On 28 December 2022, the world’s toughest inflatable boat challenge, the Six Gun Grill Trans Agulhas, kicked-off its 34th annual event promising four full days of action packed water sports, which it delivered in true Trans Agulhas fashion. For the first time ever, Southern Power and OXE Diesel joined the event as the proud sponsors of the official support vessel.

Thanks to the unprecedented efficiency and reliability offered by the OXE 300Hp Diesel outboard, the support team was able to focus solely on their important role in supporting the 30 plus teams. Over the gruelling four-day trip of over 700km from Plettenberg Bay to Kleinmond, the skipper noted below that the outboard performed well with no issues.

 

Day 1:  Plettenberg Bay – Mosselbay

 “With sea conditions extremely favourable in comparison to other editions of the Trans Agulhas, the team had an excellent opportunity to acquaint themselves with the OXE machine and rig through higher speed travelling, applying between 70 -80% throttle for most of the leg. The resulting fuel consumption of 1.6km per litre highlighted the incredible low fuel consumption of the OXE outboards, especially considering the 300Hp engine consumed only 50% more fuel than a standard 50hp 2-stroke engine.”

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Day 2:  Mosselbay – Stilbaai

 “Staying true to its reputation, the weather and oceanic conditions rapidly deteriorated overnight, providing the ideal circumstances to test the OXE engine. The rig took a beating due to big swells and extreme wind conditions, resulting in broken hatches and seats. The rough conditions even caused more than 12 of the thundercat racers to flip. These conditions however, did not phaze the OXE engine as it lived up to the challenge by completing the day without missing a beat.”

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Day 3: Stilbaai – Struisbaai

 “This is traditionally one of the tougher legs of the race due to the length of the stage and the varying coastline, resulting in a range of conditions. Although the stage started on a good note with big swells and minimal wind, weather conditions changed quickly towards the end of the race with a howling South Easterly wind.”

 Trans Agulhas event organiser and also a former double winner of the event, Stefan Lindeque, shares: “What I found really amazing on this leg of the race, was how effortless the OXE engine would ascend big swell. Usually you would hear or experience the strain of the engine; however with the OXE machine it was effortless which I largely contribute to the huge amount of torque it produces!”

 

Day 4: Struisbaai – Kleinmond

“The stages for day four and five were combined into one roundabout of 200km due to warnings of strong wind, making the Trans Agulhas even tougher. The big swells ensured a fun day that presented the penultimate test for body and machine.”

“Seeing that the OXE boat was the official safety boat for the event, we were constantly assisting racers that had mechanical issues or who had flipped their boats. This resulted in tow-ins of the boats and crew, and then playing catch up to the rest of the pack again. The OXE’s versatility made it so much fun transforming from workhorse to “technically” becoming a racing machine, handling both with the utmost grace and ease,” shares Stefan.

 The end of day four saw Eben de Bod and Henco Nel taking home the coveted title of overall winners, having completed the race in 9 hours and 15 minutes.

 

Looking ahead to the 2023 Six Gun Grill Trans Agulhas, Southern Power’s Jacques Brummer shares, “We are proud to have been part of such a reputable water sporting event last year and hope to strengthen our partnership with the Trans Agulhas in 2023 by not only sponsoring the support vessel, but also becoming more involved on a personal level. Congratulations again to all the organisers and teams for putting on a riveting world-class event.”

 

Find out more about the versatility of OXE Diesel’s engines at https://www.southernpower.co.za/oxe-diesel-2/ or contact Southern Power at sales@southernpower.co.za today to find out why OXE Diesel should be the choice for your marine vessel.

 

For more about the Six Gun Grill Trans Agulhas, visit www.trans-agulhas.com.