The Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Boats Club will head to the Battle of the Boats at Pacific Palms this weekend full of confidence after their successful outing at the NSW Country Surf Life Saving Championships in early February.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The club won’t send all of their crews after a busy schedule to start the year and with two important carnivals held the following two weekends.
However, the defending champions at the Battle of the Boats, the Men’s Masters 180s will attempt to go back-to-back.
The crew will have one change from last year with Simon Tamblyn entering the boat to replace Gavin Burke who is on vacation.
A member of the Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Boats Club Scott Edwards said the side doesn’t lose much with Tambyln replacing Burke.
“Simon will slot in nicely to the crew and has been coming along well,” Edwards explained.
"They are still a great chance of winning the title.”
The Men’s Masters 180 crew won the gold medal at the NSW Country Surf Life Saving Championships at South West Rocks.
The Masters women, Open women and Masters 240 will also attend the event and have high hopes of earning great results.
The Open women team also earned a gold medal at the NSW Country Championships.
It is the 19th annual Battle of the Boats carnival held at Pacific Palms and the organisers are expecting close to 200 of the top surf boat crews from surf clubs on the east coast of Australia to converge on Elizabeth Beach for the two days of racing.
Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club president Paul Martin says it is great for the locals and for the clubs attending to battle against the best with the state and national titles approaching.
“The Battle of the Boats 2017 is a great opportunity for locals to view surfboat racing at its very best,” Martin said.
“The NSW State and Australian Championships just around the corner, crews will be honing their performances for these prestigious events.”