Bonnys were pipped on the line by current Australian champions Bulli a fortnight ago at the 2020 NSW Surf Boat Interbranch Championships at Queenscliff.

Sweep Tony Kee is hopeful it will provide the starting point for the club's open men's crew to again be in the running to medal on Saturday.

"There are medals on offer at the country champs and there's a lot of prestige to the event," he said.

They surprised everyone with top three performances in both the open men's division and reserve grade 12 months ago.

"Last year was a bit of a surprise for us; we came away with a couple of medals and it was an amazing weekend," Kee said.

The 2019 titles were Kee's first carnival as a boat sweep and with more experience on the water under his belt, a repeat effort is a possibility.

"Our sport is all about having a good sweep and once you've got that sorted you go well," he said.

"We got a silver in the open's and a bronze in reserve grade last year so with another 12 months of me sweeping hopefully we can improve on that."

The club will take five crews north and with Kee felt the expected flat conditions would benefit them.

"Your thrills come from the surf, but rowing in calm conditions helps the teams with the better rowers," he said.

"It's a beautiful spot up there, but it's a four-hour trip for us; some of the South Coast crews have to travel up to 12 hours."

On Sunday, they will hit the water again with another round of the North Coast Surf Boat Series to be held at Evans Head.

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