KNYSNA NEWS - A group of Knysna men was set to become the first team from the Southern Cape to ever take part in the Lifesaving SA Surfboat Shootout next week – until the event was called off due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Cameron Ward-Able (45), Jeffrey Willcocks (52), Ivan van Lier (53), Darren Berry (39) and Steven van Lier (50) are the five men who formed part of the Knysna Surf Lifesaving Club (KSLC) crew.
History was made with the team's entry into the race that was to be held at Kings Beach, Port Elizabeth from 23 to 25 March as this was to be the first participating surfboat in the history of the Southern Cape – and the only boat competing from the Western Cape.
For those who aren't familiar with the sport of surfboat racing, don't feel bad, it has only in the last decade made its resurgence in South Africa.
Surfboat rowing was first introduced in the early 1900s as a technique to rescue stranded swimmers.
A lifesaving skill
The early craft were essentially long wooden boats designed to break through the surf on the way out to the drowning victim and then hopefully surf a wave back to shore. It didn't take long for various lifesaving clubs to start competing with each other in order to hone their skills, and the first race took place at Manly Beach Australia in 1908.
Fast-forward 110 years, and the sport was reintroduced into the SA Lifesaving Championships in 2018. A further two years later and Ward-Able became the chief protagonist in getting the sport going in Knysna as he had a history of rowing and lifesaving growing up at Kings Beach in PE. He per chance found the boat that he had rowed in during his youth, lying derelict and half-buried on the beach. He retrieved the boat and brought it back to Knysna where he refurbished it before drafting in his new crew members.
Starting out four months ago, the initial training did not go too well, with a lot of oar-clashing due to uncoordinated rowing and "general lack of skill" according to member Ivan. Things improved over the ensuing months only for the team to find out six weeks before the event that they all had to be qualified lifesavers. But this was where they ran into a bit of a brick wall as Ward-Able was the only crew member with that qualification.
A quick rescue
Mike Wood, head of KSLC, had been observing with some interest how the crew was charging around Buffalo Bay in a 1960s surfboat. Wood, besides being a qualified lifesaving instructor, has a long history of surfboating and took it upon himself to arrange a special concession from Lifesaving SA to allow a late examination date so that the Knysna team could enter. The crew underwent an intensive training schedule and all managed to pass their exams and become lifesavers at the end of February.
Surfboats are often named after tough and legendary competitors in the sport and the Knysna boat is no exception. This very boat had a renowned sweep from Kings Beach named Mauritz Goedhals and the boat uses his nickname, "Maurie". The team has also finished the renovations of a second surfboat and are currently looking for a crew and sponsors to maintain the growth.
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