SLSS Boat Series #2

​Coogee surf boat crews put on a cracking show at the South Maroubra Carnival over the weekend, with great results all round. Despite the overcast skies and the challenging conditions South Maroubra always seems to throw up, our crews rose to the occasion and delivered strongly across the board. 

We had nine crews in attendance, giving Coogee a huge and lively presence on the beach. Adding to the excitement was the debut of two new Coogee crews, hitting the carnival scene for the first time. The Under 23's Male Cobia and Under 19's Female Commandos. 

Open Females - DMGs: The DMGs finished equal first on points but were relegated to second on countback. It was fantastic to see these ladies hit their stride in the final two races of the day, taking commanding leads and showing their true potential.

Reserve Males - Sons: The Sons brought home the chocolates in their final, taking the lead from the start and holding it all the way to the finish, securing a well-deserved carnival win. 

Reserve Females - Overwavers: The Overwavers finished strong with a win in their final round of the round robin, securing a well-earned second place for the carnival.

Under 23 Females - Havachats and Nut Crabbers: Both crews faced their share of carnage during the carnival. The Havachats rowed an entire race with non-working pumps and a boat full of water, while the Nut Crabbers were sent straight into a storming wave right from the starting gun during a race. Despite the challenges, both crews claimed a race win during the rounds, with the Havachats delivering the most consistent performance to take home the overall pointscore, and the Nut Crabbers finishing a strong third. 

 Under 23 Males - Cobia and Filthy Oars: The Cobia crew saw the return of Matt Leary, son of Coogee Life Member Paul ‘Coota’ Leary, back behind the sweep oars. Matt has already got the boys firing, securing a third place finish at their first carnival. The Filthy Oars, always a crowd favourite, also made the final finishing 4th . Proof of what a bit of hard training and dedication can achieve. We were stoked to see both crews performing so strongly.

Under 19 Females - Commandos: The Commandos made their surf boat carnival debut in very challenging conditions, with the girls coming away with several third-place finishes. 

Under 19 Males - Seamen: During warm up, the boys got smashed by a wave that nearly flipped their boat, making it all the more impressive to conquer their nerves and get straight into racing. With some fresh faces in the crew and only a few sessions under their belts, it will be exciting to watch them develop and grow over the coming weeks

Overall, it was an exciting Round 2 of the Sydney Branch Boat Series, with several of our crews well-positioned to challenge for the overall point score at the end of the season.