Hi ,

What a difference a week makes. Who would have thought that within the space of a few days there would be such a wholesale destruction of property, with many lives lost.

The hectic rainfall, and resultant flooding, in KZN has been devastating to a massive number of people, including many of our paddling fraternity.

The damage to infrastructure and to personal and business property has been immense. Many areas in the province are without water and Eskom is adding to the woes with loadshedding.

The last few years have been tumultuous for residents of the province. Covid, followed by violent riots and looting, followed by flooding.

I do not wish to tempt fate by saying "what next".

Included in the extensive list of compromised facilities in the province is a landmark venue for paddling in the country, Shongweni dam. 

The massive inflow of water resulted in a build-up of pressure on the dam wall. The Shongweni dam has a safety feature in the form of "fuse gates" which are designed to fail at a certain pressure. Two of the fuse gates "popped" and the majority of the water drained out, leaving it far too low to be used for paddling. 

Predictions are that it will take at least a year (probably two) for the gates to be replaced and for the dam to fill up again.

Very sad.

Whilst on the subject of dams.

A word of advice to all future presidents of CSA, steer clear of Roodeplaat dam.

Or, if you are compelled to go there, don't take an expensive drone with you and attempt to fly it. The dam is jinxed. There is a triangle, very similar to the Bermuda one, called the "boerewors" triangle, right in the middle.

About 5 years ago I wrote an article, in this very same newsletter, about our, then, president, Christo Horn, who was flying his drone at Roodeplaat dam when it developed a fault whilst over the middle of the dam and unceremoniously plummeted into the water, never to be seen again.

Roll forward 5 or so years, to last week, when our current president, Kim Pople, also decided to fly her drone over Roodeplaat dam. The damned thing got sucked into the very same triangle, developed a fault, and performed an "action replay". Splash!!! never to be seen again. Very creepy!!

Well, as warned, this is the week where all hell breaks loose.

The country's sprinters are heading down to the fairest Cape to compete in the SA Sprint Championships and the SA Schools Sprint Championships at Lomond Wine Estate, near Gansbaai. The event is being covered by live streaming, so you can watch the action from the comfort of your armchair. No less than 3 teams will be selected from the event (Senior, Junior & U23, and the Olympic Hopes), so racing will be intense. With SASCOC changing its policy on continental qualification, our sprinters have realised that Olympic participation is a reality and that they need to raise their level to be the best in Africa to stand a chance. The Olympics, and the qualifying opportunities are going to creep up far faster than usual, with there only being a 3 year break between the last one and the next one.

The Freedom Paddle (SA Double Ski Championships) kicks off a few days after the sprints, with the SA single ski taking place a couple of days after that.

As mentioned last week, Dave Macleod is leaving SA to take up residence in Canada.

Well, today is the day that he is leaving.

He boards a flight out of Cape Town this evening.

It must be a hugely traumatic feeling, leaving all that you have ever known behind.

Our thoughts are with him.

That's all for this week.

Cheers

Copper
Your SG
1111

And a quick joke.

My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.

I asked her, 'Do you know him?'

'Yes, 'she sighed, 'He's my old boyfriend... I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since.'

'Hells Bells!' I said, 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'