EP win the Vic Bay Quad

The Eastern Province surf team defend their team title at the 2014 Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff

A motivated Eastern Province team successfully defended their team title at the 2014 Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff in good 6 foot surf at Victoria Bay near George in the Eden District today (Sunday August 24) edging hosts Southern Cape into second place by a mere 90 points.

Eastern Province surfers won three of the five divisions and amassed 44,668 points to Southern Cape’s 44,578. Border were third with 39,650, Boland came fourth with 36,718 and last year’s runners up, Western Province, finished fifth with 30,980.

The whole Eastern Province Team won R5000 towards their stay at the Wilderness Bush Camp at next year’s Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff

Mossel Bay local and Southern Cape stalwart Llewellyn Whittaker took honours in the hotly contested Open Division beating team mate Sean Holmes into second place. Devyn Mattheys of Border was third and 2013 champion Matt McGillivray of Eastern Province was fourth.
Whittaker won R2000 in prize money courtesy of the Wilderness Bush Camp and Primi Piatti George and McGillivray took home R1000 in cash sponsored by Wilderness Bush Camp for being the highest placed U20 surfer in the Open Men’s Division

Faye Zoetmulder of Eastern Province won the women’s final with Penny Stemmet of Boland taking second. Zoetmulder’s team mate Emma Smith was third and Tasha Mentasti of Southern Cape came fourth. Faye Zoetmulder,a member of South Africa’s winning team at the 2013 ISA World Surfing Games in Panama, won R1000 courtesy of Primi Piatti George.

The Over 30 title went the way of a stoked Warwick Heny of Eastern Province who pocketed the R1000 prize purse sponsored by Primi Piatti George. Heny is a founder member of the strong Port Alfred based Kowie Boardriders Club and he is sure to receive a great welcome on his return to the Kowie. 
David Pfaff, the son of John Pfaff in whose name the contest is held, took the runner up spot for Southern Cape with last year’s champion Tyrell Johnson of Border taking third ahead of Matt Marais of Boland. 
Johnson’s disappointment was tempered by the fact that he won R3000 from Wilderness Bush Camp for posting both the highest wave score and the highest heat score in an earlier round.

Wayne Monk of Border made it three in a row when he added the 2014 title in the Over 40 division to his 2013 and 2012 Vic Bay wins. He too won R1000 from Primi Piatti George. Team mates Gareth Sepp and Kevin O’ Brien, last years’ winner, were second and third respectively and Danie du Plessis of Boland was fourth.

Greg Smith of Eastern Province took honours and the R1000 Primi Piatti prize money in the Over 50 Final beating Gary Van Wyk of Boland and 2013 champion Steven Hair of Southern Cape into second and third respectively. Hans Kamhoot of Western Province came fourth.

The Vic Bay Quad was the brainchild of John Pfaff and first took place back in 1976, ironically not at Victoria Bay but at Wilderness Beach. It was originally contested by Southern Cape (known as South Western Districts back then), Western Province, Eastern Province and Border. In the early 1980’s Boland joined the event but it retained its name as the Vic Bay Quad even though there were five teams taking part. At one stage a team from the SA Defence Force also competed in the event but it has always been known as the Vic Bay Quad.

The format has hardly changed over the years. Surfers compete in a Men’s Open Division (with at least two surfers U20 included in each team in this division) plus Men’s Over 30, Over 40 and Over 50 Divisions and a women’s division at the end of the contest all the surfer’s allocated scores are totalled to determine the team champions. The John Pfaff Trophy, created by local surfer Steven Hair, is awarded to the winning team.

The Vic Bay Quad is held annually and named in honour of its founder and Southern Cape surfing legend, John Pfaff, who passed away suddenly in 2012. This year the contest got under way on the day John and his wife Anne would have celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary and it was completed today, August 24th, John’s birthday.

Full results will be available on the Surfing South Africa websitewww.surfingsdouthafrica.co.za