A group of intrepid adventurers are set to recreate his pilgrimage as they set off on their four-day journey from Alexandra Park to Blue Lagoon for the 2014 Canvas Dusi. Their crafts are made of canvas and wood and weigh as much as 22kg but can get to 30kg when they have been in the water. Dr. Player (pictured above in 1951), the elder brother of South Africa’s golfing icon Gary Player, was well respected as conservationist in Africa.
Along with the original craft, Canvas Dusi participants look to recreate the journey by wearing khaki shorts and shirts as well as hats sporting the animal skin hatbands used to differentiate the clubs that the paddlers belonged to in the early days of the race.
One of the race’s staunchest supporters Anton Venter has fine-tuned the skills needed to build these boats from suitable timber and canvas, and is able to supply these replica craft to keen paddlers from around R1,500, roughly 25% of the cost of an entry level modern fiberglass craft.
Venter is however quick to point out the pros and cons of these original craft. “They are very buoyant and very stable. If you hit rocks from the front, it is no problem but when you hit them from the side, it breaks.
Five-time winner of the Dusi Canoe Marathon, Peter Peacock has become a regular participant at the Canvas Dusi and following a competitive career on the river he relishes the chance to relax and take in all of the sights and sounds of the trip from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
“It’s great fun! You have time to look at the birds and take it easy. The valley has changed a lot, but it is a special place for me,” says the Dusi icon.
