In 1982 New Zealand issued three Christmas stamps of which the 45c shows us a surf lifeboat in action somewhere on a beach in New Zealand during the summer Christmas holiday season. Nowadays for rescue, inflatable rubber boats with an outboard motor are used and the surfboats are only used for surf life-savings festivals.
Dim. Of the surfboats are 6.86-7.92m long, beam 1.62m and depth 558mm. Crew 4 rowers and one sweep.
The inclusion of a stamp depicting surf life-saving recognized the important role this organization plays in making the Christmas period in New Zealand safer.
During the previous 10 or 12 years, surf life-savers rescued 15,000 people, and last summer (1982) rescued 767 swimmers from New Zealand beaches.
About 8,000 people belonged to 69 surf life-saving clubs throughout New Zealand, and membership rapidly grew, with almost a thousand new cadets under 14 years old.
Surf life-saving began in Australia in 1907, and in New Zealand three years later as part of the Royal Life-Saving Society. In 1932, the Surf Life-Saving Association founded as a breakaway group, concentrating on beach rescues. In 1982, as the Association celebrated its Golden Jubilee, it could boast assets worth $8 million. With seven jetboats, 40 inflatable rubber boats, and a surf helicopter service operating from Auckland, its members service much of New Zealand’s coast. As a competitive body, the Surf Life-Saving Association ranks second only to Australia, and a women’s team had recently completed a tour of Great Britain
https://stamps.nzpost.co.nz/new-zealand/1982/christmas
In surf lifesaving, long boats, called surf boats, while no longer used for rescues, remain one of the most popular events at surf lifesaving carnivals. The boats weigh between 180 and 250 kilograms and are crewed by four rowers and a sweep.
The positions in the boat are as follows:
Bow (1) - the position nearest the bow (front) of the boat. Often regarded as the most dangerous of the positions.
Second Bow (2) - the next nearest the bow, their oar is on the opposite side to the bow rower's and these two rowers comprise the bow pair.
Second Stroke (3) - the next seat away from the bow and probably the seat closest to the center of the boat, their main role is to stabilize the boat. Their oar is on the same side of the boat as the bow rower.
Stroke (4) - the seat closest to the stern (back) of the boat and the rower responsible for setting the speed and timing of the crew's rowing stroke. They combine with Second Stroke to make up the stern pair and their oar is on the same side as that of Second Bow.
Sweep - the person in charge of steering the boat and, as they're the only one who can see what's ahead, they generally call the shots on the water. They also frequently double as the crew's coach.
Racing
The boat race by rowing out to a marker buoy placed several hundred meters offshore, turning around it and returning to shore as quickly as possible. Boats work to avoid crashing through waves on the way out as they seriously slow progress, but aim to catch a wave as early as possible on the way back as this is the fastest method of travel for a boat. The surf factor is where things get interesting as boats slew sideways, roll, crash into each other, have sweeps and rowers thrown into the water - generally creating an exciting spectacle for spectators.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_boat_rescue
New Zealand 1982 45c sg1276, scott?