DEE WHY, November 3: Australia’s premier surf boat crew, Pure Blonde North Cottesloe, have stamped their authority on the Evive Ocean Thunder Pro Surf Boat Series after an impressive opening round at Dee Why Beach in Sydney.  And there was a bonus waiting for the boys when they turned their mobile phones on at the end of the day – messages congratulating them on their selection to represent Australia in the prestigious International Centenary Test Series at Bondi at the end of the month. 

There’s something uniquely Australian in the image of a boat crew, the sweep in control at the stern, batting their way though huge breakers to rescue a hapless swimmer fighting the rip. When a swimmer is in trouble too far beyond the break to be reached by a lifesaver attached to a belt and reel the boat went out. Likewise if rescues had to be made around a rocky headland - maybe a fisherman had been swept into the sea - it was a job for the surfboat. The introduction of inflatable rescue boats many that the surfboat was no longer deemed a rescue craft. But intense regional, state and national SLSC boat competition and the incredible commitment and enthusiasm of thousands of…