Results are in!
The Surf Craft Challenge this year enjoyed a record field of over 330 competitors, including a whopping 48 Surf Boats teams, and 90 paddlers spread across single and double skis.
The surge in participation surely reflects the event’s ongoing reputation as a key stop on the WA surf sports calendar, and a unique celebration of community, surf lifesaving, and surf craft racing on the south coast.
The event this year benefited from the generous support of a fantastic team of sponsors, to whom the Albany Surf Lifesaving Club and its event committee extend its gratitude and thanks. Please join us in thanking this team here, as well as our event partners Albany Sea Rescue and Albany Advertiser:
Great Southern Specialist Centre
Dolphin Lodge
DC Design
Down South Creative
Bennett Paddles
Woodlands Distillery
Wilsons Brewing
Big 4 Holiday Park Middleton Beach
The race course was run along the same lines as recent years – albeit taking a wide berth around the site of the almost finished surf reef construction – by starting from the Harbour Marina, around the Cheynes II wreck and along Middleton Beach via Griffith St to finish at Ellen Cove in front of the Club.
We should thank the reef contractor Heron, City of Albany and Southern Ports Authority here, for helping to facilitate a good outcome for the event and preserving the integrity of the race course in the Bay. Likewise, the City came to the party on the cleanup of Ellen Cove and Middleton Beach following the extraordinary swell and tide event endured just a week before the event! The subsequent erosion caused great debate amongst the organisers of the traditional 2km beach run, which eventually proceeded following the conclusion of all craft division races, and tides dropping just enough to reveal a skinny beach track and host the best run we’ve seen for years!
Mild, calm and flat on water conditions greeted competitors for the annual ‘long row’ and paddle challenge, providing some welcome respite for first timers (and those suffering ill effects from last year’s windy special) to enjoy the spectacular coastal scenery on route to the finish line. With a field drawn largely from Surf Life Saving Clubs along the length of the WA coastline, Albany club volunteers received amazing feedback during the course of the weekend from our welcome visitors, enjoying not only being back in the clubhouse after a two year long hiatus and successful redevelopment project, and annually well run, fun and professional nature of the event, but also the best destinations, experiences and long weekend activities on offer across the whole region. Oh, and our prescient ordering of good weather well ahead of time!
Host club Albany SLSC was thrilled with all aspects of the event, reporting an extremely happy field of competitors, supporters and sponsors, which was put together by a great show of local volunteering and community support. A huge shoutout and thankyou to every volunteer who gave up time on the weekend or in the extensive leadup – let’s bring on the 2026 Challenge!
Results
Click here for results
Photos
Click here for photos
Race Report
— Surf Skis —
City of Perth paddler Kent Jenkinson recording the quickest paddle of the day (55:48) in the Open Mens division, almost bettering last year’s course record set by Harry Hewitt (55:23), and setting clear water to his nearest open rival Albany’s Nick Walker (1:00:23) in 2nd place. Stu McLaughlin (1:04:08) from North Cottesloe rounded out the podium in 3rd.
In the u19 Mens, Owen Chaloner from North Cottesloe SLSC led an extremely strong field, recording his first win in the event in an impressive time of 58:48, beating out Lachy Bean (Mullaloo) and Harrison Krawczyk (Trigg Island SLSC). Scott Gamble from Scarboro SLSC was the strongest of the Masters 55yr+ field in a time of 1:02:56, edging ahead of Narciso Astone (Mullaloo) and then Grant Stephenson (Scarboro).
Last year’s Women’s Open winner Nicole Jahn (1:14:50) this year took out the Masters 55yr+ category, trailed by fellow Mullaloo paddlers Gayle Gould (1:15:58) and Pam Bubrzyki (1:18:25). Amanda Hunt (1:10:26) also of Mullaloo claimed the Women’s top prize, followed on the finish line by Lisa Russ (1:12:19) from City of Perth, and Kyra Tierney (1:15:15) from North Cottesloe SLSC.
In the Open double skis, the North Cottesloe combination of Alasdair Marsden and Sasha Small (57:26) beat out club team mates Steve Bird & Hugo Marsden (1:00:42), with local father-son combo of Jason & Jesiah Bresanello (1:01:28) only narrowly edged out for third by Nik Wakely and Glen Lyons (1:01:24) of Mullaloo.
It was a largely family affair at the top of the mixed Double class, with Travis & Amelia England from City of Perth SLSC taking out first place in 58:47, ahead of North Cottesloe’s Mark & Poppy Finucane (1:01:44), and fellow clubbies Brendan Downes and Neive Tierney (1:03:06).
— Surf Boats —
Albany fielded a total of 4 surf boats – two of which featuring of number of young and first time Challenge rowers in the Open Mens (team Easy) and Open Womens (The Guppies) divisions – with perennial high performers Fat Gannets and Albany Wedgetails both finding success in the Masters division in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Race highlights included:
North Cottesloe SLSC repeated their Clean Sweep of the Whale Tail Open Male and Female Division Events.
Male Open Winners Old Dawgs (1:00:39), featured a new format North Cott crew to last years winners, only just beating out Young Pups (1:00:54) also of North Cottesloe, and Mal’s Mongrels (1:01:27) from City of Perth.
Female Open Winners Cin Cin (1:04:02) beat fellow clubbies and winners of the last two years – North Cott Impact (1:06:20) – who had their bid for 3 years in a row spoiled and finishing in second place. City Sunrise (1:07:30) rounded out the top three.
City of Perth’s City Black (1:01:32) continued their domination of the Masters Mens division, establishing clear daylight to second placed HCM (1:08:53) from Fremantle SLSC, and the Berserkers (1:16:43) hailing from Sorrento.
In the 160+ Womens division, Scarboro SLSC managed to get their nose ahead of the two fast finishing Albany teams:
Scarboro Storm 1:10:01 (Scarboro)
Fat Gannets 1:11:00 (Albany)
Wedgetails 1:12:57 (Albany)
The top three times in the u23 Mens revealed an extremely tight tussle :
Screaming Seamen 1:06:09 (Secret Harbour)
Scarboro Sharks 1:06:25 (Scarboro)
Cottesloe Crushers 1:07:25 (Cottesloe)
Mullaloo SLSC fielded 5 of the 7 U23 Women teams, taking out 1, 2 and 3 as part of a record club turnout for the event :
Mermaids 1:12:31 (Mullaloo)
Fishin Impossible 1:13:18 (Mullaloo)
Bin Chickens 1:16:43 (Mullaloo)
The traditional 2km run was held on the narrow sands of Middleton Beach from the Albany Surf Club, with Owen Chaloner (1st) and Kent Jenkinson (2nd) beating allcomers. Category winners included Gloria Nock (Open Women), Anthony McEwan (50yr + Men), Xavier McEwan (u13 Boys), Charlotte Wise (u13 Girls), Elijah Caruana (u19 Men), and Mabel Markey (u19 Women).
Link to full results page here.
Photos are here.
A huge thanks to this year’s amazing event sponsors.
Photography by Lee Griffith
Used with permission. © 2025