MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Every year on 28 December at 08:00, the Trans Agulhas Challenge (TAC) kicks off with sonorous and colourful fanfare from Plettenberg Bay’s Hobie Beach.
And this year will be no different – except for the added festive bonus that the event celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
The Six Gun Grill Trans Agulhas Challenge, powered by Iconic Mossel Bay, is recognised as the world’s toughest inflatable boat challenge. As per the previous 34 occasions, contenders will set off from Plett at 08:00 on the 28th for the first of four action-packed race days, before finishing at Strand Beach on 31 December.
Among the 35 participating will be Wilko du Preez – a son of Mossel Bay, and the skipper of the boat and co-pilot Christiaan Stopforth. The boat is sponsored entirely by local businesses.
Although it will be the first time for Wilco to participate in the TAC, he says he comes a very long way with the sport itself, and with the craft generally referred to as rubber ducks. “I have been playing around in these boats since I was a kid – my dad still has photos of us boating together from when I was about 10 years old,” he says.
Opportunity
But never before has Wilco had the opportunity to race in the Trans Agulhas, even though he has been dreaming for years about being part of the sport’s ultimate event – the most challenging of its kind. He says the fact that it’s the 35th anniversary makes it even more special for him to be involved in this year’s milestone occasion.
Excitement
Wilco’s excitement is palpable when he tells of the finer mechanics and timing of the race: “Boats will start arriving in Mossel Bay from before Christmas already, in preparation for the toughest inflatable boat race on the planet – over 700km in just four days. You would have seen us training in the bay on most every weekday over the past few months.
“But the biggest thing for me is the fact that we have a proudly Mossel Bay boat out there on the water. It would simply not have been authentic for a local crew to go search for sponsors in Joburg or Cape Town. Also, we are the only boat from this area that will participate this year.”
Six-stage race
The six-stage race leads from Plett to Mossel Bay (Stage 1 total distance: 188.5km), Mossel Bay to Stilbaai on Day 2 (Stage 2: 86km), Stilbaai to Struisbaai on Day 3 (Stage 3: 161km), and then on to the Strand finish line. On Day 4, the total distance covered is 223km (Stages 4-6) and the day’s three-tiered challenge will see boats racing via Uilkraalsmond and Gansbaai en route to Strand Beach.
After having left Plettenberg Bay at 08:00 on the 28th, boats should take about 2.5-3 hours of serious surf time before hitting Mossel Bay’s shores at Santos Beach. According to TAC organiser Stefan Lindeque, several fun activities are planned to entertain spectators in the run-up to the racers’ arrival.
Beach
Iconic Mossel Bay will also pull out all the stops on the day, with Mossel Bay Tourism teams on the beach to welcome onlookers, a hospitality tent for Very Important People, and merch giveaways to make sure you’ll have something to remember the day by.
In fact, says Lindeque, many of the competitors and organisers will be based in Mossel Bay from 26 December already, having settled in at the Van Riebeeck sports grounds in preparation for registration and sundry pre-race checks.
At all stopover venues, the Mossel Bay Tourism team will encourage beachgoers to step up and spectate the boats’ arrival, and get up close and personal with crews of the most experienced kind, as well as the rookies tackling this world-toughest challenge for the first time this year.
