Ja Boet, die Granite Quarries Vaal Marathon het plaasgevind die naweek 7 en
8 November ek se’ – ons het kliphard geroei, ek se’.
Ons het afgery Barrage toe met ‘n goei span seconds – my eie voortuig Toyota Carolla en ‘n Ford bakkie as back up my broer, die chick in die Ford het ‘n ander roeispan se voertuig by SmilingThru gekry. So ja, ons kom daaraan gekom 20 minute voor die wegspring, klok in, kry boot af, trek kit aan, sit K2 op skouers, trap af tot by die revier, sit boot in die water, klim in en roei tot by die wegspring.
Die hele back up span staan op die wal vir ons en waai – my dogter kleinseun beste vriendin haar ou, hulle skreeu vir ons by die wegspring. Maar ja boet, let me tell you about this pub – it is the Jakkalsgat Pub and Grill, hierdie is ‘n moerse pub, jy stap daarin en daar is twee kameelperde se koppe weeskante van die ingang, this is a camel horse, this is a special animal, the other animals chow the shrubs and grass on the ground where they poep, the camel horse don’t smaak to eet poep with his food so he only eats the leaves on top of the trees.
Maar ja, back to the Granite Vaal. So ons roei die plat water tot by Benoude Boude, waar die die destyds se boer die buurman se seun se boude bo-op sy dogter gesien het, daars nie water nie, daars net klippe ek se’ jy kan kies waar
jy wil oorgly, as jy vas sit dan klim jy uit.
Maar ja there in the Jakkalsgat Pub, we order a dop, every second bar stool is ‘n perd se saal, a saddle for a horse not for a camel horse, and there is sawdust on the floor and the blonde barmaid throws peanuts in the shells on the the floor and the hoender haan comes in with all the hoenders ek se’.
But back to the granite race – we had a lekker paddle to Goosebay Weir, we went over there, thanks marshal standing on the wall hitting the exact line with his stick, with our whole back up team cheering us on, ja boet they found a road to get to get there, that ment so much to us, ek se’. In the Jakkalsgat pub my missus wants to go to the bathroom and there is a hoenderhaan wat voor die spiee’l staan en pronk. Toe sy terugkom in die bar is daar ‘n kalkoen by ons tafel, true my broer.
On the river the water was so low that when you come to a rapid you choose which rocks you want to slide over, then the nose of the boat catches in a rock and you go sideways, then you climb out of the boat, lift the nose of the boat of the rock en roei verder. Boet it was a mission – it was best that you do it with your paddling buddy that you get dronk with, not with your chick or your missus, that would lead to ‘n moerse huismoles.
To the organizing club JCC: the Vaal Marathon is an institution like the
Fish and the Dusi, you are to be commended for running the race each year.
We are currently enduring a drought so Rand Water was unable to give us a
water release. I will be back next year, and hopefully the water will be as
well.
Chris Rowe…..