Getting their ducks in a row

KNYSNA NEWS - A very tangible air of excitement wafted through the Knysna Waterfront and Knysna Quays at midday on 28 December in anticipation for the annual Knysna Splash Duck Race.

The Duck Race is part of the Knysna Rotary Club's annual Knysna Splash Festival, which is an opportunity for the organisation to raise funds for its Safe Swimming initiative.

The initiative is aimed at teaching children from underprivileged communities how to swim.

The race is always a highlight on the Rotarians' calendar, as they usually try and sell 1 000 rubber ducks online and on the day to anyone looking to donate to charity and stand a chance to win some cash prizes.

For the 2019 race, they managed to sell more than 950 ducks, and with crowds growing by the second, the first of the two heats of the race was set off just after 13:00. The top 20 rubber ducks were determined here, and the same was done for the second heat, setting up a final showdown between the 40 quickest ducks of the day. The little rubber aquatic birds took to the final heat like ducks to water. One or two broke away from the raft in an effort to cross the finish line first, but they did not factor in the floating foliage in the water which slowed the breakaways down to a near halt, allowing for another duck to come from behind and around the outside to steal the win.

The victorious duck was number 185, which belonged to Karen Coetzee, who became the winner of a whopping R4 000. Renate Kaecher's duck, number 850, came in a close second to earn her R2 000. The third and fourth placed ducks (252 and 752) belonged to Louis Lemkuhl and Fatima Karjieker respectively. They walked away with R750 each.

Crowds lined the bridge to catch a glimpse of the ducks as they came through underneath. Photos: Blake Linder