Navy George Bass Surfboat Marathon, the longest toughest surfboat race

by Darren Saffin on 22 Dec 2011 Competitors are gearing up for the start of the biannual Navy George Bass Surfboat Marathon – the longest, toughest surf boat race in open ocean in the world – on Sunday, 1st January, 2012.

Navy proudly has the naming rights of this iconic Australian event for the third time.

The event also incorporates the Dial Before You Dig Surf Ski Marathon.

Seven days, seven legs and 190 kilometres of the best coastline in Australia in an event that fosters teamwork, courage and competitiveness in a race for glory.

Daily legs are:

Day one Batemans Bay to Moruya 31kms
Day two Moruya to Tuross 19kms
Day three Tuross to Narooma 22kms
Day four Narooma to Bermagui 24kms
Day five Bermagui to Tathra 36kms
Day six Tathra to Pambula 27kms
Day seven Merimbula to Eden 22kms

Twenty five elite male and female surf boat crews and 18 surf ski paddlers Sydney clubs, the Illawarra, ACT, Victoria and NSW will compete on the Far South Coast of NSW over seven consecutive hard fought days.

The Canberra Vikings made history in the 2010 event, being the first team in 29 years to take out the event undefeated. Prior to this achievement was in 1981, when Moruya took out the iconic event.

2012 Navy George Bass Surfboat Marathon Entrants

OPEN MEN

Long Reef - Sydney Northern Beaches
Cronulla - Sydney
Moruya Vikings - ACT
Wollongong City U23 - Illawarra
Mordialloc - Victoria
Torquay - Victoria
Seaspray - Victoria
Kiama - South Coast

VETERAN MEN

North Steyne - Sydney Northern Beaches
Bulli - Illawarra
Narooma - Far South Coast
Tathra - Far South Coast
Pambula - Far South Coast

OPEN WOMEN

Long Reef - Sydney Northern Beaches
Coledale - Illawarra
Moruya Vikings - ACT
Broulee (Canberra) - ACT
Torquay - Victoria
Pambula - Far South Coast
Gerringong - Far South Coast
Broulee - Far South Coast
Bermagui - Far South Coast

VETERAN WOMEN

Avalon Beach - Sydney Northern Beaches
Tathra - Far South Coast
Pambula - Far South Coast

George Bass and Surfboat Marathon background

• The basis for the George Bass Surfboat Marathon and its relationship with the Royal Australian Navy is the voyage of exploration by a young mariner – 24-year old George Bass in the early days of the new colony in Australia.
• In December 1797 Surgeon Commander Bass, with a crew of six naval oarsmen rowed a longboat – not unlike surf rowing’s original double-ended clinker – from Port Phillip (Sydney Cove) to Cape Howe, the farthest point of south-eastern Australia.
• From here he went westwards along what is now the coast of the Gippsland region of Victoria to Westernport Bay, almost as far as present-day Melbourne, on the way mapping the coastline.
• Bass and his crew returned to Sydney in late February 1798 after identifying that a body of water separated the mainland from Tasmania. This was later to be known as Bass Strait.
• This exploration, in an open boat with few resources and no back up nearby reflects our modern Navy’s values of honour, honesty, courage, integrity and loyalty.
• It is an embodiment of the Navy's modern maritime explorers – the Australian Hydrographic Service - which has its National Headquarters in Wollongong.
• The George Bass Marathon is 37 years old this year, after the first competition in 1975 ran with twelve crews.
• Surf skis were added to the event in the 1990s.
• The race was the brainchild of then Bega Newspaper editor Curly Annabel. He came up with the concept of tracing part of the journey in December 1797 of early explorer Surgeon Commander George Bass.
• Navy is now for the third time a proud partner in the George Bass Surfboat Marathon.
• Surf Rowers patrol the beach – the Navy patrols the oceans.

http://www.georgebassmarathon.com.au/