50 Years of Umko 1966 - 2016 1966 - 2016 | Page 90

hit nothing on the way down and, as in those days we had no lifejackets, I
began swimming up as soon as I could. I seemed to be going nowhere and
the thought crossed my mind that perhaps I was disoriented and swimming
down instead of up so I stopped swimming for the surface to see what
direction I would move in. It didn’t help, time passed, I suppose seconds,
and the need for air was becoming urgent. I started swimming for the
surface again thinking I would rather go out trying for the surface, even if it
was the wrong direction. I have no recollection of surfacing and was woken
by water splashing in my face at the top of the first rapid after the falls.
Luckily for me I was alongside a submerged rock and I just had to throw an
arm over it to get my head out of the water. I was exhausted and had it been
any further away I would have drowned in the rapid. I lay there retching
until I recovered then ran back up the gorge to see where Jimmy was.
“As I climbed up I was relieved to see a figure sitting on a rock right on
the edge of the falls. In my haste I stubbed and broke my big toe. Once back
on top Jimmy indicated he would wait for a helicopter. Looking around I
saw some cattle and two herdboys watching. The cattle had rope (asbestos
belting) around their necks. I asked if I could borrow it to pull Jimmy off the
right hand edge of the falls. I duly knotted two pieces together, tied the end
to a large log of wood and walked upstream and threw it into the current to
float it down to Jimmy. It proved impossible and the current kept pushing
the log to the left of the falls. At this stage I was shivering with cold or
perhaps shock and was wondering what to do next.
“The herders had watched with interest and at this stage asked how much
money I had. I happened to have a R1 coin and for this princely sum one
fellow agreed to take the log much higher upstream and swim it down to
Jimmy, from where his friend and I would pull them both back to the bank.
I checked the knots, held the end running down the bank while he swam
for the falls. Once together on the edge of the falls they both held on and
jumped while the friend and I ran back with the rope. It worked and they
both virtually bounced on the surface of the water to safety.”
Yo! So now we actually know all about this incredible saga - every
paddler’s worst nightmare - which attained legendary status over the
years! Canews in 1977 emphasised that the race that year would be starting
BELOW the falls (capital letters and underlined) and editor Kelway Tanner
added a comment: “If you guys don’t know where the waterfall is ask Peter
Peacock! Actually this is most definitely a compulsory portage always - if
you don’t take out you probably won’t be around to be penalised anyway!”

Hail to the King - King Arthur!

It may have been the same race or another when Charles got a lift back
from Goodenough’s with the ever-colourful Arthur Toekoe Egerton in his
Datsun 1200 bakkie, two boats on the tiny roof (one named ‘Excalibur’). A
thunderstorm brewed and soon hailstones as big as golfballs (you always
have to say that) were pelting down. The boats were cockpit-up and started
sagging, forcing them to stop and empty. They got soaked through. Their
misfortune and not having any dry clothes reminded Charles that he was
well-connected in Umkomaas village: He had Italian family-in-law there!
They arrived on Mama’s doorstep looking miserable. Papa was at the Italian
club, where else, it was Sunday and Mama ushered them in and fed them
a large Italian lunch. We hope Papa got his when he got home. His lunch.

Unusual Craft

Rob Davey is passed by a guy - on a lilo!
During one of my swims I was suddenly overtaken by this guy on a lilo
clutching onto a paddle. We agreed that it would be better if I took his

UMKO 50 Years

Rob Davey & Dave Biggs

paddle and let him concentrate on getting to the overnight stop on his lilo.
This was the start of a great friendship with Dave Biggs that has spanned
almost forty years. Dave has been an inspiration to me and I will always
treasure the great times we have had on the river together.

Hugh Raw - K3 Madness

In the early days of K3 development, after the Gandy brothers had completed
a Dusi in a K3 I felt that it was not designed for carrying but would be a great
boat for a really big river. So I started plotting to find someone brave enough
to paddle this unknown entity with me. My old mate Dickie Edwards had
declined after I swam him through No.5&6 and suddenly I discovered I had
no friends.
Luckily, two adventurous and possibly overly-trusting young ladies took
the bait and pitched up at Hella-Hella to take on the Umko. (Or as Di Rietz
put it: There are two ways of getting to Josephine’s, one along a tarred road, the
other along a treacherous stretch of river. Our adventurers chose the river). Two
nights before, Di asked if I wanted a repair kit in the boat. Well there were
two rolls of tape already tied in the K3 so I said no thanks, visualising a
small suitcase of stuff that she normally carries. It was already a very heavy
boat and it took both ladies to carry it to the pound, trying not to struggle.
At the start there was much shaking of heads and muttering about
nutcases with the river level estimated at about 1.8m and having that oily,
silent look except for the little rapid above the start which was throwing up
a bit of spray. None of these portents worried me because driving a K3 is

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