The Tathra Surf Life Saving Club’s veteran women surfboat crew is a little bruised and battered, but thankfully all okay – despite a spectacular wipeout at Narooma on Saturday.
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Sweep Scott Meaker and several rowers were launched into the ocean when the seven-metre-long boat was caught by the challenging Narooma swell and lifted to vertical.
“I was just hoping I didn’t land on anything on the way down, the boat or oars or something,” Mr Meaker said on Monday.
He said one of the women on board was lucky to have not suffered a broken shin, with X-rays confirming it was just badly bruised.
“We weren’t alone though – every crew had a rough time and broken gear.
“Narooma is always bad. We were all having to sit in the break and wait for a chance to go out. Getting out was as bad as getting back in.
“We dropped off the wave in front, that was the one we wanted. Then we were in a bad spot in the lull when the next wave picked us up instead of us catching it – it hammered us.”
If you can believe it, Tathra placed second in the heat!
Mr Meaker said two other crews didn’t make it out past the breakers and a valid finish only required three crew members touching the boat and three oars still on board – even if that meant they were dragging the swamped boat on to the beach instead of rowing!
“It was worth us going out, even if it doesn’t look like it in that photo.”
The Warilla Bowls Surfboat Premiership, a cumulative pointscore series, continues on December 5 at Warilla Barrack Point SLSC.
Ben Smyth
I have worked as a journalist since 2005 and am now Editor of Australian Community Media mastheads in Bega, Merimbula and Eden
I have worked as a journalist since 2005 and am now Editor of Australian Community Media mastheads in Bega, Merimbula and Eden
