If you happen to see them paddling at Homestead Dam then give them a friendly wave.
You might, however, see less of them now as they enter a tapering period ahead of the Dusi Canoe Marathon from February 16 to 18.
The Lakefield Extension 21 residents and Ekurhuleni Kayak Club (ERK) paddlers have been putting in many hours of intense training on the water and on the road ahead of the Dusi.
The Dusi is a three-day race, running along the Msunduzi and Mgeni Rivers, covering roughly 120km between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
Michael, a seasoned and elite Dusi campaigner with 20 Dusis to his name, is aiming to complete his 21st Dusi and earn a silver medal by finishing in the Top 50.
He is also striving to win in the sub-master age category.
Liam, in matric at Ashton International College, has also set sights on a Top 50 finish and a Top Three podium place among the junior paddlers.
“I would also like to beat my old man but I don’t think that will happen,” he said tongue-in-cheek.
When asked what he would need to do in order to finish ahead of his father he jokingly answered: “I would need him to break his boat.”
It will be Liam’s second taste of the Dusi, but his first in a K1 (one-man boat).
He and Michael completed the 2016 version of race in under 10 hours, in 29th position, to win the father-and-son category.
“My first one was a good learning curve on the back of a K2 (two-man boat) with my dad, but I haven’t really got that much experience on the river yet so I am not exactly sure what to expect.
“I must just not make any mistakes.”
This year will be Michael’s 19th straight A-Batch start, which is one step closer for him to achieve a personal goal of 20 consecutive starts from the front line in 2018.
“I have got one more hard year after this and then I will have to put myself to pasture because age is catching up,” he said.
With so many Dusi finishes under his belt you cannot blame the senior Stewart for wanting to start taking it easier.
He started paddling when he was 27 years old and has been an indomitable presence ever since.
“I did the Ironman back in the days when the canoeing Ironman was the big event.
“It was a triathlon with a 21km canoeing event and I had to learn how to canoe.
“After that a mate and I, over a few beers, were trying to decide on the next big challenge.
“We decided that it would be the Dusi but we weren’t even sure where it was.
“I did it the next year and didn’t look back.”
While Michael’s competitive canoeing career might be slowing down Liam has a budding future ahead of him in the sport.
He is hoping to earn selection in the junior category for the national team for the 2017 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Marathon World Championships to be held in Pietermaritzburg in September.
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