Some History…

The Buffalo Regatta began in 1881 and has been held every year since then, except for an interruption during the war years, and in 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024 the regatta will be held for the 136th time.

Viewed as one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious national sporting events, East London Boating Association (ELBA) is proud to host the event annually in East London on the Buffalo River.

The Buffalo Regatta has been a major highlight on the South African rowing calendar due to the two magnificent trophies at stake — the Buffalo Grand Challenge (for Senior A Coxless Fours) and the Silver Sculls (for Senior A Single Sculls). These two Trophies are commonly regarded as the most valuable trophies in Southern Africa for any sport as they are priceless not only from a historical point of view but also because they are made from pure silver.

The RMB Buffalo Regatta is a national event and over the years has seen various international interest. In 1995 Emanuel College from Great Britain competed in the regatta. In the past Angus Robertson, a steward of the Royal Henley Regatta on Thames, attended and officiated at the Buffalo Regatta. His mere presence at the event as well as his comments about the Buffalo Regatta speaks volumes: “…it is the best regatta in South Africa by far.”  We welcome the German Rowing Team who have arrived from Lower Saxony to participate this year.

Over the years we have been fortunate to welcome the full National Squad who use the regatta as an important event of the squad calendar especially leading up to the Olympics.

The RMB Buffalo Regatta in recent years has grown to one of the largest rowing regattas in the country with nearly 750 competitors taking part in over 200 events, over three days. The number of events has been increasing steadily over the years, with the inclusion of more women’s and junior rowing events. However, a limitation is applied to the number of entries that can be accepted, due to the limitation of a six-lane course as a result of it being a tidal river run regatta. In 2003 an enormous project was undertaken by the local rowing community to clear the creek and widen the river at the 700m point to ensure a six-lane course.

ELBA has traditionally been the resident club for two local school rowing clubs namely: Selborne College and Clarendon High School and two rowing clubs namely: Leander Rowing Club and Buffalo Rowing Club. More recently the University of Fort Hare has signed a 3-year lease to occupy a bay at ELBA.  ELBA committee and community are proud supporters of all our local clubs.

Rand Merchant Bank become the national sponsor for rowing in South Africa in 2016 and with their commitment to SA rowing became a valued partner of Buffalo Regatta from 2017; resulting in the name change RMB Buffalo Regatta. RMB’s continued support and involvement is what makes a world class rowing event such as the RMB Buffalo Regatta possible.

One of the features of the RMB Buffalo Regatta, which serves to underline its unique positioning within Southern Africa, is the fact that it’s the only national regatta where participants from senior clubs, university clubs, junior clubs and school clubs compete side by side. Furthermore, a separate regatta in the form of the Selborne Sprints Regatta (500m racing) is held traditionally on the Friday, with the RMB Buffalo Regatta being held on the Thursday and Saturday of the same weekend. This event was pioneered by the late Trevor Shelver specifically for schools rowing. It generates enormous excitement in fiercely competitive events, where spectators can enjoy schools rowing at its best.

Eastern Cape Development Corporation is also an integral partner and sponsor of the RMB Buffalo Regatta since 2019. Continued financial support from ECDC and other sponsors is what has elevated our RMB Buffalo Regatta medals to being one of the most desired in a rower’s career. With the help of all our sponsors, we hope RMB Buffalo Regatta’s future will remain as rich as its history.

2024 Notices

Safety Rules and Guidelines