Duo wins 12th boat race

Inflatable boat racing duo Tjaart Oosthuizen, of Welgemoed, and David Barnet, of Blouberg, have won the Trans Agulhas Challenge for the twelfth year in a row.

The pair, known as the “Legends of the Sea” made their mark again during the race from Plettenberg Bay to Strand between Thursday December 28 and Monday January 1, but not without adversity (“Ready to race in Trans Agulhas Challenge,” Northern News December 7).

Mr Oosthuizen said it was physically one of the most difficult races they had done.

“The rough sea conditions due to the bad weather caused very high swells and wild stormy sea conditions. On the first day of the race, the engine mountings of our boat broke which rendered steering very difficult.

“The second day, one of the pontoons lost air pressure also causing difficult steering of the boat.

“On the fourth leg of the race, we decided to take the longer but safer route, which gave our competitors a time advantage. On the fifth day, the sea conditions were particularly rough and challenging and we really had to focus to maintain the lead,” he said.

Mr Oosthuizen and Mr Barnet have been teammates for 15 years, which is a record in this competition.