Boat crews battle huge swells

KIAMA SURF CLUB
Sir F. Rowan

THREE Kiama Surf Life Saving Club boat crews battled huge swells at the final round of the Surf Boat Premiership at Warilla on Saturday.

The women’s crew were looking the goods after winning their second heat but the huge surf prevented any more women’s events.

Earlier, Kiama finished second in their first heat before being third around the buoys in heat two.

Sweep AJ Ford decided the crew would catch a monster wave; Belle and Susan Scott, ably assisted by second stroke Rebecca Dunning, were up to the challenge.

The screaming, either from absolute terror or excitement, of second bow Jacquie Gregory egged the team on to win the heat.

It was a similar story for the under 19s crew, which won its only heat before all events in their age group were cancelled.

Ford again had the Kiama crew catch a huge wave after trailing at the turn, with the gamble paying off in the form of a first-place finish.

However, the Kiama crew didn’t walk away unscathed – Dean Wheeler sustained a broken nose and Ben Kresivic a bulging head wound.

Fellow rowers Ben Dryburgh and Tom Moran were not injured, but officials cancelled all remaining under 19 events.

Yours truly pleaded with officials to also cancel the veterans races but my please were ignored.

In heat one Kiama was competitive and managed to make it back to shore intact.

The second heat was a bit more dangerous, as the Kiama crew got airborne while punching through a wave on the outward journey.

In race three, Kiama was one of three crews to make it past the breakers but faced an even bigger challenge on the way home – a three-metre wave bigger than anything else they’d come up against.

The remaining minutes of the race were a blur, but in total exhaustion, the crew turned the buoys and completed the race in second place.

It was a most demanding tournament but one for which Kiama Surf Life Saving Club can be proud.

In the end, Kiama’s women’s crew, like the club’s veterans crew, were placed second overall.

The under 19s crew were crowned champions in their age division, a great result.