Mansberg and Horne, Harris and Collyer.

These three stayed in touch until Glen Alpha bridge when the Louws and Harris/Collyer got away. Harris and Collyer pulled ahead just before Marlow causeway where they had 100m on the Louws. Marlow chute saw arris and Collyer swim, but a quick get in prevented the Louws from breaking away.

The Louws lead into and out of the Cradock Weir portage,but at Golf Course Rapid Harris/Collyer broke away and sprinted through to the finish to win in 3h26m59s to beat the Louws by 18 sec.

Two doubles pulled out at Knutsford having sustained unrepairable damage on route.

Welsh and Burri (sub masters) had a great race to finish 4th in 3h40m57s.

Times where generally slower than expected but this was due to the head wind and the smallish field.

Prize Giving:

• 1st Harris and Collyer R3000, HANSA shirts and caps and free entry to 2006 BWF
• 2nd Louw and Louw R600,HANSA shirts and caps and free entry to 2006 BWF
• 3rd Von Mansberg and Horne R400, HANSA shirts and caps and free entry to the 2006 BWF
• 4th and 1st Sub Master Welsh and Burri R400 and free entry to the 2006 BWF
• 5th and first vet Hooke and Theron R400 and free entry to the 2006 BWF
• 8th and first mixed Double Pepper and Eardley R400 and free entry to the 2006 BWF
• 21st and first master Armour and Damalis R400 and free entry to the 2006 BWF
• 22nd and first single H Oosthuizen free entry to the 2006 BWF (provided he paddles double)

Winner of RED7 double canoe: Skinner and Johnson

Thanks to:
DURO, RED7, HANSA, CAT DELTA, LOCAL FARMERS, DEPT of Water Affairs

Full Results: BIG WATER FISH 2005

paddler 1 paddler 2
position no name club sex no name club sex time category
1 1811 M HARRIS FLO M 2694 B COLLYER VIC M 3:26:59 SENIOR K2
2 4475 R LOUW FIS M 4405 G LOUW FIS M 3:27:17 SENIOR K2
3 4707 R VON MANSBERG BLU M 4789 D HORNE BLU M 3:30:55 SENIOR K2
4 4756 R WELSH BLU M 4779 M BURRI BLU M 3:40:57 SUB MASTER K2
5 4891 R HOOKE BLU M 4878 K THERON BLU M 3:42:19 VET K2
6 1611 D WHITE ERK M 1553 C FOX ERK M 3:43:43 SENIOR K2
7 4404 B LOUW FIS M 4406 L COPEMAN FIS M 3:43:46 SUB MASTER K2
8 2690 R PEPPER VIC M 2733 S EARDLEY VIC F 3:43:53 X VET K2
9 4433 M VIVIERS FIS M 4485 C MOOLMAN FIS M 3:49:40 SENIOR K2
10 4716 H CAMERON BLU M 4874 R MANGOLD BLU M 3:52:02 SENIOR K2
11 4738 S FRASER BLU M 4710 A SKOWNA BLU M 3:54:40 SENIOR K2
12 4780 H SKINNER BLU M JOHNSON BLU M 3:57:10 SENIOR K2
13 4893 M MARCH RHO M 4066 A MORPHEW RHO M 3:58:00 SENIOR K2
14 4714 I WALLAND BLU M 4751 C WALLAND BLU M 3:59:12 SENIOR K2
15 1542 R VAN ZYL ERK M 10 CHORELY INT M 4:00:10 SENIOR K2
16 4422 T NAUDE FIS M 4435 J MAREE FIS M 4:03:30 SENIOR K2
17 13 I DANIEL BOR M CLODAGH RHO F 4:05:00 X SENIOR K2
18 1589 S TRUBY ERK M 1541 A VAN ZYL ERK M 4:09:48 VET K2
19 4900 T MAPHAM RHO M 4055 S CHESTERMAN RHO F 4:10:45 X SENIOR K2
20 4556 D BOYD BOR M 4073 A WHITTING RHO F 4:11:38 X SENIOR K2
21 2015 D ARMOUR JCC M 2807 B DAMALIS VIC M 4:12:20 MASTER K2
22 8128 H OOSTHUIZEN ZUL M 4:12:50 VET K1
23 4458 G KINGWILL FIS M 4410 R GLENNIE FIS M 4:23:06 VET K2
24 1736 N PAYNE DAB M 4:27:10 SUB MASTER K1
25 1991 C PILGRAM DAB M 6:04:00 VET K1
26 11 G AFRICA INT M 12 J MCCALGAN INT M DNF SENIOR K2
27 4737 P MOTE BLU M 2813 A SCHUDDINH ERK M DNF SUB VET K2
28 4782 C DELAUWERE BLU M 4758 J B PERSSON BLU M DNF SUB VET K2

ENDS