Surfboat team heads to SA champs
The club has raised R30K so far - their target is R49K to cover costs including petrol accommodation, food and kit costs.
MEMBERS of Marine Surf Lifesaving Club are heading to Gqeberha this month to compete in the annual South African Lifesaving Championships from March 30 to April 1.
Bryan Paul, surfboat captain from Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, said there are three surfboat crews from the club who will be competing over three days and taking part in nine individual surfboat races.
“We have five crew members per boat. There are four oarsman and one sweep, who steers the boat through the waves and basically instructs the crew what to do and how fast to go. The oarsman have the sole purpose of rowing the boat together,” he explained.
The crews are anticipating some tough conditions at the competition.
“Down in [Gqeberha], the conditions are usually pretty calm surf-wise, but the winds some days are gale force and blow extremely hard. In general, our sport is about rowing through waves and catching waves,” said Paul.
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Raffle to raise funds
The club needed to raise a hefty sum of money to cover the transport and accommodation costs for the three crews taking part in the competition. To raise funds, club members have taken to the streets to sell raffle tickets at traffic lights in uMhlanga and Durban – where they were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community.
“We have currently raised close to R30K. Most of this money has been provided at [traffic lights] throughout Durban. We have all been so humbled by the response to support us which has exceeded our expectations,” said Paul.
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Paul added that their fundraising target is R49K, which will cover petrol for the three vehicles traveling to Gqeberha, two of which will tow boats, as well as entry into the championships per person, and accommodation, food and kit costs.
As part of the raffle fundraiser, Paul said his team reached out to various retailers and companies who contributed toward vouchers and prizes for the raffle. Raffle tickets cost R15, and the deadline to purchase a ticket is March 25 at 14:00. A winner will be selected at 09:30 on March 26 at the Marine Surf Lifeaving Club. For more information on the fundraiser or to sponsor a prize, contact Paul on 072 528 5956 or bpenviros@gmail.com.
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