Podiums and Whitecaps: A Fierce Weekend at the Giardini Naxos Bay
- maltacanoeracingcl
- May 19
- 3 min read
Updated: May 28
GIARDINI NAXOS, SICILY – May 16-17, 2026 – The weekend brought intense racing, challenging weather, and incredible displays of sportsmanship for the Surfski Shack team at the Naxos Cup. Competing across two grueling days, our athletes tackled everything from blistering offshore winds to tactical lapped courses, bringing home hardware and proving the strength of our club's training.
Saturday: Elite Competition and the Battle of the Elements
Saturday kicked off with the Seniors, U23, and U18 races. Paddlers faced an 18km A-to-B course starting from Santa Teresa di Riva and finishing in Giardini Naxos. A water start meant competitors were already seated in their skis, ready to grind. What started as a standard race quickly evolved into a battle of attrition as the offshore wind ramped up significantly. Paddlers were hit with an average wind speed of 21 knots, with brutal gusts reaching up to 35 knots towards the finish line.
The high-profile status of the athletes competing elevated the quality of the race. Portugal's Bernardo Pereira, the reigning Men's U23 World Champion and Senior World Bronze Medallist, took first place overall with a blistering time of 1:21:01. He was closely followed by Italian powerhouse Nicolò Razeto, a multi-time national champion, who won the Senior category in 1:21:14. The third paddler across the line was Italy's Mauro Tafuri, a prominent Italian national team member, finishing in 1:22:46. The top three in the Senior category specifically were Razeto, Giulio Maria Zugna in 1:28:43, and former Italian marathon canoe champion Francesco Balsamo in 1:29:08.
Despite the elite field, chopping side-swell, and punishing gusts, our athletes left it all on the water:
Samuel Borg: He finished the race in 1:44:37. He placed 30th overall. He took 10th in his category.
Michael Aquilina: He recorded a time of 2:02:54. He placed 42nd overall. He took 12th in the Senior category.
Luigi Aquilina: He raced unofficially. He finished in 2:03:15. He placed 43rd overall.
Nicholas Attard: He fought through the chop to finish in 2:07:52. He placed 46th overall. He took 13th in the Senior category.
Simon Gauci: He battled hard in the Senior category but recorded a DNF.
The highlight of Saturday wasn't just the finishing times, but the true spirit of the Surfski Shack. Michael Aquilina sacrificed his own race time in the first 5km to stop and assist a fellow paddler who had fallen out of his ski, staying by his side until the safety boat arrived. Later in the race, as the 35-knot gusts peaked, Michael caught up to his 13-year-old nephew, Luigi. Michael chose to stay with Luigi for the final 2km, ensuring he safely navigated the treacherous conditions to the finish line.
Luigi’s performance was nothing short of phenomenal. Racing unofficially due to his age, he fell in at one point but confidently remounted his ski in heavy chop—a perfect testament to the safety and self-rescue skills taught at the Surfski Shack Children's Academy.
Sunday: Masters Domination and Youth Success
Sunday shifted the focus to the Masters and Children's races. The course was a 16km lapped route held inside the Giardini Naxos bay, starting with a chaotic Le Mans beach run.
Our Masters athletes showed incredible form, completely dominating the podium:
Larissa Micallef: She won 1st place in the Masters 35-39 category. Her finishing time was 1:55:11. She placed 13th overall.
Andreas "Mamba" Bohnsack: He claimed 2nd place in the Masters 65-69 category. His official time was 1:37:02. He placed 7th overall.
Kenny Schembri: He took 1st place in the Masters 40-44 category. He finished in 1:53:15. He placed 12th overall.
Luigi Aquilina: He competed again in the 12-14 children's race. He secured a 2nd place finish.
Andreas blasted off the start line to secure his silver, leaving everything out on the water. Kenny didn't have the most graceful start off the beach, but his endurance shone through as he reeled in the competition to snatch gold. Larissa put down a highly competitive time to comfortably secure her gold medal.
Thoughts from the Water
"A decent start followed by a good 10k partly downwind. Last 4k were tough but we made it, looking forward to re-visit next year."
— Samuel Borg
"I enjoyed the camaraderie with my teammates during the trip and very happy with my improvement over last year's time."
— Larissa Micallef
The club would also like to thank Sport Malta for their invaluable assistance with travel and accommodation costs through the international participation scheme, which greatly facilitates Maltese athletes' ability to compete on the international stage.
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