The Unlimited Dusi - then and now

Friday, 11 February 2011 16:20

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Times have changed on this river

Durban - When defending champion Ant Stott starts The Unlimited Dusi at Camps Drift on Thursday 17 February, it will commemorate the first ever race in 1951, but what the athletes experience on their journey from Pietermaritzburg to Durban down the Umsindusi and Umgeni river will be  far cry from the challenges that faced the early pioneers.

Stott's K1 craft, made of Kevlar, carbon and space-age resins will just tip the scales at 12 kilograms, and will be capable of taking a hammering from the rocky rapids, and being dragged down paths and tar roads.

When Ian Player and his partner for the inaugural race in 1951 set off their boats had been painstakingly hand-made from plans in a book, using canvas stretched over timber ribs and frames. The boats weighed in at 55 pounds (that's 25 kilograms) and when it got a thorough soaking the weight of each boat's weight could balloon to 80 pounds, or 37kgs, as the canvas absorbed water.

Add to that the requirements of food, canvas to effect repairs, water, a snake bite kit and bedding and any other home comforts they felt might be necessary on their non-stop trip to the sea. Only in 1956 did the race rules allowed for bedding and clothing to be transported to the new "overnight stops" at Dusi bridge and Khumalo's Store.

Stott will be armed by a 100% carbon pair of paddles, light, stiff and impact resistant using scientifically shaped wing blades set at anywhere between 45 and 60 degrees to optimise their efficiency.

Player and Brokensha made their own flat paddles from plywood and square spruce, which was then rounded to better suit their paddlers hands.

Stott will be wearing light running shoes, lycra paddling shorts, a sun-resistant long sleeve lycra rashvest and cap, all designed not to absorb water and keep the athlete cool and dry.

The early pioneers set off on their Dusis wearing plimsolls (for the brave) or boots, khaki shorts and shirts, and importantly a robust bush hat that included a hatband of the approved type (Leopard skin initially, then Zebra skin etc.) to designate the club or province they paddled for.

Stott will be wearing a lightweight waterproof splashcover that will fit over the cockpit of his craft , ensuring that no water gets into his kayak.

Splashcovers were only thought of in the late 1950s, so Player and Brokensha were paddling open cockpit craft, meaning that they would not have been able to shoot any of the major rapids, and would have portaged their craft around them instead.

When Stott reaches an overnight stop he will have at his finger-tips doctors and medics, ambulance personnel, physiotherapists, professional kayak repairers, a choice of fresh hot food and cold drinks with which to start rehydrating. The smell of cooking food and music and voices on the PA system is a very far cry from the overnight stops of the 1950s.

The usual 1950s fare of stew or steak and eggs, and eggs and bacon for breakfast with a brew of strong tea would not sit very comfortably with modern nutritionists.

In amongst their on-board possessions Player and Brokensha carried a special permit that gave them permission to enter the Native Reserve, which had to be handed back to the Department of Native Affairs. Thankfully no such permits are required today.

The modern race subscribes to the International Canoe Federation marathon rules, and then sets out its own rules governing the unique aspects of the race. These rules have been flouted in the past and caused as much indignation as they made headlines when steps were taken against the perpetrators.

Paddlers, even race winners, have fallen foul of the sponsorship rules, most notably Mark Perrow and Neil Evans in 1992. Boats have been weighed and found to be underweight, in some cases resulting in a decision to force the offender to carry that amount as "extra weight" for the remainder of the race.

In fact, the race's founder and winner in 1952 is also technically the first rule breaker. In amongst the scanty rules set in place in the early years was a requirement that paddlers race in pairs and that they finish together.

When Brokensha quit and staggered out of the valley to enjoy Christmas Day with his family, Player continued on alone, surviving a puff-adder bite, and was the only person to finish. Against the rules, perhaps, but wisdom prevailed and the record books still reflect a solitary winner in 1951.

He famously said "Any man who makes the 110 mile journey will never be the same again." Modern GPS navigation now tells us that the modern Dusi is 118km long. But as much as things have changed, Players comments remain the same.

The Unlimited Dusi starts on Pietermaritzburg on 17 February and ends in Durban on 19 February.

More information can be found at www.dusi.co.za

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