Poor weather in previous years may have seen the route of the leg changed, but this year perfect conditions helped the Tathra Men’s Masters crew to a second place finish on their home beach.

In the Open Men’s section Bulli continued their strong form finishing ahead of Long Reef, and in the Open Women’s, North Cronulla took first place ahead of Moruya and Broulee.

Pambula took out the Women’s Masters section ahead of the Broulee Bats and Torquay.

Tathra crew member Pete “Pommie” George described the previous day’s leg as “brutal”, and said the team of eight had prepared as well as they could for the psychological side of the race.

“It just becomes a mind game,” he said.

“You can look at the same rock for 15 minutes and it seems like you’re not moving anywhere.

“You have to be mind strong.”

The Tathra crew finished behind North Cronulla and ahead of Wanda, gliding across the finish line at their home beach in front of hundreds of vocal supporters.

“It was a pretty tough day, but the swell was manageable,” Mr George said.

“It is probably our best result at our beach ever.”

He said the younger members of the crew would have felt emotional arriving at their home beach after yesterday’s difficult swell conditions.

“The emotions flood the first time you finish here, and the local community really supports us,” the six-time veteran of the race said.

Race director Andrew Edmunds said the race deserves prominence on a national scale, as the world’s longest surfboat race.

“I don’t think it gets the credit it deserves nationally like the Sydney to Hobart or the Boxing Day Test does,” Mr Edmunds said.