Alfred Rowing Club joined in this competition several years later and the stage was set for annual championships between South Africa's top competitive rowers. South Africa has, in a rather unique manner, distinguished itself by fielding some of the oldest competitors on the international master's rowing circuit. Ernest Gearing, who won the gold medal at the 1996 World Master's Championship, did so just shy of his eightieth birthday.

The Buffalo Grand Challenge Race is South Africa's oldest and most prestigious race. The regatta has been held every year since 1881 with the exception of the war years. In 2004, the regatta will be held for its 117th time. The Buffalo Regatta has been a major highlight on the South African rowing calendar in part due to the two magnificent trophies at stake - the Buffalo Grand Challenge Trophy for senior coxless fours and the Silver Sculls Trophy for senior single sculls.

These two cups are commonly regarded as the most valuable rowing trophies in the world. Each is estimated to have a value over $500,000- they are purported to be as tall and weigh as much as a coxswain.
Considering the long regatta history, it is surprising that South Africa's national rowing body took some time to establish. Provincial rowing associations were formed in the early decades of the twentieth century.

In 1934, the provincial associations united to establish the South African Amateur Rowing Association in response to the selection requirements for the Olympic Games. The first South African Olympic oarsman was Henry De Kock who rowed at the 1928 Olympic Games.

He recently passed away at the age of ninety-two. South Africa regularly fields strong men and women's fours for international competition. Today, rowing enjoys tremendous popularity across South Africa. Rowing in South Africa has come far in recent years with new enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds taking up a common interest in the sport.