Comp Team Success at Leo
February 17, 2026
Portsea SLSC 2024/25 Impact Report
February 20, 2026
2026 Victorian Masters Championships – Pt Leo SLSC
A little goes a long way. A squad of just 12 men and 6 women from Portsea managed to finish 5th overall at Point Leo, despite being massively outnumbered by some rival clubs. We were even sitting 2nd overall after the water events on Saturday before a few other teams overtook us on Sunday.
74% of races didn’t even have a Portsea SLSC entrant. So consider this your official invitation, if you’re over an active member 30 plus and can swim, run, or paddle, start training now for 2027! We promise a super fun day out, and we would love to have you in red and white.
Every single team member came home with medals and valuable points.
The Legend Continues
Michael ‘Wippy’ Wilson remains our hero. At 80 years young, Wippy won Gold in the Board Race, the Ski Race, the Ironman and the Mixed Taplin. He let the club down with Silver in the Surf Race, but he assures the team that he will train even harder for 2027.
Camo’s Golden Run
2026 Masters Club Champ Cam Hunter had a big day. Gold in the Double Ski with Dave Rowell. Gold in the Surf Teams with Ben Jesse and Phil Harford. Gold in the Board Rescue with Andrew Reagan. Gold in the Ski Teams with Matt Mahon and Eamonn Murphy. And Gold in both the Surf Race and Board Race. The only blemish? Silver in Surf Teams, missing Gold by a single point.
Welcome Back Sal
Making her Masters debut, Sally Gentle was prolific: 2 Gold (2km Swim, Taplin Relay with Sue Crow and Chloe Hardman), 2 Silver (Surf Race, Board Race), and Bronze in the Board Rescue with Bec Gould.
Junks Goes Off
Jim ‘Junks’ Unkles was one of the Championships’ most prolific competitors, hauling in 7 medals—5 Gold, a Silver, and a Bronze—across water and beach events. He even made it back for patrol afterwards.
Henry Gets Wet (Finally)
Henry Kiss won plenty of medals as usual: Gold in Beach Sprint, Gold in the Beach Relay with Matt Mahon, Junks, and Ed Brice, and Silver in Beach Flags. But here’s the headline: for the first time in nearly 59 years, Henry got wet—winning Silver in the Board Rescue with Junks.
The Rest of the Red and White
El Presidente Matt Mahon won Gold in the Taplin, Gold in the Ski Relay with Eamonn Murphy and Camo, and Bronze in the Double Ski with Eamonn. On Sunday, in between managing the gear trailer for the open carnival, Matt still found time to lead off the Gold-winning Beach Relay.
Dave ‘Rowlie’ Rowell juggled fatherhood and competition brilliantly: Gold in the Iron (even with a mid-swim rest!), Gold in Board Teams with Andrew Regan and Ed Brice, Gold in Double Ski with Camo, Gold in Board Rescue with Phil Harford, and Bronze in Surf Teams.
Ed Brice recovered from going the wrong way around a buoy in the Board Rescue to claim Gold in Board Teams with Rowlie and Andrew Regan, Bronze in Surf Teams with Ben Mitchell and Rowlie, and anchored the Beach Relay to Gold with a dodgy calf.
Nat Hood, On top of being an official, Nat still had time to win Gold in the Double Ski with Chloe Hardman and Bronze in the Taplin.
Sue Crow AM only knows one colour: Gold. Four times. Taplin, Surf Teams, Surf Race, and Mixed Taplin.
Chloe Hardman: Gold in Double Ski with Nat Hood, Silver in Board Race, Silver in Iron, Gold in Surf Teams, Gold in Taplin with Sue Crow and Sally Gentle.
Bev Thomas won Bronze in the Taplin with Nat Hood and Bec Gould before absolutely powering to Gold in the 2km Run—by a long, long way. Sub-4-minute km pace. On sand.
Ben Jesse, another surf carnival debutant, won Silver in the surf race and Gold in the surf teams. He would’ve had Bronze in the Board Rescue too if not for Buoy-gate.
Ben Mitchell won Bronze in the Surf Teams and narrowly missed Bronze in the Board Race while also being in the mix in the Surf Race.
Phil Harford, on top of managing the team, won Gold in the Taplin, Gold in the surf teams, Gold in the Board Rescue, and Bronze in the Surf Race.
Andrew Regan, having never used a Racing Mal before, won Gold in style in both the Board Rescue and Board Teams on a golden club rescue board.
Eamonn Murphy powered to Gold in the Ski, Gold in the Ski Teams with Camo and Matt Mahon, and Bronze in the Double Ski with Matt Mahon.
Bec Gould, after claiming “The only training I’ve done is floating on my inflatable pool lounge,” narrowly missed Bronze in the surf race but still collected Bronze in the Board Race, Board Rescue with Sally Gentle, and Bronze in the Taplin, Beach Sprint, and Beach Flags. That’s a lot of bronze.
