George Bass Marathon News

The Pharmacy 777 George Bass Surf Boat and Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon is drawing to a close with the penultimate leg completed today. 

Pambula Masters women were the first crew to arrive at their home beach completing the 27km leg from Tathra. 

Bulli again took out the Open Men, while North Cronulla took out the Open Women. Wanda took out the Masters Men, fending off fierce competition from Narooma and North Cronulla. 

There was some great racing with Mollymook, competing in their first bass, neck and neck with Long Reef and Coogee in the Men. 

In the Open Women’s Moruya took home second place for the second day in a row with a strong performance. Broulee finished in third while the Broulee Canberra Capitals came through in 4th. 

In the ski race Paul Buttle took out the Open race, while Nick Ziviani and Joe Hasley took out the Double ski. 

All competitors were delighted to hear from Pambula sweep Wanye Kent at today’s presentation and see he is doing well. 

Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds said all rowers and paddlers were looking forward to the thrilling finish at Eden tomorrow. 

“While the first place getters in each category are sorted we still might see some movement in for second and third depending on the results,” he said. 

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Results Day 6 

Day four of the Pharmacy 777 and Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon has proved to be the toughest day yet on the water.

Competitors in the marathon faced two metre swells as they rowed in to a 26km per hour southerly wind for the 24 kilometre leg from Narooma to Bermagui.

Three competitors of the Broulee Bats Masters Women side were treated for mild hypothermia, while a Avalon Beach rower sustained a knee injury.

Broulee Bats Sweep Justin Zutt said losing a few rowers made for an extremely difficult day in the office.

“We still had around 12 kilometres in the course to go, it was hard enough going with eight rowers but dropping back to six for the back half of the race made it really tough.

“We’ll monitor everyone this afternoon and are hopeful we’ll have them back in the race tomorrow.”

Bulli Open Men have just about locked away the overall win with another strong performance today finishing the race in under 3 hours.

Paul Buttle won the Open  Ski, while Nick Ziviani and Joe Hasley won the Double ski race. Jacqui Keough spent the longest time on the water for the ski competitors paddling for over four hours. Meanwhile paddler Simon Steinhouse has unfortunately had to withdraw from the race due to illness.

In the Masters women Pambula again have remained undefeated as have North Cronulla in the Open Womens.

Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds said those leading crews are in a almost unbeatable position in the overall pointscore.

“They’d pretty much have to come last every leg from here on out which shows how strong they have been,” he said.

“In the Masters Men category however that race is still wide open, as are the remaining podium places in the other categories.

“It’s really quite close for the other crews vying for a place.”

Mr Edmunds praised the entire fleet for today’s effort.

“It was cold, wet and windy in a very tough and grueling day on the ocean with a number of competitors and crews on the water for more than four hours.

“The competitors did a great job, as did their support boats, water safety and medical team keeping everyone safe.”

Tomorrow’s leg is the longest for the week, a 36 kilometre slog from Bermagui to Tathra.

RESULTS DAY 4 Narooma to Bermagui 24 km

Bulli have gone a step closer to claiming their fourth straight overall win of the Pharmacy 777 George Bass Surf Boat Marathon with a dominant performance on day two.

The Bulli Open Men crew overtook the entire fleet, while North Cronulla enjoyed their second straight victory in the Open Women. Pambula, who are the defending champions in the Masters Women also took out their second straight victory, while North Cronulla also took out the Masters Men.

It was a challenging day, especially for interstate visitors from Darwin who were greeted with a strong southerly wind and 1.5 metre swell which tested the rowers and ski paddlers on the 24 kilometre leg from Moruya Heads to Tuross.

The day started with a memorial for the late Lesley Pheeney and then the crews set off on the leg.

Female Ski paddler Jacqui Keough unfortunately had to withdraw from the race with a broken rudder.

The Ski paddlers in the Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon were the first to make it to the finish line. Double ski competitors from Narooma Joe Hasley and Nic Ziviani were the first to cross the line. Paul Buttel took out the Open Ski for today’s leg.

The end of the race was a stark contrast to the drama of yesterday. Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds said crews were relieved to hear the 66 year old male sweep condition is improving in hospital following his suspected heart attack on the finish beach.

“He is currently awaiting surgery and we hope he’ll be out of hospital in a few days,” he said.

“The situation highlighted how everyone participating in this event are surf life savers first and competitors second, with the Pambula crew, Grange competitor, Mollymook competitor and our surf life savers on duty all clicking into action as soon as the emergency situation arose. 

RESULTS DAY 2 Moruya to Tuross Head 24kms

Double Ski

1^st Nick Ziviani and Joe Hasley
2^nd Brendan Cowled and Tony Ireland

Open Ski

1^st Paul Buttle
2^nd John Pattinson
3^rd Nick Kirby
4^th Stephen Bunney
5^th Simon Steinhouse
6^th Gavin Grander
7^th David Schofield
8^th Craig Vipond
9^th Nathan Vipond
10^th Warwick Ward
DNF Jacqui Keough

Masters Women

1^st Pambula
2^ND Torquay
3^rd Avalon Beach
4^th Darwin
5^th Broulee 

Open Women

1^st North Cronulla
2^nd Broulee
3^rd Moruya
4^th Broulee Canberra Capitals

Masters Men
1^st North Cronulla
2^nd Narooma
3^rd Wollongong City
4^th Grange
5^th Tathra
6^th Wanda
7^th Noosa
8^th Broulee Canberra Capitals
9^th Bulli
10^th Pambula
11^th Warriewood

Open Men
1^st Bulli
2^nd Coogee
3^rd Mollymook
4^th Long Reef
5^th Pambula

Day one of the Pharmacy 777 George Bass and Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon has got underway.

Crews departed Batemans Bay just after 9am this morning and battled the first leg of the seven day 190 kilometre race from Batemans to Eden.

Today’s leg was 31 kilometres with boats and skis arriving at Moruya Beach between 12pm and 1pm. Conditions at sea were fantastic for racing.

Unfortunately the day ended in drama with the sweep of a crew suffering a suspected cardiac arrest at the completion of the race. The sweep, aged 66 was provided with first aid treatment by the event safety crew and members of the public and received further treatment from NSW Ambulance before being transported to hospital in a serious condition.

Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds praised the safety team and participants involved.

“They responded very professionally and we certainly hope the member has a speedy recovery,” he said.

The Bass has attracted crews from all over Australia with competitors from Darwin, Noosa, Torquay and Grange in South Australia lining up against some of the strongest crews on the Far South Coast and NSW.

Mollymook from the South Coast entered their first ever marathon.

In the Masters Women Pambula kicked off their title defence well taking out today’s leg, as did three time reigning champions in the open Men Bulli.

North Cronulla dominated the Open Women in the opening leg, while Wanda took out the Masters Men and John Patinson took out the ski race.

Day 2 of the Pharmacy 777 George Bass and Dial Before you Dig Ski marathon gets underway from 9am at Moruya beach. A memorial will be held for the late Lesley Pheeney at 8:45am

The George Bass Surf Boat Marathon committee are pleased to announce a brand new naming rights sponsorship for the George Bass Marathon, West Australian based pharmacy group - Pharmacy 777.

The George Bass Marathon is held biennially from Batemans Bay to Eden, a 190 kilometre race made up of seven legs over seven days.

Pharmacy 777’s vision is to enhance the quality of life within the community, with a team of pharmacists offering a professional and caring approach to complete healthcare. Their focus is to ensure patient and health care needs are met in collaboration with the wider health care network and local community organisations.

Pharmacy 777 Managing Director Kim Brotherson said partnering with Surf Life Saving and the George Bass Marathon made perfect sense.

“Surf Life Saving is all about saving lives and creating healthy Australians by encouraging physical activity and participation in sport,” he said.

“The George Bass Marathon is the pinnacle of fitness and endurance for Surf Boat Rowing and has a proud history of attracting the very best competitors from all over Australia.

“We’re very proud to be involved with the event and believe the synergies with healthy and active lifestyles and our approach to supporting the community go hand in hand.”

Mr Brotherson said while Pharmacy 777 is currently located in Western and South Australia, the company were looking to expand to the East Coast of Australia in coming months.

“We’re excited to have launched our national Pharmacy 777 Independent Community Pharmacy Network model dedicated to serving the community. We are ready and interested in talking to Pharmacists who share a similar vision, have spirit for innovation and live with passion for making a difference in our patient’s life,” says Mr Brotherson.

Being part of the Pharmacy 777 Community requires strong leadership, shared values and dedication to service. Building and empowering a team of quality people, who share our values and resonate with our vision, is the optimal foundation for our future.

Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds welcomed Pharmacy 777 announcement and looked forward to their involvement.

“Without the support of sponsors, volunteers, community and local councils the event would cease to exist, so we thank them for all their ongoing contributions and support.

“The Pharmacy 777 George Bass Marathon is the world’s longest and toughest endurance surf boat and ski race,” he said.

“This year is shaping up to be one of the largest in the 42 year history of the event.”

At a Glance – Pharmacy 777 George Bass Marathon
• Day 1 31/12/2017 Batemans Bay to Moruya
• Day 2 1/01/2018 Moruya to Tuross
• Day 3 2/1/2018 Tuross to Narooma
• Day 4 3/1/2018 Narooma to Bermagui
• Day 5 4/1/2018 Bermagui to Tathra
• Day 6 5/1/2018 Tathra to Pambula
• Day 7 6/1/2018 Merimbula to Eden

Crews entered:
Open Men
Bulli, NSW
Coogee, NSW
Long Reef, NSW
Mollymook, NSW
Pambula, NSW
Reigning champions – Bulli NSW

Open Women
Broulee, NSW
Broulee Canberra Capitals, ACT/NSW
Moruya, NSW
North Cronulla, NSW
Torquay, VIC
Reigning champions Moruya/Long Reef NSW

Masters Men
Broulee Canberra Capitals, ACT/NSW
Bulli, NSW
Grange, SA
Narooma, NSW
Noosa, QLD
North Cronulla, NSW
Pambula, NSW
Tathra, NSW
Wanda, NSW
Warriewood, NSW
Wollongong City, NSW
Reigning Champions, Narooma NSW
Masters Women
Darwin, NT
Pambula, NSW
Broulee, NSW
Avalon Beach, NSW
Reigning Champions Pambula NSW

Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon
Gavin Granger, Pambula SLSC, NSW
Nathan Vipond, Maroochydore SLSC, QLD
Paul Buttel, Wanda SLSC, NSW
Stephen Bunney, Bermagui SLSC, NSW
John Patison, Austinmer SLSC, NSW
Josie Pike, Metropolitan Caloundra SLSC, QLD
David Schofield, Shoalhaven Heads SLSC, NSW
Nicholas Kirby, North Cronulla SLSC, NSW
Craig Vipond, Maroochydore SLSC QLD
Nick Ziviani, Narooma SLSC, NSW
Brendan Cowled, Mollymook SLSC, NSW
Joseph Hasley, Narooma SLSC, NSW
Anthony Ireland, Mollymook SLSC, NSW
Reigning Champion Stew O’Regan

The George Bass Surf Boat Marathon committee are pleased to announce long-time supporter Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT are back on board as major sponsors of the 2018 George Bass Surf Boat Marathon and naming rights sponsor for the Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT George Bass Ski Marathon.

The George Bass Marathon is held biennially from Batemans Bay to Eden, a 190 kilometre race made up of seven legs over seven days.

Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT State Manager Dominic Puiu said he was pleased to announce their support of the iconic race.

“The marathon is the world’s longest and toughest surf boat and ski marathon and is unlike any other endurance race,” he said.

“DBYD NSW/ACT has partnered with surf life saving over many years and are proud to be continuing our involvement.

Marathon organiser Andrew Edmunds welcomed DBYD NSW/ACT’s announcement of their ongoing involvement.

“They’ve been like family for the Bass for many years, especially the Dial Before You Dig Ski Marathon,” he said.

“Without the support of sponsors, volunteers, community and local councils the event would cease to exist, so we thank them for all their ongoing contributions and support.

Mr Edmunds said planning was well underway to make the surfboat and ski marathon, in its 20th race, one of the biggest ever with crews from NSW, ACT, QLD VIC and possibly SA and the NT expecting to take part.

“Sue Hunt and the committee have been doing a fabulous job generating interest in the event with a large number of crews expressing interest and our early bird entries closing in September.”

A naming right sponsor for the George Bass Surf Boat Marathon is expected to be announced in September.

The 2017/18 Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT Ski Marathon and George Bass Surf Boat Marathon will be held on the following dates:

• Day 1 31/12/2017 Batemans Bay to Moruya
• Day 2 1/01/2018 Moruya to Tuross
• Day 3 2/1/2018 Tuross to Narooma
• Day 4 3/1/2018 Narooma to Bermagui
• Day 5 4/1/2018 Bermagui to Tathra
• Day 6 5/1/2018 Tathra to Pambula
• Day 7 6/1/2018 Merimbula to Eden