This is wild, and the farther you go back in history, the wilder it has to be.
Never had this "sport" in my country, but I have been always amazed by it, freaking dangerous!

The person standing upright at the rear of the boat with the extra long ore is called the "sweep".

It's a little known fact that the word "sweep" is an aboriginal word and its meaning loosely translates to;

"watch out, I can't steer this f**king thing"

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Why yes, I have been hit by them on 4 occasions!!! but how did you know that???

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30's Narrator said..

We can't wait for stragglers so start swimming brother

great commentary...

Spilled my cafe latte watching this while getting my hair done.

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evlPanda said..
Spilled my cafe latte watching this while getting my hair done.

Did it stain your blouse?

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evlPanda said...
Spilled my cafe latte watching this while getting my hair done.

You should sue

It was all harmless fun like smoking

And drink driving...

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Imax said..
And drink driving...

and drinking and posting

My Dad and his mates from City Beach Surf Club used to row to Rotto and back "for training" regularly.

They were pretty serious about it too, they added ballast to make the boat heavier - 2 or 3 x 18 gallon kegs plus tucker

One time they were rowing back in "City III" and sprung a leak in the hull, to plug it they jammed their bathers into the sprung seam and kept on rowing - only to find a bumper crowd at the beach.

The whole crew had to sprint up to the clubhouse....starkers yeah - they got a bit of a lecture over that


stephen

Curiosity got the better of me and I had to suss out a thread on manliness posted by 'Mastbender'

It is pretty amazing watching the carnage (more often than not) when a surf boat takes on a decent set.

I've never understood why peeps, post 1930, would take a 'surf boat' out in actual surf.

Manly it may be, but so is strapping some fillet steaks to ya noggin and walking into a lion enclosure.

Here is a much more modern alternative.. and this way you don't get Speedos so far up ya butt a surgeon is called in.



"Hey man, slow down!! There's a speed camera up ahead.

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sn said..
My Dad and his mates from City Beach Surf Club used to row to Rotto and back "for training" regularly.

They were pretty serious about it too, they added ballast to make the boat heavier - 2 or 3 x 18 gallon kegs plus tucker

One time they were rowing back in "City III" and sprung a leak in the hull, to plug it they jammed their bathers into the sprung seam and kept on rowing - only to find a bumper crowd at the beach.

The whole crew had to sprint up to the clubhouse....starkers yeah - they got a bit of a lecture over that


stephen

Bunch a manly men, out on the ocean for a long time and end up naked together plugging the leak??
Are you sure ya dad's memory isn't slipping and he's thinking of his time in the Navy?

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bjw said..

evlPanda said...
Spilled my cafe latte watching this while getting my hair done.

You should sue

I did, and stop calling me 'Sue'.

Back when men were men
And women weren't invented
Men drilled holes in telegraph poles
And stood there quite contented

I keep seeing this title and can't help but remember the saying (I think it referred to the southern states of USA)...

"...where men are men - and so are half the women!"

I went to an agricultural/architectural college, interesting combo I know, but there was some separation between the two schools, I was in the architectural half.
There was a saying there that applied to the agricultural side, "where men are men, the women are men, and the sheep are running".

the only difference i can see with these boats to todays ones are now we have fiberglass boats and electric pumps to try and empty the boat out before the next wave breaks into it. Plus now there not used for rescue's but just for competitions. if you ever get the chance give it a go, wont get any surfers trying to drop in on your wave when your in one.