South Africa’s top paddlers were treated to a visit by shoals of silver sardines on World Ocean Day (Sunday, 8 June) as they competed in the Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge from Scottburgh Main Beach to Aliwal Shoal MPA and back. It was Michelle Burn (Umhlanga, KZN) and Matthew Bouman (Umhlanga, KZN) who took the top titles, while Deirdre Bentley (Amanzimtoti) and Kwanele Banda (Umgababa) won the doubles event of this hotly-contested race that saw the culmination of Ocean Festival, running from 5 to 8 June.
“What a spectacular addition, having the Sardine Run coincide with the Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge as we celebrate World Ocean Day,” commented Barry Lewin, Event Organiser and Race Director. “A huge congratulations to all our competitors for such an impressive display of skill and to our fantastic sponsors for another successful Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge.”
He said the day’s conditions were fantastic for the 16km race: “We had exhilarating downwind conditions for the race home, so the paddlers had a great time. From the Event Organiser’s perspective, it couldn’t have gone better, with the ocean delivering on a day that is earmarked for celebrating marine life.”
Image Credit: Jon Ivins; Ladies winner Michelle Burn coming home well inside the top 10 and dominating the ladies race
Paddlers Praise Race Conditions
Speaking after the event, Michelle Burn said the spectators brought some great energy to Scottburgh: “The wind came a little earlier than expected, so we had a tough headwind to paddle into at the start, but knowing that we were being rewarded with a good downwind coming back made it very manageable. It was a great race – I loved it as usual.”
Matt Bouman agreed, saying it was great to be back on the KZN South Coast: “The event is driven by so many good people and their genuinely positive initiatives! The water was warm, clean, and calm as we began our warmups, after which, the anticipated south-westerly had already started blowing, which made for a fun and challenging race.”
He said the win wasn’t without challenge: “My race took an interesting turn when I hooked a fishing line with my rudder while rounding the pool at Scottburgh. I had to jump off and untangle it, so I spent a long stretch chasing the leaders. Both Luke [Nisbet] and Brent [Chiazzari] were paddling strongly and handled the very lumpy headwind well.
“At the halfway mark, we paused briefly as it took a moment to spot the turning buoy anchored off Rocky Bay Point. After the turn, it was paddling utopia—the runs and swell lined up perfectly for a short, fast, and incredibly fun paddle home.”
Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge Results
Men’s Race
1st: Matthew Bouman
2nd: Brent Chiazzari
3rd: Luke Nisbet
4th: Barry Lewin
5th: Luke O’Connor
6th: Jacques Theron
7th: Bryce Lawson
8th: Jayden Jansen van Rensburg
9th: Shaun Burgin
10th: Mat Carlisle
Women’s Race
1st: Michelle Burn
2nd: Mikaila Brown
3rd: Tracey Nuss
Double’s Race
1st: Deirdre Bentley and Kwanele Banda
2nd: Thabani Msia and Siyanda Gwamanda
3rd: Lindokuhle Maphumulo and Bongani Ntinga
4th: Steven Jones and Marc Diamond
5th: Craig Smith and Robyn McGregor
6th: Jeannie Dreyer and Martin Dreyer
