And it's a feat it hopes to back up at this weekend's national title in Wollongong.

The five-man team conquered brutal conditions at the state title in Torquay last Saturday.

Sweep Shane Maslin said the win gave the crew the best possible preparation for the weekend.

The side claimed bronze at the national title last year and took out the event the year before.

"It's going to be tough but we're in good shape," Maslin said.

Port Campbell took out the B grade section at Torquay after a shaky start. It finished fourth in its first race.

"We were coming second," Maslin said. "But then we missed a wave we hoped to come in on, so we were stuck in no man's land waiting for the next one.

"The next wave was a big one and I thought it was going to land on the back of the boat. It made things pretty difficult for us and we ended up finishing fourth instead of second."

The team managed to put the hiccup behind it for its next three races - cleanly winning each one. But it wasn't easy.

The swell was rough in the final and Maslin said the team needed to use its full experience to secure victory.

The crew comprised Paul Younis, Simon Trotter, Stephen Dickinson and Peter Cashmore as well as Maslin.

It was a mighty effort for Dickinson who hadn't been in a surf boat for two years.

"Apparently it is," he said when asked if rowing was like riding a bike.

"I moved over to Perth for a few years and hadn't been involved in competition while I was over there.

"There was a fair bit of a swell (at Torquay) and we handled it well."

The national titles will be held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Maslin and the crew will complete the epic journey by road on Thursday.