‘Come hell or high water, the sea’s the place to be’
03 February 2011
As organiser behind the Ocean Racing Series – dubbed Africa’s largest family lifestyle event – Michael Zoetmulder takes the sea very seriously.
“But in a fun way,” he assures.
The Ocean Racing Series is in its fifth year. In that short time it has growth from strength to strength, creating a bi-monthly event that draws people to the Nelson Mandela Bay shoreline in an effort to encourage an energetic lifestyle based on beach and sea activities.
“The Series is a major draw-card for Nelson Mandela Bay’s desire to become the water sport capital of Africa, securing over R20-million in television coverage each season,” said Zoetmulder, who is also behind other water-related events in the city, including the famous Redhouse River Mile.
The Series offers an opportunity for open water swimmers, fun runners, walkers and ocean paddlers to come together on a fortnightly basis in summer to take part in a world-class event – without the requirement of expensive equipment or specialist skills.
“A fun, family morning at the beach sees no fewer than six consecutive events on offer to keep the whole family busy. The Series draws over 1 000 people to the beach front on race days which takes place from October through to April each year where families can take part in either an ocean swim (1km or 3km), a 5km beach run, 5km beach walk, 1km Kids (12u) beach run or the ocean paddle event for stand-up paddlers,” said Zoetmulder.
The 2010 through to 2011 season is run over five months and started on November 7, 2010 and will close on April 3, 2011 pushing the events-related to the summer season right through to winter’s door.
“This event, like the many others in the city over November to April, puts the focus on our beautiful beachfront and the many things to do here when the weather is fine. This does wonders for tourism because it creates a vibe and hum of activity at one of Nelson Mandela Bay’s most sought after tourism products: the beach.
“And what’s best about it, is that this lifestyle actually comes naturally to a lot of city residents. What can I say… Port Elizabethans in their natural habitat,” quipped the sports fanatic and owner of Zports.
Online entries close the Thursday before race day, with an opportunity for late entries on the beach.
See www.oceanracingseries.com for further information on this popular water sports event.
Author: Amy Shelver
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