Standing at the water’s edge of the Cape Grace  is the place to be on Saturday 26 November, because it is the finishing line for the first-ever “African” Oxford-Cambridge boat race.

South African publishers Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press – who have strong links to the two British universities – are traditional rivals in educational publishing. When Oxford threw down the challenge to Cambridge to race them for honour, Cambridge’s fiercely competitive spirit was sparked and they accepted the contest.

Not quite in the style of the English boat race on the Thames, which began in 1829, this is the first of what may become an annual event and will be much more fun and colourful seeing as how this competition is in brightly-painted dragon boats.

The competition and activities are really a front for a much better reason to be messing around on the water; Paddle for Reading. Proceeds generated will go to the Shine Centre, a non-profit organisation providing literacy and language enrichment to children in Grades Two and Three.

To donate R10 – which will be used to purchase reading books for The Shine Centre’s language and literacy programme – SMS the word SHINE to 38270. SMS lines open from 16 November.  More information from Lieze Kotzé, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Southern Africa.

Come along to the V&A Waterfront marina basin from 10am for the start of activities in the water between the Two Oceans Aquarium and Cape Grace. Cheer on the teams and see if the Cambridge SA team have the spirit to continue their UK counterpart’s success as last year’s champions.