The gruelling George Bass Surfboat Marathon was the concept of former Bega District News editor WB “Curly” Annabel.

The wordsmith conjured the idea of tracing part of the journey covered by Surgeon Commander George Bass in 1797, two years after arriving in Australia.

Surgeon Commander Bass was the first person of European descent to explore the Bega Valley region after the survivors of the Sydney Cove shipwreck walked through the area heading north in 1797. 

Later that year, Surgeon Commander Bass travelled up the Bega River from Mogareeka and sailed upstream as far as Jellat Jellat.

Mr Annabel at first received no support for the idea, until then-NSW State Secretary and Cronulla boat sweep Nick Dixon made his dream a reality in 1975.

The very first race that year consisted of 12 crews, including one from Atlantic College in Wales.

The race was the first time sliding seats had been used in open water surfboat racing.

Mr Dixon’s Cronulla team took line honours, while the Tathra crew finished in ninth place.

This year the Tathra crew is riding a boat named after the late Mr Annabel.

In 1797, Surgeon Commander Bass and his crew of six naval oarsmen began their journey in a longboat at Port Phillip Bay and travelled down the NSW coastline and around the southern end of Victoria, mapping the coastline as they went.

After sharing the wonders of the Far South Coast, Lieutenant Matthew Flinders and Surgeon Commander Bass took another trip in the sloop Norfolk the following year.

It was a longboat salvaged from the wrecked ship Sirius and decked and refitted on Norfolk Island, making it the only ship ever built on the island from its native pine.

During rough weather they anchored in Snug Cove in Eden and surveyed and named Twofold Bay, Whale Spit, Red Point and Snug Cove Head.

On the same trip the whole island of Tasmania was circumnavigated, proving correct Surgeon Commander Bass’s theory it was an island. 

The two friends were known to have a keen interest in the plant and animal life throughout Twofold Bay.

The fate of George Bass remains unknown.

He set sail for his last voyage aboard the Venus in 1803 and he and his crew were never seen or heard from again.

As competitors battle the tough ocean conditions of this year’s race, some may be wondering how Bass’s made it as far as they did.