Hi {name},

I was going to crow about being Nostradamus with my prediction of the Dusi results, but realised that it did not take a brain surgeon to come up with the most likely winners.

Andy Birkett and Christie MacKenzie, take a bow. You have both etched your names into the history books of this iconic event: Christie with her fourth K1 title in a row, and Andy with an absurd 15th Dusi gold, matching the record of “The Pope”, Graeme Pope-Ellis.

In the men’s race, Andy exerted his dominance from the first day, with a slight lead over his old time rival, Sbonelo Khwela. Sbonela threw caution to the wind on the second day and pulled to within a few seconds of the leader, before Andy's world marathon experience kicked in and the gap opened to over four minutes at the overnight stop at Inanda Dam. 

Only some severe misfortune on day 3 could have prevented Andy from lifting the winner’s trophy yet again, but of course this did not happen.

The battle for second was one of the most exciting, with Matt Fenn managing to catch Sbonelo on the second day, but relinquishing his brief advantage with some conservative decisions on Day 3.

The top three in the women’s race did not put each other under as much pressure, with Christie in a league of her own, opening up a nine minute advantage over Nix Birkett on the first day and never looking back. She finished in 30th overall, beating Nix in the end by 26 minutes, with die-hard Bridgitte Hartley claiming the bronze a further 11 minutes behind.

The most captivating dual of the race was among the U18 men. Keegan Vogt pulled a slight lead over Siyabonga Ndlovu on the first day, only to relinquish it on the second day, and then to reclaim it by a mere 33 seconds on the final day.

First junior women went to Hana Newlands with a relatively comfortable 35-minute win over Tayla Norton.

As with the Drak Challenge, some last minute rains bolstered the river levels and by all accounts, the paddlers raved about the conditions and the organisation, with many pre booking their participation in the 75th running of the event next year.

Hopefully, by then, the powers that be would have made some inroads into improving the water quality and the race can return to the start at Camps Drift.

The next major on the calendar is the mighty Stihl Umko. The big-water classic is taking place in just over 2 weeks (15-16 March).

Recent rains have ensured that participants should not have to endure the bump and scrape that characterised the event last year.

The Umko vibe is like no other on the paddling calendar, with a massively festive overnight stop and a fantastic trail run for those who are not water fanatics.

My annual chirp is that you cannot call yourself a canoeist until you have done at least one Umko.

The exhilaration of the river, and the majestic, unspoilt valley that you paddle through is an experience that is unique.

For the uninitiated, who wish to give the race a crack, there is a very relaxed opportunity to acquaint yourself with the river next weekend (8-9 March), where a group of paddlers have a casual paddle from Josephines Bridge to Riverside (first day of the Umko). I can almost guarantee you will scramble for an entry after seeing the river.

The World Games are being held in Chengdu, China, in August this year. 

Marathon canoeing is one of the disciplines that has been included.

Originally, the trial to select the team (only one male and one female) was going to be held in conjunction with the SA Marathon Championships in June.

However, SASCOC has requested that we submit our team names by the end of April.

The Marathon Committee has decided to hold a separate trial to select the team. The trial will be held on the Dudley Pringle dam outside Durban, on 12-13 April, with the short course taking place on the Saturday and the long course on the Sunday.

All paddlers are invited to attend the race, as it will be good training for the provincial and national championships the month after.

The marathon committee have also requested that nominations be solicited for the position of manager of the national marathon team to compete at the world championships in Hungary during the first week in September. 

The requirements that need to be met by the prospective applicant are included in the team managers manual.

If you are of the opinion that you fit the profile please send a CV to sg@canoesa.org.za

Every one of my newsletters, until October, will include a reminder that we are hosting the World Ocean Racing championships in Durban on the 17-19 October.

We are the current world champions.

We are going to put on an incredible show.

The race courses have been finalised. If the NE wind is blowing, the course will be from DUC to Amanzimtoti (28km). If the SW wind is blowing, the course will be from DUC to Westbrook (34km).

The event will be held in a three-day window period, so, unless we are really unlucky, you will have a great downwind to get you to the finish.

If the surf at the finish is considered to be challenging, a deep water finish will be an option, giving paddlers the opportunity to paddle back to the beach, through the surf, at their leisure.

Don’t give up the opportunity to take part in a world championships, especially on your home soil. It may not come around again for a very long time.

If you are a river paddler, break out of the mould and get into a ski for a few months.

All categories and age groups count towards the team trophy – we cannot let the Aussies give us a thrashing on our own doorstep.

Don’t leave it too late. Get involved now.

Cheers ... 

Your SG
Copper

And the joke ...

WIFE: "There is trouble with the car. It has water in the carburettor."

HUSBAND: "Water in the carburettor? That's ridiculous."

WIFE: "I tell you the car has water in the carburettor."

HUSBAND: "You don't even know what a carburettor is. I'll check it out. Where's the car?"

WIFE: "In the river"

And a bonus this month ...