ABC’s

Learning a new sport has led to learning a new language. I would hear people say “ah, bru are you going to dice at the Drift tonight?” As a thoroughbred Capetonian I associate words such as “drift” and “dice” with motor racing, so as far as I was concerned these people were about to part take in illegal drag racing that may or may not involve drifting. My experience has led to the development of the Victionary (a dictionary with visuals…yes, I just coined a phrase) and a list of phrases/words that have helped me comprehend conversations between paddlers.

Equipment 

Canoe (Picture taken from "The Paddling Shop")

Foot Pump (Picture taken from "Gnarly Dog News")

Foot pedal and pull strap (Picture taken from "Spirit Paddle")

• Bite Piece: Rubber or foam attachment on paddle. The attachment allows the paddler to hold the paddle using their teeth to free their hands.
• Cockpit: The place where the driver sits.
• Pull Strap: Strap over the foot pedals that secures your foot on the pedal.
• Pumps: Foot pumps are situated on the foot rest. The paddler pushes on the pump to expel any water that has collected in the boat while paddling.
• Rudder: Metal piece that steers the boat. The rudder is controlled by foot pedal.

Paddling Equipment (Photo taken by friend)

• Splash cover: A piece of material worn around the paddler’s torso and attaches to the boat. The splash cover keeps water out of the boat.

Word	Definition	Example	Translation
Dice	A canoeing time trial	Are you going to dice?	Will you be at the time trial?
Draw Stroke	A paddling technique to move the boat sideways without moving forward
Drive	Steering the boat	I’m driving	I will steer the boat
Line	A path followed through a rapid or down a river	He knows good lines	He knows effective paths through a rapid/down a river
Portage	A point along a canoe race where you have to carry your boat on your shoulder and walk/run with it	Are you ready for Campbells?	Are you ready to die…Jokes! Are you ready to pick up your boat and run with it on your shoulder?
Tripping	An easy paddle down a river-aims to familiarise the paddler with the route	Let’s go tripping down the Umgeni	Let’s go and explore the Umgeni river
Water Release	A man made structure used to increase the amount of water in a river or dam	They’re going to give us 20 cubics on Fish	They are going to give us 20 cubic feet of water per second for the Fish canoe marathon
Wave	A slip stream created by another boat	I’m going on your wave
Weir	A man made structure found in a river to alter the flow of water	Are we going to shoot the weir?	Would you like to see your life flash before your eyes?...yet another joke :)
Wrapping	Damaging your boat	I wrapped my boat when we shot Mission	I damaged/snapped my boat whilst going through the Mission rapid (name of rapid along the Dusi)

Wrapped boat (Picture taken from "s-teemtc")

Learning to Shoot and Drive

The past 2 weeks has been a week of firsts; for the first time I went tripping down a river, I saw my life flash before my eyes as  I shot  down a weir, I learnt how to drive, I survived a mild case of Dusi Guts and I completed my first qualifying race for Dusi.

I have learnt much since I started paddling. Some fun facts are as follows:

• Canoes can be described according their make and to the number of people it holds-K1 is a 1 man canoe, K2 is a 2 man canoe and a K3 is a 3 man canoe. 
• There’s a right and wrong side to a paddle. 
• The actual paddling motion is very technical – if you use the correct technique you will feel it in your back if you use an incorrect/inefficient technique you will feel it in your forearms. Canoes have rudders.  
• Rudders steer boats. The person responsible for steering the boat will say that he/she is “driving”

Out of all the things I have learnt to date the fact that the rudder steers the boat has been the most intriguing one. Prior to this I was under the impression that you steer a boat by paddling, or summoning the forest fairies. Since I started paddling I have found myself on the back of a K2. Being a novice paddler I would plonk myself in the boat and spend all my energy trying to synchronise my stroke with the person driving the K2. Little did I know that with each stroke the driver’s feet were pushing away at little foot pedals that controlled the rudder and the direction of the boat. A week ago I had my first lesson in a K1 where Craig taught me how to drive a canoe. The paddle session with Chandelle on the following morning didn’t go according to plan. Instead of driving with confidence, composure in a relatively straight direction we looked like drunken damsels as we zigzagged down the drift. For the safety of fellow canoeists and that of the river reed creatures I took the back seat and allowed Chandelle drive for the remainder of the session.  On the same day I learnt to drive I went for my first swim in the Dusi and experienced a mild version of Dusi Guts.

Many areas along the Dusi River are extremely polluted. The debris found in the Dusi comes in all shapes and sizes; you can find anything from your average floating bottle and plastic packet to dead sheep and freezers (so I have been told). The pollution gives room for all sorts of bugs to flourish, this means that the river water is not the safest for swimming, standing in or drinking.  Canoeists come into contact with river water by falling out of their boats, swimming in it or drinking the water (intentionally or unintentionally). Dusi Guts is the nickname given to the bug that paddlers catch while paddling in the Dusi. Victims generally experience 24 hours of hell characterised by vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and fatigue; they may find that they feel “flat” for a few days thereafter.  In the space of 3 weeks Chandelle, 2 of my colleagues and I have become victims of Dusi Guts.  

Last week I found myself in a K2 “tripping” 7km down the Dusi from the Drift to low level bridge with Anton Venter (“tripping” is going for an easy paddle down a river). Anton is a well-seasoned paddler who has completed 27 Dusi Canoe Marathons and 10 Canvas Dusi Races. The Canvas Race consists of a small group of men who do the Dusi Canoe Marathon route over a period of 4 days using old school canoes made from timber and canvas as opposed to the modern day fibreglass canoe. From the front Anton gave me a lesson on how to read the current, what to do in a rapid and how to shoot a weir. A weir is a man-made structure found in rivers that alters the flow of water; when you paddle down a weir you say you are “shooting the weir”. The prospect of shooting a weir has sent my stomach in knots since the day I watched paddlers shoot Earnie Pierce weir at the start of the Dusi Canoe Marathon. Though my eyes were as big as saucers as we approached the weir and the rapids en route our 7km trip I managed to remain calm and enjoy the ride. The tripping experience in the hands of the Bear Grylls of the Dusi (my nick name for Anton) was good preparation for Ozzie Gladwin.

Picture of Earnie Pierce Weir. Photo taken from Martin Dreyer Academy

In order to enter and participate in the Dusi Canoe Marathon paddlers have to be registered with a club and they have to complete a number of seeding races. During last week Chandelle and I joined the Natal Canoe Club (NCC), invested in some paddle gear and teamed up with 2 colleagues as we prepared to accomplish our first feat, Ozzie Gladwin. Ozzie Gladwin is a 26km race-4km is completed on flat water at Albert Falls followed by a 1km portage and 21km of canoeing on the Upper Umgeni River. The prospect of completing this race was rather daunting as the furthest either of us had paddled was 12km on flat water, but thanks to our partners we were seeded in B batch and had peace of mind as Mandy Rawlins and Nicky Irvine are proficient canoeists. Going into the race we knew we’d be doing it for exposure and enjoyment as opposed to time. I had psychologically prepared myself to have stiff arms and back but felt confident that fitness gained through road running would be to my advantage when portaging. During the race I came to find that I had grossly underestimated the effect that carrying a K2 would have on my running ability. When I run I usually feel like Usain Bolt (yes, I know next to him I run at the speed of darkness in reverse but running feels good and natural) but running with a canoe on my shoulder made me go from hero to zero. I felt like an overweight sloth with a metal lung…slow, heavy and short of breath. Needless to say running with a boat on my back is going to form part of my training programme. We managed to complete the race in just less than 3 hours without swimming or wrapping our boat. We finished Ozzie with a bit of sun burn, a little more exposure and much anticipation for the upcoming races.

The Fantastic 4 at the start of Ozzie Gladwin

Mandy and I before we shot the weir...I'm not sure if that's a happy smile or a nervous smile

20 something kilometers later

Who are these plebs and why are they paddling?

Who we are:

Pleb #1: Tracey

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Tracey a young physio working for a pumping practice in the booming metropolis of Pietermaritzburg (PMB).

I was born and bred in the fairest Cape; I completed my physio degree at the University of Stellenbosh in 2011 and trekked to a small rural village in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to complete my year of community service in 2012. After spending a rather interesting year in the bush (you can read all about that adventure on my other blog) I managed to find a job at EAP Active in PMB and have been based there since January 2013.

Other Interests: Road running, music, snorkelling, scuba diving, surfing

Paddling since: August 2013

Pleb #1: Tracey

Pleb #2: Chandelle

Chandelle is my colleague. She is a young, strong and ambitious physio who was born and raised in PMB she graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007 and has been working at EAP since 2009.

Other interests: Fitness, trail running, judo, baking

Paddling since: August 2013

Pleb #2: Chandelle

How we got here:

Moving provinces has not only brought a change in location, but also a change in lifestyle. PMB is a small sporty town in KZN that’s known for sporting events such as the Dusi Canoe Marathon and the Comrades Marathon. Since EAP Active is based in PMB we treat many injuries that arise from a wide variety of sports.

Since I started at EAP I have seen many patients with canoeing injuries. At the start of 2013 I was unfamiliar with canoeing as the sport is not that common in the Cape, for this reason I couldn’t understand how/why these people continuously injured themselves. If someone told me they “paddled” I pictured a person on a long slender boat taking graceful strokes on still, calm almost transparent lake-little did I know 8 months down the line I would bust that myth!

2 Months ago my confusion and curiosity lead me to pick up a paddle for the first time in my life in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the sport. After a few more casual paddles and some encouragement and conversation between colleagues and clients Chandelle proposed the idea that the 2 of us find partners and do the Dusi Canoe Marathon for charity.

How it’s going:

It’s going :) Between our busy work schedules and other commitments we’ve been paddling regularly. We are yet to confirm a charity and partners-please feel free to drop a line if you have any suggestion. Since agreeing to do Dusi we have completed 1 novice race (it was my second time in a boat), most mornings we find ourselves at Camps Drift at 5am to do some laps and we’ve have had a few paddling lessons with the legendary Craig Mustard.

What exactly is the Dusi Canoe Marathon?

It's  a 3 day canoe race along the Msunduzi River (aka the Dusi river). Over the 3 days you cover a total of 120km; a small portion of which is covered by portaging (portaging is when you carry a boat from one point to another). Yes...us plebs are attempting to cover 120km on our arms!

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