The ASRL is the second biggest carnival of the year and features 350 crews from surf clubs all across Australia.

Payne, 35, Will Payne, 33, Mitchell Payne, 29, Michael Quinn, 33 and sweep Mal Dunwoodie have been rowing together for eight years and this result is one of their best to date.

“This result at the ASRL is right up there for sure,” Richard Payne said.

 “Our crew has been pretty successful over the past few years but this was a great result.

 “Last year we got to the race before the final at Aussies (top eight) which was big, while we also got fourth at state and fourth at Manly NSW Open.

“We have been very consistent over a long period of time and are starting to string together a series of unreal results, which is really satisfying.

 “The ASRL is equal to Aussies in terms of competitors, however Aussies is still the one you want to win.

 “With that being said, this is massive for us, as we had a good carnival all round, winning most of our rows.

“To get third placing from alley six in the final was a huge effort.

 “There was nothing breaking out wide in the final.”

“Us, Currumbin and Palm Beach were well out in front hitting the break and it was down to a race in three but unfortunately the wave that came didn’t break out wide leaving us in third.

 “We were still stoked with our result, especially from that lane.

“It’s a good marker on where we are at coming into nationals and leaves us with plenty of confidence coming into the business end of the season.”

The team members, who train six days a week, have all been involved in surf life saving from a young age.

“Will, Mitch and I grew up in the Gerringong SLSC going through Nippers from age five onwards and I guess surf boat rowing was a natural extension of that process,” Payne said.

“I took a bit longer to get into it more than 10 years ago, a result of them all still being involved and my wife was at the time also.

“Will and Mitch both began rowing for Gerringong at approximately 16-years of age and Quinny and myself both began over 10 years ago.

“Quinny became involved in the surf club later in life, as it provided him with a unique opportunity to wear his swimmers in public without the consternation of the local community.

“Mal has been involved with the sport since he was 16, starting out on the northern beaches of Sydney before coming to Gerringong more than 30 years ago.”

Payne and his team love everything that the sport of surf boating has to offer, both in and out of the water.

“Rowing provides you with an amazing lifestyle,” he said.

“We train basically every day to ensure we maintain a high level of fitness while we also get to travel the entire eastern seaboard competing at some awesome beaches.

“I’m pretty twitchy with a fair bit of energy to burn and love getting out and pushing myself, so that’s a real bonus in terms of the amount of training we do.

“The best part of it all is probably being in the ocean all the time, especially when there’s a wave on.

“There’s no better sport in terms of pushing yourself, testing your technique and just having a crack.

“The most rewarding aspect for me has been the amount of success we have been able to enjoy over the last few years.

“Our crew is obviously pretty close, so competing with your family and best mates against the top competitors in the country is a massive thrill and certainly fires you up.

“To put in a lot of effort with your mates and see the rewards is an awesome feeling.

“We all have kids and they love the surf and surf club lifestyle as well.

“Seeing first hand how pumped they get when we have a bit of success, is probably the biggest thrill to be honest.

“A couple of my kids are bloody competitive, so anything less than a medal doesn’t really cut the mustard with them.”

The team is into the business end of the season now, having just returned from Umina for the NSW state titles, where they were eliminated in the quarter finals.

They now turn their attentions to the final competition of the year, the Australian championships at Tugun on the Gold Coast next month.

“Everyone wants to win Aussies and we are no different,” Payne said. 

“Our crew is definitely desperate for a gold there, as we got bloody close last year and it was only a bit of luck that kept us out of the final.

“Everyone lifts a gear or two come Aussies but we feel that if we continue on the track we are on now, we have as good as chance as anyone else.

“It’s such an awesome week up there, there’s a great atmosphere around the joint with over 5000 competitors descending on the Gold Coast.

“It’s become a bit of an obsession for us to win Aussie gold and it’s what keeps you training year round.

“We are in a strong position at the moment but we have a lot of hard work to get through before then.

“Our grandad won Aussie gold in the belt race about a thousand years ago, so it would be ideal to be able to add a few more medals to the family trophy cabinet.”