Birds shoot off like the wind
Another Saturday, another racepoint and another day on which the competing pigeons were able to benefit from the favourable wind conditions.
This time, Beaufort West in the Western Cape was the release point as the birds flew the 410-500km home to their lofts.
But unlike in the previous races from the west and southwest, even though the flying speeds dipped just below the 100km/h mark, the results were more equitable with the positions on the sheets for both races being evenly distributed among the competing areas.
The Yearlings were released at 7.30am in relatively windless conditions but the birds picked up WSW winds enroute, which saw the winning bird, flown by the ever-consistent Ristow/Jasmieson loft of Northerns, open up a ‘break’ of over six minutes – this on a day when positions on the result sheet were separated by single seconds in some instances.
The winning average speed was 97.2km/h for the 5hr duration of the flight. Second position went to Queenstown’s Hilton Adams in 95.3km/h.
Schoolboy, novice fancier Nathan Openshaw of Northerns, flying in his first season of racing, took third spot at 95.1 km/h.
Openshaw managed a second top-10 position to set his pigeon racing career on track.
The first Eastern Cape pigeon was clocked by Boeta Pieterse’s Sky Turtle Loft in 39th position at 92.47km/h.
The any-age race produced a slightly slower winning speed, probably as a result of the birds being liberated an hour later, having to contend with somewhat warmer conditions.
The partnership of Alan Weimann and Stuart Sanders of Northerns ‘dropped’ three birds together at 96.0km/h to take the top trio of positions.
In fourth position was Queenstown’s Tiaan landman at 95.6km/h, with Resthaven Lofts of the Comrades club coming in fifth.
Raymond Schenk registered his first arrival in 92.1km/h in 49th position.
The next race sees the packs flying from Laingsburg in the Western Cape with distances ranging between 560km for the Kowie birds to 650km for the East London entrants.