peninsula-canoe

This is a coup for the local organisers – Peninsula Canoe Club - as McGregor, a 5 times Berg River Champion and winner in 2008, is probably using the Swartland as a tune-up for the big event, The Berg, which is being held from Tuesday 14th (Time trial for seedings) to Saturday 18th July and covering some 248 kms between Paarl and Veldrift.

It is also a boost for the local paddling ‘hotties’, several of whom have also confirmed that they will be lining up at the start – paddlers like Milnerton’s U23 powerhouse Lance King, winner of most of the local canoeing events so far this season, P-W Basson and Heinrich Schloms (of Paarl) who have consistently been in the top 5 in every event this season, as well as Ernest van Riet (Stellenbosch), Eugene van der Westhuizen (Milnerton), Edgar Boehm (jnr) and the Birkett brothers (Patrick – Peninsula, Andrew and James – UCT). Unfortunately, Graeme Solomon and Gavin White (both Peninsula) have opted out to concentrate on the S.A. Canoe Marathon Championships being held in Plettenberg Bay at the end of the month. Solomon, a previous winner of the Swartland (and the Berg), would have been a worthy opponent for McGregor, given his pedigree of racing in the Western Cape and his tenacity as a competitor.

With the Berg currently in full spate after heavy rains last week, local knowledge will be at a premium and so the Cape paddlers will be looking to ‘give Hank one’ – certainly, beating him would be a huge feather in the cap of any paddler.

For more info. on the event, please go to the website www.peninsula-canoe.org.za and click on Swartland Marathon.

Rob MacLean