Members of the Moruya-Canberra Vikings smile for the camera at the end of the George Bass Marathon in 2023. Most of these members will race again in 2025. Photo: Vikings Surf Boats Facebook.
Describing itself as “the longest, toughest surfboat race in the world”, the George Bass Surfboat Marathon will turn 50 when it returns this month.
While the thought of spending seven days rowing along the beautiful NSW South Coast is undoubtedly a drawcard, the event has become as much about maintaining connections as getting soaked in a surfboat for competitors and their families.
The marathon has been held nearly every second year since it began in 1975.
This year, 28 crews have signed up to row 190 km, launching on 29 December at Batemans Bay before finishing on 4 January 2025 in Eden.
Gavin Hunt, sweep for the Moruya-Canberra Vikings open men’s crew, said the marathon had basically become “a rowing carnival down the coast over seven days”.
“It’s a good opportunity for everyone to get together and spend a week together bonding on and off the water,” he said, referring to the number of crews, supporters and family members that join the journey,
“It’s becoming something in which the race is secondary to the off-water connection of the rowers.
“But when they are on the water, they want to win!”
Not for the faint-hearted. Crews help out at the end of the second leg of the 2020 George Bass Marathon. Photo: Peter O’Brien.
Gavin said each crew had at least nine rowers plus support personnel which brought the total to at least 20.
His team has 40 this year including wives and children, making it “a fun week away”.
“It’s a really intense week of racing on the water, but also a really great week of camaraderie building off the water between the crews as well,” he said.
“It’s a very unique event in that sense. You have a very intense on-the-water rivalry between the crews, but then off the water, everyone is very close.”
He said the Moruya-Canberra Vikings had about 30 members and had won the marathon four times.
Most of this year’s marathon crew, now in their 40s and 50s, have been together since 2008.
“We’ve got a really tight-knit group of guys who have been together for a long time,” Gavin said.
“They are a very talented group of rowers.”
The Vikings make it to shore following the second leg of the 2020 George Bass. Photo: Peter O’Brien.
Now living all over Australia, the crew members come together for the marathon. It means team training is certainly limited.
Three live around Canberra, three in Sydney, one in Perth and another in Brisbane.
“We have had the crew together once in advance. Otherwise, basically we will meet up on the day before the race,” Gavin said.
“It’s certainly not something you could do if you didn’t have a crew who had been together previously.”
And what about his crew’s chances this year?
“We will find out on day one how we are going to track.
“But there is still the nucleus of a very good boat team who have been together for a long time.”
He said the marathon had “been in the [his] blood for a long time”.
His father rowed in the first event in 1975 and he has been to almost every one over the years. His wife is also competing this year.
“There’s a very close family connection on my end.”
For more information, visit the marathon’s website by clicking here.
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