South Coast crew make history after crossing Torres Strait in surf boat

Broulee Surf Life Saving Club's Haydan Connor, Robert Pollock and Ewen Pollock and Narooma Surf Life Saving Club's Rod Patmore, Sam Patmore, Brendan Constable and Jorge Constable rowed 200 kilometres across the Strait in a world-first attempt between November 19 and 22 with the help of support crew members Liam and Kobe Parsons.

The "MusselRowers" were joined by North Cronulla SLSC members Braden Fleming, Matt Barrington, Mark Lea and Mick Crutcher, who took alternate 2-hour rowing shifts from Seisia in Far North Queensland to Sidabadu in Papua New Guinea over four days.

Brendan Constable, Bermagui Public School's principal, was one of three sweeps who led the crew.

He has now made history twice after the November effort, having already successfully rowed across the Bass Strait to raise money for Clown Doctors in January 2022.

Mr Constable is a stalwart of the Narooma SLSC, having joined the club as a nipper and introducing his children to the club, including 17-year-old Jorge.

He said the crew, which included three father-and-son duos, rowed almost 90 kilometres on November 20 and 30 to 40 kilometres on three other days.

The huge day started with an unexpected close encounter at 4am, as four reef sharks began circling the surf and support boats.

"One of the blokes told us to be careful of tiger sharks." Luckily, the tiger sharks stayed away and the crew were treated to plenty of turtle sightings instead.

Although the crew wasn't planning a 90-kilometre haul on their second day, it had to be done: their support boat was unable to reach them times due to sharp coral reefs and unpredictable shallow waters.

"We had three spots where we could stop for shelter," he said, "We made it to the third spot, which shocked everyone a little bit".

He said strong currents and sudden changes in wind direction often made the water "rapid-like".

"Over those two-hour [shifts]...parts of it were really hard slogs and sometimes it just felt like you were going nowhere."

Motoring alongside them was a diligent support crew in a back-up boat fittingly named Tropical Paradise, where they were able to rest and recuperate overnight.

"The other big challenge was getting into Papua New Guinea."

Mr Constable said because the crew was entering international waters in an "unregistered boat", things became a logistical nightmare.

"We were halfway there and we still didn't have confirmation whether we'd be able to [make it].

"We were lucky we had Border Force on our side."

He said perseverance was key as they continued heading north, passing Moa, Badu and Turnagain islands before reaching Saibai Island which is just three kilometres south of their final destination, Sidabadu.

The crew were processed by Papua New Guinea Immigration and the Australian Border Force on Saibai Island, before they made a final row to Sidabadu where they met hundreds of villagers.

"We didn't know [what reaction we would get from them] because they didn't know whether we were still coming."

The MusselRowers gifted the Papua New Guinea locals NRL jerseys and a teddy bear from Bermagui Public School as the children gleefully jumped into the surf boat and hugged crew members.

"The emotional part for me was meeting all those kids and seeing that they're pretty low on water."

He said the small community's three wells were almost completely empty and they were now using the dirty water at the bottom.

The MusselRowers were keen to raise funds and awareness for the Black Dog Institute during this expedition because many of the crew members know someone who has struggled with poor mental health.

In February 2023, a women's MusselRowers crew raised funds for Red Nose by rowing across Bass Strait.

"It was a bit of a mental challenge, and just getting to the end of that, knowing [the rowers] had made it, was pretty emotional."

You can donate to the Black Dog Institute here.