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Surf Boats

About Surf Boats

Initially, the surf boat was used in rescues in big seas, however the introduction of inshore rescue boats (IRB’s) meant that the surfboat was no longer deemed a rescue craft. But intense regional, state and national boat competition and the incredible commitment and enthusiasm of thousands of participants, and in recent years a massive increase in female crew members, has kept this challenging and thrilling sport alive.

In fact, it’s booming; boaties are a culture within the SLSC culture. They have the reputation as being the hard men of the SLSC. But they are also the butt of dumb jokes. There’s an old line about recruiting boat crews. To pick a crew, club members are lined up and have house bricks thrown at them. The ones that don’t duck are selected to row. And for some reason the surfboat crews have always been associated with the larrikin element of the clubhouse.

Surf boat races involve four rowers and a sweep in an eight-metre surf boat, with a maximum of seven crews in each race. The course consists of a start in approx knee depth water, then a 400m row out to sea before rounding a turning buoy and then a 400m return back to the waters edge.

Competition

The Lorne SLSC has a very proud history in the sport of Surf Boat Rowing, with multiple State, National and World Titles to our credit. As a section we are always striving to get the best out of each other, whilst having a lot of fun along the way.

Over the coming summer season our rowers will be competing at all the local carnivals, while also travelling along the eastern seaboard of Australia to Mollymook, Manly, Freshwater and Wollongong. We also had a crew head across the Tasman the last couple of seasons which we are hoping to do again this season to race in a Trans Tasman series with the Kiwis in the big surf at Piha, the beach made famous by the TV shows.

Our season culminates with the State Championships in Lakes Entrance on the Labour Day long weekend in March and a trip up to the Gold Coast for the Australian Championships at Kurrawa from March 17-21.

The Woftams collect Bronze at the Aussies at Scarborough 2009

The Woftams collect Bronze at the Aussies at Scarborough 2009

Piha Beach

Piha Beach

Results

Getting Involved

The Boat Section is currently looking to fill seats for the coming 2009/2010 Season with the aim of having at least one crew in each division. These are U/19, U/23 men, U/23 women, Open women, Reserve Grade Men and Open Men along with the masters categories which start with an average age of 30 (120yrs) and go up to 60 (240yrs). With sweeps both on the Coast and in Melbourne why not give it a try because who knows what may lie ahead! Think Big, Aim High!

We are currently training in Lorne every second Sunday at 8am, so come on down and jump in. Anybody and everybody welcome.

We would especially like to field crews in the underage divisions as they are our future so if you are over 16, hold your bronze medallion would like to compete for the club or even just have a social row don’t hesitate to get in contact and we will organise for you to get involved!

To get involved in the Lorne SLSC boat rowers fraternity, simply contact the boat area captain below.

Boat Captain: Jarred McCombe
Contact Phone: 0423 833 870
Contact Email: j.mccombe@hotmail.com

Latest News

15/09/2009 BARWON TIMBER ON BOARD
Barwon Timber have signed on as the major sponsor Lorne SLSC boat section for the coming summer. Barwon Timber will have the naming rights to our new boat that we took delivery of a couple of weeks ago. Its great to have them on board and we hope that we can work together for many years to come.

Created: 15/Jun/2008 - 09:15 AM Last updated: 18/Sep/2009 - 09:57 AM