Rowing 2000km from New Zealand to Australia would equal 10 George Bass Marathons.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kiwi 2020 Bass contenders won't be doing that.
Instead, the Air Hull Muriwai Meerkats will fly to Australia hoping to pick up a new boat, just in time for the world's longest surf boat race.
The George Bass Marathon will begin on December 29. The seven-leg race covers 190km of coastline from Batemans Bay to Eden.
The Meerkats are the first New Zealand woman's team to enter.
"We are very excited, but a bit nervous," rower Alison Craigie said.
READ MORE: Winless Vics make five Shield changes
The crew has plenty of sprint-race experience. Some members have been behind an oar for 10 years, but they are about to enter uncharted waters.
"It has been a change, but we started training five months ago, so are getting used to it," Craigie said.
"We have had a lot of people say 'don't do it' and ask us why."
So why did the Meerkats choose to face the mighty Bass?
... he looked at us girls and said, 'if your in, I'm in'
- Alison Craigie
On the edge of their sweep's retirement, the Meerkats received a George Bass flyer.
"Our sweep has been saying he is going to retire for the past five years and he kept coming back - when he was handed the flyer he looked at us girls and said, 'if your in, I'm in'," Craigie laughed.
READ MORE: McLaughlin makes solid Supercars return
"We have stuck together since and for the past two years have had the dream of doing this race."
The crew has competed in three Trans-Tasman Surf Boat Series, representing New Zealand from 2016-18.
Ten years ago, Craigie was the first woman to join a surf boat crew at Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service.
"The sport seems to be growing, but New Zealand has nowhere near the numbers Australia has," she said.
Craigie said the Meerkats had slogged out hours of training weekly in the lead-up to the Bass.
We don't train there too much because we would break too much gear and too many bodies
- Alison Craigie
The crew avoids training at their home beach of Muriwai, and instead launches out at the harbour or the East Coast, where it's "much calmer".
"Our home beach is very much a surf beach - it is rough," Craigie said.
"We don't train there too much because we would break too much gear and too many bodies."
Craigie looked forward confidently to the race.
"We are more than a team; we are really tight and like family.
"We could go to whatever lengths to achieve anything with this group - the vibe is awesome."
The crew
- Ricky Butt - sweep
- Alison Craigie
- Kathryn Wright
- Jess Parkin
- Louise Ayling
- Nivana Johnson
- Mandy Lardenoye
- Steph Gleeson
- Nikki Jones
- Mark Goodhew - team manager
Strength: Great at chatting and keeping each other entertained so there's never a dull moment in the boat.
Weakness: Easily distracted by seals, dolphins and dogs during training.
To keep up to date with their story, visit the Muriwai Meerkats' Facebook Page or follow them on Instagram.