I september 2019 var jeg og 13 andre til VM i surfski. En U23 roer var kommet ind på det danske landshold fra højre. En Anders Hart, en syd afrikansk og dansk statsborger der stillede op for Danmark til VM.
Det var egentlig meningen at Anders Hart og jeg skulle ro toer surfski til VM. Og vi skulle derfor ud og øve os lidt, men lige inden vi gik ud fandt vi ud af at Anders ikke kunne nå løbet, fordi han skulle flyve tidligt den lørdag og starten ville gå kl. 14. Jeg måtte jeg finde en anden makker…
Men, vi besluttede, trods den negative nyhed at vi ville hyggero en tur alligevel. Og sådan skete det, at Anders Hart bor i Cape Town, han har roet Cape Point Challenge flere gange, og skulle gøre det igen. Og jeg kunne, hvis jeg ville, komme og træne og bo hos ham og hans familie!
Og sådan gik det til at jeg pludselig havde et sted og bo i Cape Town og nogen at træne med.
Så her bor jeg. Med Anders Hart, hans lillebror Olli, hans mor Lis, far Rob, to hunde og to katte.
Vigtigst - Jeg vidste nu at jeg ville komme ned til en sikker base. Et hjem som ville passe på mig.
Pis og Lort også - De holder ikke jul!
Jeg er en ret stor julefan. At vågne første december gør mig en lille smule glad.
Jeg har en klar forventning om at jeg nok skal få min julestemning selvom jeg er i Syd Afrika. Jeg holder jo bare jul som de gør her. De har sikkert nogen andre juleritualer end jeg er vant til?
Jeg spørger:
Åbner i en julekalender hver dag? Nej, findes ikke
Ser i julekalender i fjernsynet? Nej, findes ikke
Har en et sterinlys der tæller ned? Nej, findes ikke
Adventslys i tænder hver søndag? Nej, findes ikke
Ses i hver weekend med jeres familie og bager brunkager? Nej
Lucia? Nej
Tager i 2-3 kilo på i december pga. en konstant tilbud om æbleskiver? Nej
Slankekur i januar? åbentbart ikke…
Jamen altså det gik jo allerede galt på Hawaii, de troede julemanden boede i Finland - suk!
Jeg er uden ord…..
Hvordan skal jeg nu komme i julestemning? Jeg har heldigvis et par tricks i ærmet - vi får af se om jeg lykkes.
Jeg fortalte om den danske julekalender hvor tre mænd smager 24 forskellige juleøl. Selve øl-smagningen er filmet på én gang, men man ser kun en øl af gangen. Så man kan jo selv gætte deltagernes tilstand ved den 18. december.
Men ideen faldt ikke helt dårligt til. Så måske en ny øl hver dag? Måske er julen reddet?
Jeg skal kvalificeres til Cape Point Challenge
Det er ikke en tosset ide af dem som står for et løb der er så ekstremt som dette, at man måske lige burde kvalificerer sig inden man får lov til at starte.
Jeg havde snakket med Pete, inden jeg tog herned. Det er ham der står for løbet, og min deltagelse til VM i år, burde kvalificerer mig.
Det var skønt, en stor lettelse. Der et kvalificeringstævne, dem det er 35 kilometer!!! Jeg kan slet ikke så langt endnu!
Jeg har snakket lidt med Anders og Lis og med Ian, en Syd Afrikansk elite roer…
Ak ja, så om få dage skal ro Cape Point Challenge kvalificeringsløb! 35 km med kravtid. Jeg SKAL nå de første 15km. i modvind inden 90 minutter eller mindre, jeg SKAL gennemføre, jeg SKAL helt enkelt overleve! Og jeg har først lige sat mig i en kajak igen i flere uger. Åå gud…
ENGLISH
In September 2019, me and 13 others were at the World surfski Championships. A U23 paddler had entered the Danish national team. An Anders Hart, a South African and Danish citizen who was going to paddle for Denmark. It was really meant that Anders Hart and I should do a race in a double sourfski. And we therefore had to go out and practice a little, but just before we went out we found that Anders could not reach the race, because he had to fly early that Saturday and the start would go at. 14.00. I had to find another partner ... But, we decided, despite the negative news, that we would enjoy a trip anyway. And so it happened that Anders Hart lives in Cape Town, he has paddled the Cape Point Challenge several times, and has to do it again. And I could, if I wanted, come and train and live with him and his family!
And so it happened that I suddenly had a place to live in Cape Town and someone to train with. So here I live. With Anders, his little brother Olli, his mother Lis, father Rob, two dogs and two cats. Most importantly - I knew that I would come down to a safe base. A home that would look after me.
Piss and shit too - They don't have Christmas!
I'm a pretty big Christmas fan. Waking up December 1st makes me a little happy. I have a clear expectation that I will probably get my Christmas spirit even though I am in South Africa. I just keep Christmas the way they do here. They probably have no other Christmas rituals than I'm used to?
I'm asking: do you opens a Christmas calendar every day? No, does not exist Looking at Christmas calendar on television? No, does not exist Does one have a star candle that counts down? No, does not exist. Advent candles every Sunday? No, does not exist. See family every weekend and do baking? No Lucia? No. Gaining 2-3 kilos in December due to a constant supply of apple slices (danish chritmas cookie)? No. Dieting in January? obviously not ... Well, it was already wrong in Hawaii, they thought Santa Claus lived in Finland - sigh! I am without words… .. How should I get into the Christmas spirit now? Fortunately, I have a few tricks up my sleeve - we'll see if I succeed.
I told about the Danish Christmas calendar where three men taste 24 different Christmas beers. The beer tasting itself is filmed all at once, but you only see one beer at a time. So you can guess the participants' condition by December 18th.
But the idea went well in this house. So maybe a new beer every day? Maybe Christmas spirit is saved?
I need to qualify for the Cape Point Challenge
It is not a crazy idea of those who stand for a race that is so extreme like this that one might just have to qualify before being allowed to start. I had talked to Pete before going down here. It is he who is responsible for the race, and my participation in the World Champs this year should qualify me. It was wonderful, a great relief.
There is a qualifier, it is 35 kilometers !!! I can't go that far at all! I've talked to Anders and Lis and Ian, a South African elite paddler ... as so… I have to Race… in a few days, the Cape Point Challenge qualification race is due! 35 km of claim time. I MUST reach the first 15km. in headwinds within 90 minutes or less, I MUST complete, I simply MUST survive! And I first just sat in a kayak again for weeks. Oh god…