It's been eleven long years

[River Rat]

Thanks to a back injury I have been unable to paddle rivers with my last Duzi being in 2009 with my son, a truly wonderful experience. It was my 16th and his first but alas 2 broken facets in L4 and L5 has kept me off the river, my target of 20 Duzis and a King Rat sticker seemed a lost cause. Not that I haven't tried but it took me about 6 years of Mountain Biking, lots of physio, Pilates and 3 false starts thanks to rotator cuff injuries and subsequent operations to get me where I am. On Saturday we hit the river for the first time in a looong while and a very full Klip river greeted us, this got the adrenaline going. I had hoped for a rather sedate initiation into the restart of my paddling career and the Klip river is ideal for this but a full river was a different proposition.

 

For brief moment we considered calling it a day but we knew what that would do for our confidence and we stuck to the plan. Starting in turbulent water is no easy feat and we were extremely nervous and wobbly but we very soon found our river legs. The flow of the river meant that our second was hard pressed to stay ahead of us and we just missed him at the bridge on the R551. Just after the bridge we had the unpleasant discovery of a dead body of a black male trapped in a tree block, dressed in dark blue overalls and covered in flies . So staying in the boat had become vital and the big water was testing us , fortunately we had no swims and  by the time we hit the last rapid at Caravan  park we were bullet proof.

 

This is the second body that I have discovered in a river that last one some 20 years ago on the Vaal and I knew the drill. We found SAPS patrolling the Klipriver resort and reported the incident to them, but I knew from my previous experience that they were going to ask us to retrieve the body for them, after all we had a boat. We offered to show them were it was but got the hell out of Dodge when the discussion turned to retrieval , that body was ripe and not something for sensitive stomachs! Hopefully SAPS were capable of identifying who he was and his family can find some closure.

 

Despite this unfortunate discovery our confidence is up, now for the 50 Miler on the Umsimduzi and Umgeni Rivers on Saturday, this will be a lot more technical, but we're up for it.

 

[DJR]

Good to hear.

 

After my crash last year in late Feb, broken scapula and stuffed ligaments, the orthodaedic surgeon who did the repair recommended paddling as a good exercise. I truly thought he was talking rubbish because the arm was so weak, it could not even lift its' own weight.......but he was right. Physio and gym got it up to steam and I can both ride and paddle. Wouldn't try the water you did though........ok, I will........but in the expedition kayaks (ships)! Wind-still flat seas is more my thing!

[Plentipotential]

I don't like to say it but that water quality is dodgy, Friday's test showed 15 150 parts E.coli per 100 ml water, anything above 400 is not safe! But if you're doing Duzi then you should probably get used to it before you test that water!

 

High risk of gastrointestinal disorders E.coli > 400 counts/100ml

 

http://reservoir.co.za/forums/vaalbarrage/barrage_forum/barrage_recreation/2020/BarrageWeekly_03Jan2020.pdf

[River Rat]

I don't like to say it but that water quality is dodgy, Friday's test showed 15 150 parts E.coli per 100 ml water, anything above 400 is not safe! But if you're doing Duzi then you should probably get used to it before you test that water!

 

High risk of gastrointestinal disorders E.coli > 400 counts/100ml

 

http://reservoir.co.za/forums/vaalbarrage/barrage_forum/barrage_recreation/2020/BarrageWeekly_03Jan2020.pdf

Unfortunately that's the story of the Duzi I have done 16 and 11 50milers on these rivers without getting sick but it remains a game changer and it's always in the back of my mind. Wife insists that I do a course of probiotics beforehand.

[SwissVan]

Thanks to a back injury I have been unable to paddle rivers with my last Duzi being in 2009 with my son, a truly wonderful experience. It was my 16th and his first but alas 2 broken facets in L4 and L5 has kept me off the river, my target of 20 Duzis and a King Rat sticker seemed a lost cause. Not that I haven't tried but it took me about 6 years of Mountain Biking, lots of physio, Pilates and 3 false starts thanks to rotator cuff injuries and subsequent operations to get me where I am. On Saturday we hit the river for the first time in a looong while and a very full Klip river greeted us, this got the adrenaline going. I had hoped for a rather sedate initiation into the restart of my paddling career and the Klip river is ideal for this but a full river was a different proposition.

 

For brief moment we considered calling it a day but we knew what that would do for our confidence and we stuck to the plan. Starting in turbulent water is no easy feat and we were extremely nervous and wobbly but we very soon found our river legs. The flow of the river meant that our second was hard pressed to stay ahead of us and we just missed him at the bridge on the R551. Just after the bridge we had the unpleasant discovery of a dead body of a black male trapped in a tree block, dressed in dark blue overalls and covered in flies . So staying in the boat had become vital and the big water was testing us , fortunately we had no swims and by the time we hit the last rapid at Caravan park we were bullet proof.

 

This is the second body that I have discovered in a river that last one some 20 years ago on the Vaal and I knew the drill. We found SAPS patrolling the Klipriver resort and reported the incident to them, but I knew from my previous experience that they were going to ask us to retrieve the body for them, after all we had a boat. We offered to show them were it was but got the hell out of Dodge when the discussion turned to retrieval , that body was ripe and not something for sensitive stomachs! Hopefully SAPS were capable of identifying who he was and his family can find some closure.

 

Despite this unfortunate discovery our confidence is up, now for the 50 Miler on the Umsimduzi and Umgeni Rivers on Saturday, this will be a lot more technical, but we're up for it.

 

https://youtu.be/_ZxU1xy0l_Q

https://youtu.be/q9KE44d757E

https://youtu.be/1kOzb8qMPr4

We may have paddled the same stretch on the klip at the same time..... my mate and I did our first river paddle and race there in a double... what a disaster it was, but also the most I have laughed for many years.

My stomach muscles were cramping from laughing....This was in 1999.

 

I remember a hectic tree block very well after a big road bridge in those days.... I lost my paddle in that tree block if it’s the same one.... well actually it was not even my paddle as I borrowed it from the guy who let us use his boat for the race...

[Long Wheel Base]

I don't like to say it but that water quality is dodgy, Friday's test showed 15 150 parts E.coli per 100 ml water, anything above 400 is not safe! But if you're doing Duzi then you should probably get used to it before you test that water!

 

High risk of gastrointestinal disorders E.coli > 400 counts/100ml

 

http://reservoir.co.za/forums/vaalbarrage/barrage_forum/barrage_recreation/2020/BarrageWeekly_03Jan2020.pdf

Yoh, Number 9 must be like pure raw sewage.

[River Rat]

We may have paddled the same stretch on the klip at the same time..... my mate and I did our first river paddle and race there in a double... what a disaster it was, but also the most I have laughed for many years.

My stomach muscles were cramping from laughing....This was in 1999.

 

I remember a hectic tree block very well after a big road bridge in those days.... I lost my paddle in that tree block if it’s the same one.... well actually it was not even my paddle as I borrowed it from the guy who let us use his boat for the race...

 

None of us ever forget our first time

 

The bridge in question is the R551 and thanks to the canoe clubs like JCC and Florida most of the tree blocks have been cleared. Over the last 15 years we've been able to paddle up to 70km on that river, it has become the ideal river for introducing novices to river paddling. In 1999 I think we were restricted to the Henley weir to caravan park stretch which is a very nice piece of water but on Saturday it had a bit of bite to it.

[Stretched@Birth]

I don't like to say it but that water quality is dodgy, Friday's test showed 15 150 parts E.coli per 100 ml water, anything above 400 is not safe! But if you're doing Duzi then you should probably get used to it before you test that water!

 

High risk of gastrointestinal disorders E.coli > 400 counts/100ml

 

http://reservoir.co.za/forums/vaalbarrage/barrage_forum/barrage_recreation/2020/BarrageWeekly_03Jan2020.pdf

I check that report regularly, and must say, I don’t trust the numbers. The counts are all over the place.

 

Having said that, I wouldn’t want to fall in while scooping a sample at point 9. Point 3 is on the Klipriver, also high counts. There is a weir further upstream where we cross on one of our cycling routes, it looks like a bubble bath some days, not sure what causes the foam.

[River Rat]

I check that report regularly, and must say, I don’t trust the numbers. The counts are all over the place.

Having said that, I wouldn’t want to fall in while scooping a sample at point 9. Point 3 is on the Klipriver, also high counts. There is a weir further upstream where we cross on one of our cycling routes, it looks like a bubble bath some days, not sure what causes the foam.

Foam is caused by dissolved organics a sure sign that there's poo in the water. I believe the weir that you refer to was Henley Weir where we started on Saturday the high water level would have diluted the e.coli count quite a bit. We chatted to some roadies who came to have a look at the water level but there was no way anyone was crossing that weir.

[Stretched@Birth]

Foam is caused by dissolved organics a sure sign that there's poo in the water. I believe the weir that you refer to was Henley Weir where we started on Saturday the high water level would have diluted the e.coli count quite a bit. We chatted to some roadies who came to have a look at the water level but there was no way anyone was crossing that weir.

The weir is further upstream, close to the Rand Water Board where the Fast One cycle race starts from (near to Sundowner Ranch/Zeemans MX track).

[HeyYou]

Never been a paddler, tried it a few times, but I'm too top heavy and don't know how to wiggle my bum sideways to stay stable

 

A long, long time ago, in a far off galaxy I was a runner and a swimmer, as well as a pretend cyclist (actually I was a pretend everything). But, unfortunately, being the size I am, I wore my knees out, so that put paid to the running, would love to have got my Comrades Green. Stopped swimming too after that, but thank dog I carried on cycling, otherwise I'd be close to 150kg.

[Bateleur1]

Good read River Rat.

 

I still have it on my bucket list to start rowing here.  We have a pretty big lake not far from us and since we moved here I was thinking about taking up the sport.

 

In the mean time I recently joined a swimming club as I always wanted to get more involved into swimming to complement the cycling.  Must say I enjoy the swimming but after the first day of training I thought that I would be typing on my computer with my tongue the next morning.  But with the second training session it got better.

[Spoke101]

Yoh, Number 9 must be like pure raw sewage.

 

I check that report regularly, and must say, I don’t trust the numbers. The counts are all over the place.

 

Having said that, I wouldn’t want to fall in while scooping a sample at point 9. Point 3 is on the Klipriver, also high counts. There is a weir further upstream where we cross on one of our cycling routes, it looks like a bubble bath some days, not sure what causes the foam.

 

Those numbers are tame compared to some of the points the Duzi goes through!

 

[Stretch]

Growing up in pmb it was a certainty that you did either the dusi comrades the midmar mile.. Or all of the above. I did one canoe race.. From below Albert falls to Wartburg bridge. I could not bring myself to put myself through the filth that is the umsundisi river....I also am *** scared of water due to a scarring tubing incident on an in flood bushmens river when I was 10

[Stretched@Birth]

Those numbers are tame compared to some of the points the Duzi goes through!

 

snip.JPG

Seems like Baynesspruit is to be avoided...! There’s a small river at Big Red Barn, the water has a dark grey color and smells like dirty washing water, would be interested to know what the counts are there.

[Stretched@Birth]

Sorry River Rat, your thread has had a semi hijack talking about water quality of the various waterways! Suppose it is relevant, but not in the spirit of your thread [emoji15]