It’s almost game time for the many particpants paddling the 64th edition of the Dusi Canoe Marathon, an iconic three day event from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
Paddlers get their 120km journey underway on Thursday 19 February at Natal Canoe Club’s headquarters at Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg on the Msundusi River with the goal of reaching the estuary of the Mngeni River at Blue Lagoon in Durban on Saturday 21 February.
Thursday’s 42km opening stage gets starts with the early morning, atmospheric journey out of Pietermaritzburg with paddlers’ opening obstacles being Ernie Pearce Weir, YMCA Weir, Mussons Rapid and Taxi Rapid.
The day is however renowned for its various tough portages, the first of which is the Sewage Farm Hop at the Darvil Sewage Works before the testing Campbell’s Farm trot.
Most of the top paddlers will opt not to put their boat pack into the river at Campbell’s Bridge and instead will continue running with their boat through the Hole in the Wall portage.
More running at the Guinea Fowl and Geoff’s Road, Finger Neck as well as Cabbage Tree portages while some paddling obstacles such as The Maze and Mission Rapid eventually brings paddlers to the overnight stop at Dusi Bridge.
Friday’s stage two is the longest and toughest of the three as the 46km journey finishes with an 11km grind across Inanda Dam to Msinsi Resort.
Saddles 1 and 2 portages will get the blood pumping early on before the Msundusi River joins the Mngeni River with the increase in the volume of water sees paddlers presented with a more technical paddling challenge.
After reaching Marianni-Foley Causeway – the halfway point in the race – paddlers the charge up Nqumeni Hill to avoid the deadly Mamba Gorge before tackling the infamous ‘Big Three’ – Gumtree, Thombi and Hippo Rapids.
The sight of the second stage’s finish line at the end of the long, twisting and tiring flatwater stretch is a welcome one for all while the thought of the shortest 36km stage lying ahead on Saturday also brings great relief.
The final stretch into Durban offers paddlers some of the more exciting and enjoyable rapids in KwaZulu-Natal and after a brief 4km sprint across Inanda Dam, the cool waters of the Mngeni River await paddlers at the tricky Tops Needle Rapid.
Once safely through the first paddling challenge of the day, paddlers are faced with Side Chute and Umzinyathi Rapids before having to make a choice just above Little John Rapid of whether to continue paddling – and tackle some the toughest rapids of the race such as Island 1 and 2 as well as Five Fingers Rapids – or run over the never-ending and steepest portage of the three day journey, the infamous Burma Road.
Most elite paddlers choose to run these days and as they crest the notoriously gruelling hill, they are greeted with their first glimpse of Durban.
Bouyed by the end drawing near, paddlers call on their reserve tank of energy supplies as they face up to the final few kilometres before the flat waters of Blue Lagoon.
The man-made Pumphouse Weir and Rapid present paddlers with the final major obstacle of the race before the last flatwater grind to the finish line at Blue Lagoon where family, friends and the resounding sense of achievement await.
The 64th edition of the Dusi Canoe Marathon takes place from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon in Durban from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 February 2015. More information can be found at www.dusi.co.za