Porthtowan are currently the top European Surfboat crew

Porthtowan Surf Boat Club are on course to compete against the world's best teams at the end of January.

The club have secured a place at the International Surf Boat Challenge in New Zealand after winning both the UK and European titles.

Crew members, including Gary Waters, are in the process of raising £10,000, enabling them to go to the competition.

Waters told BBC Cornwall: "We've been rowing for years, and want to know how good we are in the world."

He added: "We've been European Champions for the last three years and we've dominated surfboat rowing.

"We're probably the best there is at the moment."

Surfboat rowing entails crews of five racing out through the waves to a mark beyond the surf, before heading back and riding the waves onto the shore.

The sport is very popular in Australia and New Zealand, where there are over 600 crews, way ahead of Europe which has around 25 racing crews.

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