The Border crew are made up of some of the most efficient and competitive surfers in the country – but they sure know how to unwind and have a good time. Queensberry Bay local Tyerell Jordaan captured the action from the fun, local Barefoot Cafe contest that went down this past weekend at Chintsa East. Check out the gallery and write up below.
Words and images by Tyerell Jordaan.
A hollow early morning gem unloads on the shallow bank.
When last did you spend the whole weekend on the beach with your mates sharing waves, wax , sunblock and good times? This past weekend (19th – 20th November) saw the fifth annual Barefoot Challenge go down in fine style at Chintsa East. Chintsa is a little coastal hamlet 40 minutes east of East London and is home to the Barefoot Cafe, owned and run by competent surfer Steve ‘Mouse’ Roberts and his family. With the emphasis on having fun, this years challenge ticked all the right boxes with great waves, food and weather and some amazing surfing.
Saturday kicked off with a unique format which allowed everybody to compete against each other and surf a few rounds ensuring that everyone had loads of water time during the contest. From the smallest groms to the local ballies.
Wayne Monk power hack.
“This was my first Barefoot Cafe contest,” said Barry Delport. “What an experience! What stood out the most for me was the different format which brought all surfers together regardless of age, skill level or gender.”
Surf, cheer on your mates, have a burger, reapply the sunscreen and get back out there. Sunday saw the finals being surfed in some testing but very rippable conditions . Local knowledge payed for Denver Struwig who picked off a bomb and milked it for all it was worth in the premiere finals, taking the win ahead of Keegan Mitchell. Luke Goldschmidt settled for third place for the second year in a row leaving Johan Van Der Walt in forth. The half hour expression session was taken out by Pip Malherbe who nailed a club sandwich, claiming the the prize that he had donated .
“The waves ranged from perfect to pretty fun,” said Philip Malherbe. “The weather was amazing, families were chilling on the beach with some beers and great food at the Barefoot Cafe to top it off. Smashing Sprinkles ( Michael Monk) in the expression session felt good too! (Laughs)”
