Shark sightings, blisters and a red-raw backside are what rowers can look forward to when they tackle the 2012 George Bass Surfboat Marathon.Four crews representing Bulli, Wollongong City, Coledale and Kiama are taking on the seven-day endurance race, which starts at Batemans Bay on New Year’s Day and finishes at Eden.The gruelling bi-annual will be contested by 25 crews and is described by organisers as the world’s toughest surf boat race in open ocean.Wollongong City sweep Rod Latham has rowed in several George Bass Marathons, though every member of his youthful crew - average age 21 - is making his debut.‘‘They’re all first or second-year rowers and they’re rowing really well. They’re all very keen and enthusiastic,’’ Latham said.‘‘I’m a little worried about New Year’s Eve and rowing the next day. I’ll be trying to make sure they take it fairly easy, but they’ll be sorry if they overdo it because I’ve already told them I’ll punish them. There won’t be any sympathy.’’Aside from New Year’s Day hangovers, the City boys are a little anxious about certain types of marine life.‘‘They’re wary of the shark factor, but you’ve gotta love rowing,’’ Latham said.‘‘Actually the biggest worry is the rowing itself, the blisters and the aches and pains. We’ll look out for sharks and I’ll talk to them about it, but it is what it is and you just try to ignore it.‘‘One of the boys asked if there was sharks out there and one of our support boat guys said ‘well, it is the sea’. I’ve been rowing for years. You see them floating around every now and then but I’ve never had a close encounter with any.‘‘You do see some amazing things out there. We were training this year and a pod of about 100 dolphins swam by us. We just stopped in the middle of them and they were jumping out everywhere around us.‘‘Another time we had a whale go right underneath the boat. It was the freakiest thing ever.’’While the race might be an eye-opener for City’s crew, Bulli’s highly experienced veteran outfit knows what to expect.‘‘We’ve all done it before, bar one of us, and one of our guys is doing it for the 13th or 14th time, so there certainly won’t be any surprises,’’ Bulli crew member Craig Lunney said.‘‘You wouldn’t do this sport if you were worried about the sharks and all that stuff. The beauty of the race is that it’s not just a great physical challenge, it’s a great time. We go down there and enjoy the company of the other crews and then we all go out and put in the hard yards on the water.’’The Bulli crew consists of sweep Shane Geloven and rowers Lunney, Rod and Chris Mercer, Darren Nichols, Glen McMillan, Peter McClaren, Jason Sparks and Kingsley Baker.