Exploring history, the south coast and my resilience

George Bass (1771-1803), surgeon, sailor and explorer was born on 30 January 1771 England. He arrived in Port Jackson, Australia on 7 September 1795 and soon explored the George Rivers from a small rowing boat of about 8-foot (2.4 m) keel,?named the Tom Thumb. He was granted permission to explore the southern coast and given a well fitted whale-boat, 28 feet 7 inches long (8.7 m), built in Sydney of native banksia timber. In this open boat with six volunteers and six weeks provisions he left Port Jackson on 3 December 1797. In the next eleven weeks, despite boisterous weather, he travelled some 1200 miles (1931 km) south to Victoria.

The George Bass Surfboat Marathon commenced in 1975 and surf ski's were added to the event in the 1990's. The race is held every two years. The event is named after the explorer and covers a distance of 190 km from Batemans Bay to Eden

The George Bass Surf Marathon race director Andrew Holt?said that the Bass is the toughest event on any rowing calendar anywhere in the world. Crews of both men and women in surf boats and individuals on surf and ocean skis compete over seven gruelling days in every element that the ocean can throw at them.

What makes a race “tough?” For starters, if you wince while reading the race description, that’s a strong indication that you’ll need months of training to complete the route ahead of you. Throw in unpredictable seas and strong winds, big waves, rips, currents, bomboras and even difficulty getting off the beach due to crashing waves and is an unknown challenge.

I first attempted the George Bass race during 2020 and the event was cancelled due to raging bushfires that burnt south coast towns. The race planned for 2022 was cancelled due to COVID. So I was looking forward to returning in 2023.

A normal training paddle for me is between 8 and 12 km with the occasional 21 km downwind in calm seas in North Queensland. So the George Bass race distances of 19-36 km were a big jump plus you had to endure seven days ocean paddling in a row,

Day 1 was long at 31 km but it was also relatively fast as we had assistance from a NE breeze and swell. Before and after photos show I put in a big effort and could just carry my ski up the beach with assistance from my sister Gabriel.

A huge southerly swell hit the NSW coast for Day 3 and the race was rescheduled to sheltered waters in Wagonga Inlet, Narooma. This was flat, scenic and you could keep an eye on other competitors and even have a conversation.

Tathra was beautiful location to start and finish day 4 but also dangerous and two people were taken to hospital due to broken bones during mishaps in the waves

Day 6 and 7 were wild, scary, exciting and adventurous in the spirit of the 'boisterous weather' experienced by George Bass and his crew. We paddled in 20-25 knot winds, 3-4 m swell, big side slop reflected from cliffs and in some cases over 1 km offshore and often out of sight of other vessels. I even saw a penguin. Note that we also wore lifejackets and carried GPS trackers, flares and were very well supported by race organisers who checked on our position

It was tough mentally and physically. I was pleased to explore the amazing NSW south coast by kayak and my personal resilience and to finish the 2023 George Bass Surf Marathon. A huge thank you to my wife Joanne Stacey and sister Gabriel and friends for supporting me on the journey of a lifetime.

If you are inspired by this story contact me about other expeditions, training and lectures in Australia. I am part of the science team leading the 2023 Citizen Science of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition from October 2023 with Coral Expeditions.