Race bosses anxiously watch weather ahead of Windhoek Berg River
canoe marathon.
Paarl – Race bosses are anxiously watching the arrival of a
number of powerful weather systems approaching the Western Cape
ahead of the start of the Windhoek Berg River Canoe Marathon on
Wednesday 14 July to minimise the chances of setting of the big
field in dangerous flood conditions.
With a cold front having rolled over the Peninsula on Friday
evening, and another major frontal system due to make landfall on
Tuesday, bring with it heavy rains, the area bosses and experts
at the Department of Water Affairs will closely monitor the river
level, and take the decisions about whether or not to release
water from the new Berg River Dam above Paarl.
“We want to avoid the risk of flooding, particularly as this
affects the farmers downstream of the dam,” said race committee
chair Andre Collins. “The great advantage of this new dam is that
we can essentially guarantee that there will never be a very low
Berg again, but it also allows us to manage heavy rainfalls to
minimise the risk of flooding.
While very full river conditions make for exciting paddling for
the Windhoek Berg River Canoe marathon, and introduce numerous
channel options and flooded vleis, it does also dramatically
alter the dangers posed by the many tree blocks along the route,
and hampers access to the river.
“The timing of these two cold fronts has been great, because the
river was a bit low,” said Collins. “We will monitor the rains
and the level of the river, and closer to the race we will decide
about whether or not there is any need for an water release from
the dam.”
The Berg River has a number of key tributaries that join it as it
flows through the Swartland. Together with the gentle gradient of
the river and the sandy surrounds, the river has the ability to
“hold” water well after good rains, which can easily result in
the river spilling over its banks.
In very full years, paddlers have been able to take short-cuts by
paddling over the river banks, often over fences and railway
lines, shortening the distances paddled on each stage and
introducing a thrilling tactical edge into the 49 year old race,
as there is a genuine risk of a short cut running into a dead-end
channel.
The flooded vleis on the final stage across the berg estuary into
the finish at the coastal town of Velddrif caused headaches for
the organisers last year when the leaders took a number of
controversial channels.
This resulted in protracted post-race deliberations and
time-penalties being slapped onto a number of the top paddlers,
including race winner Hank McGregor. “Luckily I was good enough
to win the race despite those penalties,” said McGregor.
“Hopefully everyone learnt something from what happened last
year."
The
Windhoek Berg River Canoe Marathon takes place for 14 to 17 July,
and will be preceded by a time trials for 100 invited athletes on
Tuesday 13 July. More information can be found at
www.windhoekberg.co.za
ENDS
