My „To Prague” – as we called the race on the south, while people from Prague called it “Budějce”
The persistent pressure of my daughter, Kamila, caused that:
- I have lent photos from 1953 to be published.
- I received a copy of the article by Přemek Dušek The memory of the canoe supermarathon České Budějovice – Praha. I reminded some of the already forgotten experiences from other years and from the cruise on the same track of summer 1945. I even learned what I did not experience.
- And so to the point: I would like to write a few notes on the Dušek’s story about the race in 1956, which also refers to our Polesný-Fuka couple, and what to make some facts more accurate and clear
1. stage
Weir České Vrbné – was only open for races and race Budějovice-Praha, so we were shooting this one without previous try, but we had the knowledge of other weirs, like Pozderaz near Dívčí kamen or Plánský from Budějovice, which were still open, so we were shooting everything that was open.
Hněvkovice – we were told that we stumbled over there, but we had a 2.5 minutes lead at the stage finish (both author’s data). So our stumbling was probably not that bad … When we finished and had a dinner, we were taken to a school for overnight stays.
2. stage:
First weir in Týn – We had a bad luck, unlike the author’s knowledge. We had no repair kit, so with a very frequent pouring we headed to Červená. Immediately after we reached that, we began to work on the repair in an unusual way: in the woods we scratched pitch from the trees and Milan Polesny as a practicing chef arranged in the kitchen with his colleagues warming up the pitch and fixed the cracks in the boat. Since then it was ok. Although, as it turned out in Prague, we have made our bad luck to the finish. Fourth place.
3. stage – I quote: “We could not take the risk … the Budweiser couple was not portaging…” I am convinced that we have followed the principle – we are shooting what is open. Only the “cowards” were portaging.
Finish line: According to the author “Memories”, who I do not remember (Baďura – Janů), we lost 16 minutes in Týn. The final time loss was more or less?
Finally, I greet all current and future participants of the race Budějovice-Praha with the wish to meet somewhere – just like I once had with Pedro Dvorak from the Podolí shipyard.
Ahoy!
Jiří Fuka, 20.5.2014