First Time Towing

When the time finally came to fetch our new caravan, I was totally unprepared for the fact that I would be the one doing the towing.

A day of shouting for runners on the side of the road during the Comrades Marathon, whilst having the odd beer, meant that legally my husband was not going to be able drive. The plan was originally to leave Botha's Hill for Westville after the runners had passed through and fetch the caravan on our way home. This deviation from the plan of hubby driving had my palms sweating and my leg doing an uncontrollable double-bounce. I put my brave girl 'I can do anything' face on and tried to act nonchalant about the task ahead of me.

Arriving in Westville, we did a final transfer of knowledge between past and present owners and I began the process of reversing the car up a narrow driveway to line up the tow ball and hitch. With a bit of guidance from the seller and my husband, I managed to get the alignment close enough for them to push the caravan the last few inches. Jockey wheel now safely stowed away, I began the drive home to Ballito. Within 15m I encountered my first serious hill start and quietly thanked myself for buying an automatic a few weeks prior. Giving it gas, my Chev pulled the caravan up the hill like an oxen pulling a wagon and we were away.  Coming to my first stop street was a lesson that when towing, you need to brake well ahead or run the risk of not being able to stop in time.

Driving at a respectable and responsible old lady speed of between 70 and 80km/h (I was too terrified to drive any faster), I started to get a feel for towing and loosened my vice-like grip on the steering wheel, allowing the blood to flow back through my white-knuckled fingers.

Arriving in Ballito I felt a sense of accomplishment, I had towed something for the first time in my life and it had been uneventful. This caravan was already making us push boundaries and I liked it.

Reversing it into the driveway was slightly more challenging than just driving straight down the freeway. After approximately 10 attempts with my brother-in-law directing me, I finally had the Commander parked and ready to be inspected at our leisure.