NEW YEAR beers were substituted for hydration drinks as Australia's best surfboat rowers gathered on the South Coast yesterday.
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They have come to take part in the George Bass surfboat marathon starting today - a gruelling seven-day, 190km paddle from Batemans Bay to Eden considered the world's longest and toughest open-sea surfboat race.
A field of 25 surf boat crews and 18 surf ski paddlers, the biggest contingent since 1988, will tackle the biennial event that begins with a 31km leg to Moruya this morning.
And the weather gods have shone on the field.
The forecast predicts low swell, light winds and mild temperatures for the first three days of the event, before the wind turns southerly on Wednesday.
Race director Bert Hunt said the heat would make hydration a key factor in the first three legs.
''It's an endurance event and you're out in the elements and you've just got to take what the ocean and weather throws at you.''
Two Canberra crews will contest the 2012 race.
Canberra Vikings are defending champions in both the men's and women's categories, with the men winning all seven stages on the way to victory in 2010.
But there's been personnel turnover since the last campaign. The men have retained four members from the victorious 2010 crew and welcome four debutants.
The women's team is full of newcomers. To complicate matters, the women's team will be a rower down for the first two days of competition.
Men's sweep and team coach Gavin Hunt said, ''They'll have a tough couple of days as one of the girls is away on holidays in Fiji and will be back on day three so they'll be rowing the first two days a person down.
''Unfortunately there's no way round the race rules but we're hoping the first couple of days provide smooth conditions and then on day three they'll have the full contingent.''
Mr Hunt said the men's team is quietly confident of replicating it's 2010 heroics, when it led from start to finish. The race starts in the Clyde River at Batemans Bay and Mr Hunt, in his seventh George Bass, said the plan was to take the lead and stay there.
''There's risk of collisions which brings the risk of gear breakage or injury, so you want to steer clear of the trouble,'' he said.
''Our aim is to race from the front and not get caught in the fight, so we'll try and get ourselves clear nice and early and stay in the lead.
''You're far better racing in front than playing catch up.''
