surfboat

The 'surfboat' was about a quarter of a mile offshore 125 miles north of Sydney when the crew, most of who have been volunteer surf lifesavers for just a few months, encountered the shark.

Home | Mail Online 2009

And guess what, we saw a surfboat from Queensland in the main street…

Tropic Temper Glenda Larke 2008

The surfboat was, after some maneuvering, gotten in such a position under the lee of the steamer that a rope could be thrown aboard.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

There was a simultaneous movement on the part of the entire crew, and as the sturdy men put their shoulders to the task the surfboat shot forward just at the proper instant when a wave expended itself upon the sloping beach.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

Once fully launched upon the swelling bosom of the sea, the progress of the surfboat was more rapid, though every yard had to be won by the most arduous of labor, the men straining like galley slaves under the lash; but in this case it was a sense of duty rather than the whip of the tyrant that urged them on.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

All that time those devoted men must be on the watch, ready to man their surfboat again and take their lives in hand, should another vessel strike the dangerous reefs that were marked upon the chart as the worst within a hundred miles of Hatteras.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

Tom, the poor fellow with the broken leg, was bearing up bravely, and only bemoaned the fact that, if there should be any necessity for the launching of the surfboat he could not do his duty.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

Only when the surfboat rose on a billow could they be lowered, for at other times the distance was so great that the deck of the steamer looked as far away as the roof of a tall building.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

So he tried to forget about it, and make up his mind that he could find plenty of congenial work looking after his traps and assisting Abner's wife during the winter, with occasional trips across the sound, and possibly a chance to pull an oar in the surfboat, should luck favor him.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster

He was still filled with the deepest admiration for these men of the coast, and his determination to follow their arduous calling when he grew big enough to take an oar in the surfboat was undiminished.

Darry the Life Saver The Heroes of the Coast Frank V. Webster