“ The German paddlers were very accommodating and often gave me rides , as did the sole Portuguese paddler .”
PADDLER 91
A GROWING RESENTMENT
I watched with some envy ( and a growing resentment ) as my fellow team members exited , rested , out of their camper , warm , comfortable , and fed , and they walked the course together .
This would be a good time to point out that they were not inherently bad people . As the descendants of upper-class British colonialists , which very much prevails through the South African culture , you are either ‘ one of us ’ or not – the gentleman ’ s club . Enough of my accent was peppered with Americanisms , and my ideas were pervasively American to them , so I was not one of them . The exclusion wasn ’ t about me . Anyone in my position would have received the same treatment .
RICHARD FOX
I was lucky enough to have Richard Fox often invite me to walk the course with him and glean from his insight and experience . Still on the payroll , Norbert did what he could , but he was in an impossible position to please the SACF ( Alick ) and do what he could to help me . I was truly an unwelcome outsider . On one occasion , the SA , Australian and NZ teams had agreed they would go out for dinner . I had little money but decided that this one time , I ’ d splurge . When I arrived at their camping spot , they announced the camper was full and drove off without me . I ate with the Germans .
At each event ’ s conclusion , the South Africans packed up and left for the next event , and I scrambled to find a lift for myself and my boat ( often not the same ride ) to the next event . The German paddlers were very accommodating and often gave me rides , as did the sole Portuguese paddler .
HITCHHIKING ACROSS EUROPE
Between two such events , I was unable to get myself a ride . I was left hitchhiking across Europe . Dropped off at one end of a city , I ’ d have to find a way across to the highway on the other side , where my chances of a ride to my destination were more likely . Backpack slung on one shoulder , kayak on the other , paddle in hand , I ’ d trudge across whatever town I was in until I could get a ride . In one such town , the German police stopped and asked what I was doing , and they gave me a lift to a good spot . On another , a restaurant waiter saw me sitting on the street corner with a bag and boat and asked what I was doing . When I said it had been a few days since I ’ d eaten , he invited me in ( they were not open yet ) to eat a good meal . On my travels , I encountered some genuinely kind people .
I eventually arrived at the race just hours before it started , in time for last-minute registration , but I was unable to do any training runs . Considering I ’ d been sleeping beside a highway for a week , it wasn ’ t a bad result .
“ The German paddlers were very accommodating and often gave me rides , as did the sole Portuguese paddler .”
PADDLER 91