Ocean Grove main beach hosted the Life Saving Victoria Inflatable Rescue Board (IRB) Round 2 competition on Sunday 12 May.
Around 20 competitors from Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club’s IRB Racing team took part in state competition on Mother’s day in solid wave conditions and a low tide.
IRB racing teams from Victorian based surf life saving clubs and life saving clubs including nearby 13th Beach Surf Life Saving Club at Barwon Heads, Fairhaven, Williamstown, Seaford, Venus Bay, Brighton, Waratah Beach, South Melbourne and Elwood all competed.
Ocean Grove SLSC IRB Sport Captain and Coach Nick Giblin said a lot of training went into IRB racing before major state competitions.
Crew members from Ocean Grove SLSC are also patrol captains at the club during the busy surf patrol season.
IRB racing competitions is scheduled around for the winter period so it does not coincide with the surf patrol season in Victoria.
“Once or twice a week we are down in the water physically in the boats,” Giblin told the Voice.
“Practising starts, finishes, patient picks up we sort of break the race down – then put it all together.”
Giblin said Ocean Grove SLSC IRB racing competitors had trained on the flat water at Portarlington and in the bigger surf at Ocean Grove main beach to prepare for competition.
Giblin said five Ocean Grove IRB Racing teams had progressed to semi-finals at the LSV based event at Ocean Grove main beach.
“We were looking pretty promising,” Giblin said on the day.
The next LSV IRB racing competition heads to Lorne for a weekend double header in Round 3 on 25 May and 26 May.
