The ultimate canoe endurance marathon, the Dusi, took place from February 19 to 21, from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, a distance of 120km.
Despite thunderstorms in recent weeks, the storage dam’s levels were still well below expected levels for this time of the year and most provinces are feeling the brunt of water restrictions.
For Dusi paddlers, this meant the luxury of water releases from the dams, that have been a hallmark of the modern Dusi, were noticeably reduced.
A number of paddlers from Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC) participated and finished successfully in the challenging conditions of the 2015 Dusi, with the top finisher being their club coach Richard Cele, who originates from the Dusi Valley.
Cele finished in the prestigious top 20 position, earning a gold medal for his 19th place overall, in a time of under 10 hours for the three days — eight hours and 57 minutes.
Gregory Smith partnered with Cape Town-based Brandon Collyer, to finish as the fourth K2 (double canoe) in nine hours and 43 minutes.
Gregory’s brother, Roland Smith, and Sandra Eardley, from the Cape, finished as the third mixed double (male/female combination), in a time of 10 hours and 54 minutes, as 20th double overall.
Collen Gibbs was as the club’s next K1 (single canoe) finisher, (194th) in a time of 11 hours and 31 minutes, while the club’s safety officer, Uwe Schmidt, partnered with club-mate Neil Jackson and managed to finish in 13 hours, six minutes, as the 181st K2.
The pair had stopped to assist a paddler in trouble, an example of true sportsmanship, but it was an extremely traumatic and upsetting experience, which could have ended their race.
While the leaders of the race train regularly on the river without water releases, and are familiar with all the treacherous channels and islands, the out-of-towners, like the Gauteng paddlers, struggled to find their way on a low level river.
They faced numerous portages, harking back to the tough pioneering days of the early Dusi Marathon races, before dams were built, when boats were made of wood and canvas in the ’60s and ’70s, making it one of the toughest Dusi’s in recent years.
The first day runs through the centre of Pietermaritzburg, on the low level Mngeni River, to end in the Dusi Valley of 1 000 Hills, where local townspeople lined the river banks at first, to be replaced by local valley villagers cheering the paddlers, while seconds struggled on the hilly dirt roads.
On day two, from the Dusi Bridge in the valley, towards Inanda Dam, the Msundusi and the Mngeni rivers meet.
Although there was not too much water coming from the Mngeni, the rapids were treacherous as the fast flowing current swerved around boulders at top speed, requiring quick reflexes to avoid boat wraps.
The final day, day three, from Inanda to Durban, the shortest section at under 40km, is usually the fun part of the race, with good water from Inanda Dam.
This time it was tougher than usual, with no release, and strong resistance on the approaches to Blue Lagoon, in Durban, in the shallows, against the incoming tide.
Numerous other VLC members also completed the tough event, finishing as the fish and chips of the race and thoroughly enjoying the Hansa’s at the finish.
