UMHLANGA was well represented at last weekend’s Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge as Matt Bouman and Michelle Burn took top honours in the men’s and women’s races respectively.

The challenge sees paddlers race from Scottburgh Main Beach to Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area (MPA) and back.

Speaking after the event, Burn said the spectators brought 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.”

This was also true for Bouman.

“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 warm-ups, after which, the anticipated south-westerly had already started blowing, which made for a fun and challenging race.”

He added that his 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.”

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