GregInTheWater
CENTRAL SCOTLAND OPEN WATER SWIMMING COACH
Caves Beach
The Caves Beach which was postponed in early February due to large seas was scheduled to be on again some five weeks later. This time the weather was kind, with warm sunny day, and a gentle surf. My previous two weekends of swims at Bondi and Freshwater had also suffered from bad weather, with those swims now scheduled for the Easter weekend. So it has been three weeks since I had been in the ocean at Malabar, which is too long at this time of year.
It really is in March that the swimming season comes into its own. The heat of summer has gone, so when the sun is out you no longer feel your skin is shrivelling like aged newspaper. The water is still warm, and the chances of those pesky blue-bottles joining the swim is largely diminished.
I enjoy doing this swim as this was the beach that I spent a lot of time swimming at when I was still at school. When you come back to the place you grew up, you realise your memories which were formed in childhood are different to the reality of adult eyes.
Third time for this swim, but I could not convince anyone else from squad to drive the two hours to join in. The large leprechaun was still getting over his effort in a triathlon last weekend (go to http://www.surfmuppet.wordpress.com); the fall guy was putting the finishing touches to a welcome home surprise; the flying Scotsman was saving himself for something, and the reporter was learning to rest with her eyes open.
The rugged cliffs and caves
The swim follows a great course. The starting line is on the northern side of a breakwater built by a dreamer fifty years ago in a previous mining boom. You head out to the end of the breakwater, turn left, swim past four buoys, and then turn left again to get to the finish line at the patrolled beach. The course follows a reef offshore, so there is plenty to see, and if you breathe to the left you get a great view of the coastline. All the swimmers either walk or catch a bus to the start line, a pleasant walk along the cliff top and down to the secluded cove. The throngs of spectators can track the swimmers from the cliff top.
It really is a nice swim. And it is only 1.5 km. On days like this it is good to be alive, and a good to reflect how lucky we are to be able to enjoy places like this.
Nice day to get in the water
We waited on the start line and we watched the elite wave take to the water. Oh the enthusiasm of youth, with the added bonus of winning a cash prize made them eager to bound into the water.My wave was number four for all the males over 35 in green caps. Lucky the start line was wide so we could all ft. Perhaps the organisers could try having a few more waves next time to limit the chaos at the start. But they had just over 300 entries today which was their most ever. Now we bounded into the water with the dignity of those in middle age who are aware of the limitation of their knees and hips.
I had watched the previous two waves and noticed that once again they were being pushed towards the right by the eddy. This was the same as the last two swims, so I started on the left hand side to reduce the distance I would have to swim. After getting through the gentle waves, I noticed quite a few swimmers going quite hard. I did not want to keep up with them as I wanted to keep some gas in reserve for the push into the beach.
The swim was fairly uneventful, with the reef appearing part way through. Several times I was passed by the those in the next wave (women over 35). I tried valiantly to keep up with some of them, but they were too fast. As we turned for home I tried to remember where the rip was on the beach in relation to the finish line. I seemed to remember that going straight towards it would be a good line to take so I aimed there.
Once again entering the wave zone Huey went missing and there were no waves to assist me into shore. By this time the tide had dropped, so there was a run of about 50 metres to cross the finish line. I even managed to run that distance despite feeling the efforts of the swim when I stood up in the shallows. I was puffing as I crossed the line, and took off my timing chip. I grabbed some fruit and water and sat in the shade.
Finish Chute
I bumped into some old friends and we chatted as we watched the dash for cash. This should be on at more swims, but it would be good to see money for the first three place-getters for each gender. Some of those kids are fast in the pool, but they need to get more surf skills to be able to read the conditions better. If only I was younger I just might be able to show them a thing or two.
I enjoyed the swim, though when the times were posted I was in the second half of the field. Oh well, I will just have to work harder in the pool. I have not decided on my swim for next weekend as there are several in Sydney, and a good one at South West Rocks on the mid-north coast. Sometimes too much choice is not good.
I would suggest to anyone who wants to do a boutique swim without all the pushing and shoving of a Sydney swim to try this one next year. The club is friendly, has a bar, and a good kiosk. And you can get from the harbour bridge to the beach in under two hours, as it is on the southern outskirts of Newcastle.
Another hazard
Sunday in February means a swimming race in Sydney. On this day there was two to choose from. One was advertised as the first nude ocean swim in the world at one of the designated nude beaches on Sydney Harbour. The other was the race at Malabar that I had done twice before, which had been renamed to honour Murray Rose. It was a tough choice, but in the end I decided to go to Malabar once again, mainly because the funds raised were going to a good cause. Besides Murray Rose was one of the greatest swimmers of all time, and I wanted to honour his memory after his death last year.
So off to Malabar. I can still remember the first time I had competed in the 2.4 km race. After turning for home just after the half way mark, I found my energy level had dropped and I was floundering like a politician before a corruption inquiry. This year though I had entered both the one km and the 2.4 km races, keen to see how I was progressing with my fitness.
Malabar is one the southern side of Sydney is a long bay. It is only one rare occasions that there is any wave at the shore, though there is often a bump at the head of the bay. I had driven down Anzac Parade on a gloomy morning with showers forecast after heavy rain the previous day. There were only four of us from the squad doing the event as most had gone to the south coast for a triathlon carnival. That left my comrades from lane seven The Reporter, the Irish Muppet, and the Scot.
The start and finish line
The Scot and I were in the same wave as he has just entered his fifth decade. We watched the earlier waves start in the water for a change: recent big swells had erased the sand from the shore line, and there was only rocks. The elite wave was a good finish, with the first swimmer just ahead of the second one, but unfortunately for him when the leader stood up he lost his footing on the rocks and he snatched defeat from the joys of victory.
Our wave started and I told myself to use this as a warm up only. I was soon in the clear, as I had started on the right hand side of the start line, and was soon gliding through the smooth water. Around the first buoy and I was feeling fine, not having swum too hard. Around the second buoy and it was back to shore, oh how I love these short swims with no chop or swell to deal with. I decided to push myself to try to get away from a chap who was annoying me with his similar pace. As I came into the shallow water I remembered the instructions to swim as close to shore as possible before standing up. So I swam until my girth touched bottom, stood up, took a few strides and ran over the finish line. The Scot was surprised to see me so close to him, and when the times came out I had swum the one km in just under 16 minutes, and managed to snag sixth in my age group. No wonder I was tired. I grabbed a complimentary drink and headed back up to the trees where we had left our bags.
Setting up
As we waited for the long swim we talked about the Irish Muppet and his intention to swim a 13 km race in Galway in July when the water may be as warm as 16 degrees (today it was around 24). A part of me was envious of his plans, as I would love to go back to NYC again for the summer. By this time the Reporter had shown up and she was over the moon that she would be going with Irish.
The Scot and I went down to the shore line waiting for our wave to start. I was still feeling the effects of the first race, and once again regretted that I had swum so hard. Oh well at least today the conditions were smooth, though there did appear to be a nice bump out the back. The organisers also had the good idea of putting big balloons on the buoys out the back to make them easier to see.
Our wave started once again in the water, and as the gun went we splashed forward like eager labradors. I could see the gun swimmers in my wave quickly pulling ahead, so I concentrated on looking at the bottom with my new goggles. It was amazing how much detail you can see when the water is clear, lots of fish, and rocks and ledges. As we headed further out the incoming swells were starting to be felt, so I shortened my stroke. By the time we arrived at the turning buoy you could really feel the effect of the ocean just letting us know that it still had power. It pushed us across the bay and it felt good to swim with it for a change.
Inspecting the course
On the way back in I was overtaken by what felt like a speed boat, but it was only one of the leaders in the wave after me. I by this time had passed quite a few swimmers from earlier waves, which always feels good. As we headed back, the effects of the chop diminished so I was able to resort to my normal stroke. It was a glorious day for a swim, with the sun breaking through the clouds, and clear warm water. Before long I was at the yellow buoy which was the turning buoy for the one km swim, and this meant about 400m to go. I was beginning to chafe as I had forgotten to apply the goo to my arms.
I kept to the left on the return to shore and swam hard to try to bridge the gap of those just in front of me. The packs of slower swimmers caused them some problems, but I had noticed them earlier and gone wide. I made it out of the water without falling over and crossed the line to the sound of the beep from my timing device. I made my way over the drinks, and found the Scot and we compared notes on the day.
Nice beach
We wandered down towards the finish line to see how long before the Muppet and the reporter returned to shore. A number of other competitors were having trouble with the smooth rocks and some fell over. It was not long before we saw the Reporter jump up, and just behind her was the Muppet. As they trod gingerly as mountain goats, the Muppet went past her and was soon a few metres ahead, Suddenly he turned around, held out his arm, and the Reporter and he strode together over the finish line. Magic.
I was happy that I had completed both swims, though I was a tad disappointed with my efforts in the long swim. I had not done two swims in a day for a while, so it was good to do it.
I left before the presentation. I was contacted the next day by the organisers who told me that I did not have a time for the long swim. They asked me to estimate my time, and really I had no idea. So I told them a time which put me in the top half of the field. It was good of them to contact me and rectify the situation.
My next swim was meant to be at Bondi the following weekend. However, a big storm brought driving rain and 4m swells so the event was postponed till Easter. What a weekend without a swim, that does not feel right.
Sunrise over Sydney
North Bondi beach was the site for my 50th swim, after the swim at Caves Beach last weekend was postponed. This is the beach where our squad does a number of sessions in the surf, so I have become quite familiar with it. I have also undertaken this races a few times before, so I decided to only enter the 2 km event in order to savour my milestone.
The morning was a fantastic with a gentle breeze barely ruffling the surface of the water when I arrived just before the one km race was starting. There was a very gentle shore break, but a bit more of a swell out past the heads. I wished my fellow squad members well as they wandered off for the start of their first race of the day. I especially wanted the muppet to swim hard and push the reporter so that they would be fatigued for the longer swim later in the morning.
I enjoyed sitting in the sun watching the passing parade on the beach. I noticed there were lots of swimmers from a charity group here today. They wear their black and orange swimming costumes and swim together, as for a lot of them this is a big challenge. They also raise a lot of funds for charity, so well done to you all.
Busy on the beach
Before long those who had competed in the first race made their way back to our team tent. They all looked happy with their efforts. I continued to try to mess with some minds in a good-humoured way. After applying sun cream and making sure I had my cap goggles and timing chip, I wandered down towards the start line to do some warm ups.
I was in the wave with the male and female 40 to 49 years and there looked like about 250 as we waited patiently for the start. I stuck to the right hand side of the start line, and got an excellent start, soon swimming just behind some others at a good steady pace. Out to the first can off Ben Buckler and the water was so clear I could see the boulders on the bottom. Round the can, and we had already caught some swimmers from the previous wave that had started three minutes before ours. Turn right and head down towards MacKenzies Point with the NE swell gently pushing us along as we moved up and down. Lots of fun. I was happy with my pace, and concentrated on keeping the elbows high on the pull through as I passed slower swimmers. By this time some of the fast ones from the wave went past me like a dolphin chasing bait fish, and I admired their style as they went past.
Round the next can and I was amazed at the number of swimmers who seemed to appear from nowhere at this point. There is an art form to getting round the cans quickly: sometimes you go tight, sometimes wide, and sometimes dive under. It all depends on what those around you are doing.
Heading back towards the beach past Diggers pool and another right turn for the swim back to the finish. At this stage I changed to breathing on my left to keep the small swell away from my breathing side. I found once again that I could pass others more comfortably this way, but I have to learn to keep it up for longer.
One of the features of this swim is a pink banner on a unit at North Bondi which can be used as a guide to get back to the last turning can. By the time I turned at this can, I was getting tired, but I tried to focus on getting past slower ones ahead of me. It was easy to sight the finish line with the large banner on the clubhouse under construction. Once again for this swim there was little or no assistance from waves as I swam against the outgoing tide. I got to the water’s edge, and was surprised to find I had enough energy to run up to the finish line.
I had completed my 50th race. It was a gorgeous day, the surf was gentle, and I had swum well. My time was just over 34 minutes for the two km, which was not bad. I managed to beat the muppet and the reporter, though the fall guy had managed to beat me for the first time this season.
As I walked back to the tent I reflected on my achievements since my first swim. It was in late 2008 that I kicked off my ocean swimming with a race in my then home town of Newcastle. I can still remember that I wanted to stop after getting to the first can, but I finished. Since then I have done five swims in New York, and another 44 in and around Sydney. I have more confidence in the water, and have swum in some awful conditions. I have finished every race I have started, and made some good friends from around the world.
Now onto my next target of 100 swims.
We waited for the presentation as there was hope that one of us would win the prize of a trip to Hawaii for a race in September. A pity that a fellow Lane 7 did not wait as she could have been on the plane.
Just thought I would share a photo of people skiing on Coney Island Beach in New York after a snow storm. To think I was swimming there last summer.
Skiing at the beach
Caves Beach
I was full of anticipation to do my 50th ocean swim race at the beach I grew up on at Caves Beach just south of Newcastle 150km north of Sydney. But the weather gods have interfered and the swim has been postponed until 10 March, when it will clash with the Sydney Harbour Classic at the Opera House. The weather pushed in a strong southerly breeze, and a nice 2m swell from the east creating in the words of the weather bureau “large waves breaking dangerously inshore” ((what happens of they break offshore?).
So the organisers made an early call on the Friday evening to postpone the swim and sent all entrants an email to that effect. Very well done.
So no swims for me on the weekend.
The Coles Classic was held on Sunday at Manly, with a shift again to Shelly Beach for the start and finish. Congratulations to all those who swam even though it is not the biggest race in Australia despite the boasts of the newspaper that organises it. Special mention to the muppet for his choice to miss his wave by chatting to his English conquerors. Sounds like a bit of blarney to me, but I hope he uses that excuse next week as well.
So back into the pool to get some more laps under my belt before the next races. Hope the weather improves so we can get in the ocean.
Sydney Opera House with swim on left hand side
Australia Day 26 January 2013. The day our country celebrates the colonisation of the continent by the British 225 years ago. The day when the first fleet full of convicts who were no longer wanted in the 13 former colonies were re-located. I have been told that I had two ancestors on this voyage: a seaman and a female convict. They were probably on board ship in this place waiting to come ashore.
This was the third time I had done this swim, and I enjoy it every year. It is a harbour swim which means that otherwise fearless swimmers who swim in the open water at beaches get nervous and refuse to enter. The advantage is that there are no swells or surf to deal with, and there is an in the water start and finish.
Several members of the squad had opted to do this swim and not do the Palm Beach swim the next day, though there were a few who were doing both. After registration we sat down under Bunyan Pine in the Botanic Gardens and waited for the 300m and 750m swims to get under way.
The swim also attracts Olympic swimmers and this year Ky Hurst, Mel Gorman and Kenrick Monk were in attendance.
The organisers in their wisdom decided that the first wave in the water would be the anything goes category for those using flippers, wet suits or anything else to assist them in the 2200m swim. The second wave was for those over 40 male and female. As we wandered up to the pontoon to jump into the water, I was amazed by the size of the wave. There must have been about 250 swimmers jostling for position at the start line. This start would be interesting.
I entered the water with the reporter and the muppet and we positioned ourselves on the right hand side of the start line only because that was where we entered the water. The hooter went and we were off in a splash of arms and legs and green and pink caps.
The start and finish line
Now the muppet has improved over the last several months due to some hard work he has been putting in at training. He was quietly confident that he could beat me today,.
Off to the first mark across Farm Cove and I was in a good steady style concentrating on keeping my elbows high on my pull through. There was lots of heads to follow as they sprinted across the cove before turning right towards the Botanic Gardens. It is usually about here in this swim that I get distracted by the view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as I took in air. But today I was blase to all that.
The swim down to the Gardens was fun with the chop in the harbour pushing us along. I had lost contact with the Muppet and Reporter by now.
Across the Gardens the chop was quite severe as the wind was onshore pushing waves up against the sea wall only to bounce back, creating a nice bump to navigate through, testing techniques.
The next turn was hectic as a number of swimmers seem to converge all at once, with the inevitable person stopping to sight the next mark. They should learn how to sight in mid stroke like the rest of the field, or just follow the swimmer in front of them. Off to the next mark which was the last turn right on the course. The chop now was intense, but fun in the warm water, with plenty of other swimmers around me.
Back across the cove to the open air cinema for the first of two left hand turns (as per the briefing). It was here though that most swimmers turned for home instead of going to the next marker. I was with one other swimmer and I even asked a water safety person if I was going in the correct direction. I was told I was, even though most of the field were by now headed for the finish line.
So I swam another couple of hundred metres before turning for home, and it was odd swimming mostly by myself after being surrounded by others in my wave until now. I pushed onto the finish line and waved my wrist towards the finishing mat.
The Botanic Gardens and Opera House
As I climbed out of the water I was surprised to see the Muppet just ahead of me. I was amazed that he had beat me as I had not seen him pass me in the water, but he had got home first. The reporter was just behind me, and as we downed our drinks we talked about the swim. I told them that I had swum off course when compared to the route they had taken.
We were all happy with our bags containing a large swim towel, a cap, two drink bottles, some sun cream and thongs for our feet.
My time of just under 36 minutes put me 11 seconds behind the muppet and six seconds ahead of the reporter. I was about half way in the field. Last year I had swum twenty seconds faster and finished in the top third. I was content with the swim as I had kept a constant pace most of the way and did not tire.
Not a bad effort for my 49th swim race. Now where will I swim for my 50th? Will it be Caves Beach next weekend, or the weekend after at Bondi? I will have to wait and see what the weather does after the wild weekend we have just had with flooding only two weeks after the highest temperature on record. A former cyclone has created havoc all the way down the east coast from North Queensland to Sydney.
Here are some photos that I wanted to share with you taken of various places in NSW that I had visited in the past.
Nice beach
Sunrise on the river
Jump right in
Sunrise
Morning twilight at Clovelly prior to training session
The start of another year for those living in Sydney is dominated by the fireworks at midnight. It is estimated that 1.5 million people find somewhere on the harbour to watch the display. When the weather is friendly it is magical, and this year was one of the best. A balmy evening, with a full moon, a gentle breeze to blow away the smoke, and everyone happy and friendly. After being in Sydney for a few years, we decided to head out and watch the display again, and what a show. The city is blessed to have such a magnificent harbour to use as a backdrop; as well as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House which play a leading role. It is one of those days when the bridge is closed to traffic, but no one complains about the inconvenience.
In addition to the masses on the foreshore worshipping the illuminated sky, there is also a large armada of pleasure craft that flock to the water to get a good position. The picture below shows the vessels bobbing inside Bradleys Head, with its prime view of the spectacle.
New Years Eve on Sydney Harbour
What a night, with all the best that Sydney has to offer.
However, all good things must come to an end, and it was back to morning training at Clovelly Beach in the eastern suburbs. Though, when it is as nice as this you do not mind trying to swim and run off some of that over indulgence. Now I choose to swim rather than run, because well the water supports my weight, and I find running puts a strain on my knees and hips. When my weight is north of 100kg, it is not a pretty sight seeing me running in my speedos. So I apologise to all those trim squad members who had to divert their eyes as I was moving over the ground at a pace just above walking. It was fun swimming from the ladders to the beach, and then running back to do it again. I would pass some people in the water, and they would pass me on land. Symmetry.
Seriously though, I do have a New Years Resolution and maybe this is the year that something will happen.
I had done several sessions in the pool at North Sydney to try to get some laps under my belt before the first swim of 2013. North Sydney Pool sits almost under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and was the location for the Australian Swimming Titles in the 50s, 60s and 70s. As a result the pool has a world record in that it is the pool in which most world records have been set, I think it is somewhere in the eighties, with names like Murray Rose, Dawn Fraser, John Konrads, Shane Gould, Michelle Ford and many others.
I had entered a swim at Black Head on the mid north coast of NSW. I had never been to this beach before, but had heard good reports about it. The beach is about 300 kms north of Sydney or about a 3.5 hour drive in light traffic. I hit the road at 4.30 in the morning and watched the sun rise to burn off the light mist in the lower lying areas. Arrived at 8 am after undergoing a random breath test in Sydney (though it was far from random when I was the only vehicle around). The beach looked gorgeous and inviting.
I sat down and caught up with some familiar faces from the other swims I had done. I had entered both swims today, as it was only $35, and having to come all that way, I may as well do two. The short swim was advertised as 700m, and the long swim was 1500m.
Black Head beach from the surf club
I sat under a tree near the beach and watched the buoys being placed for the course. It was a stunning day, and the water was a warm 22 degrees.
The 700 m swim was a rectangular course going counter-clockwise. As there were only 100 or so entries for this swim, there was only one wave, and we all had the same yellow caps. The race started and we all moved into the water with varying degrees of confidence. I had started at the surf club end as I figured this was the shortest route to the first buoy, even if there was a large amount of seaweed to wade through. Out to the second buoy and I noticed there was a small chop, but my technique was holding up ok. I was keeping up with those around me, and even passed some less confident ones who had to stop to see where they were going. Around the fourth buoy and it was time to start going fast. Only one problem, the body refused to understand and seemed incapable of increasing the pace. Getting into the beach was fun, with no wave to assist. When I stood up for the run up the sand, I realised I was tired. So I jogged up gently, resolving to save it for the longer race. My place was in the top 50, so I was in the top half of the field. Not bad for the first swim of the new year with my added in-built flotation.
The 1500 m swim was timed to start about an hour after the first swim. This gave me time to eat the watermelon provided, and swig down some cold drinks that the volunteers handed out.
Part of the 1500m course at Black Head
Back down onto the beach for the start of the longer swim. Once again the small field of 140 was in one wave, and once again the course was rectangular swimming anti-clockwise, finishing on the beach behind the start line. The tide had dropped over the last hour, so the waves seemed smaller to me, and this proved to be the case in the water. I had decided to take it easy at the start, with a gentle jog into the water, letting the others go hard ahead of me. Some I soon managed to swim around, but most of them where too far ahead for me to catch today. I enjoyed the swim, and used it as practice for lifting my head to sight whilst still stroking, and even managed to breathe to both the left and right. On the reach back to the finish line, I did manage to improve my pace and even felt comfortable (unlike the short swim), passing some swimmers. I caught a wave, but it got its revenge by gently picking me up and inverting me in the water, just like a big tumble turn. I came up smiling, and then caught the next wave into the beach, catching up to some others. But they ran away from getting to the finish line. Oh well a top 100 placing was not a bad outcome for the day.
The surf club people were friendly and generous, and the free bbq helped. It was good to see that these sorts of places still thrive, and it was good to support them for the day. If you get a chance to do some of these smaller swims, I would recommend it. So different to the atmosphere at the swims in Sydney with that excess of competitive spirit.
So eight hours of driving, just over 600 km on the road, and two enjoyable swims. The national broadcaster was my companion in both directions, and I even managed to hear the end of the Third Cricket Test with a win by Australia over Sri Lanka with Michael Hussey almost hitting the winning run in his last test.
Back to the pool this week, and back to regaining condition, form. Just a quick mention to my pal the irish surf muppet: the challenge is on to get under a century.
Well it is now that lovely time between Christmas and New Year, when the city seems to take a breath waiting for the spectacular fireworks on New Years Eve. As I write this I am sitting near Sydney Harbour watching the sail boats skip across the blue water, and the Manly Ferry making its way to Circular Quay. I can also see the flotilla of boats mooring in the lee of Bradleys Head to get a wonderful view of the fireworks tomorrow night. By then, you will be almost able to walk across the harbour from boat to boat.
But now back to the swimming in December. My last blog was a report of the Coogee Wedding Cake Island swim in late November. I signed off that post with a reference to the Bondi to Bronte swim which was held on the first Sunday in December. Well to cut a long story short, I did not compete that event this year. My reason is simple: this year I will not be pushing myself to do a swim every weekend, and if the weather is dicey, I will skip the race. Well the weather was dicey, with a strong southerly change hitting just a few hours before the swim was to be held. I had memories of the challenge of last year’s race, so I decided to stay at home.
The following weekend was the Bilgola swim, a swim I have not entered till now. Once again, I missed that one too, so maybe next year.
Several people I know who did both races said the conditions were testing.
However, I did manage to swim in the ocean this month. We went and visited some friends in Geelong for a weekend. We had met this couple in New York in 2011 when Al the property manager did the Brooklyn Bridge swim with me. We have kept in touch since, so a visit was arranged. For those of you who do not know where Geelong is, it about 100 km south of Melbourne in Victoria. Now Al swims every Saturday and Sunday at Front Beach at Torquay, a short 20 km from their home. The group is quite informal and is made up of mostly old salts who have swum and surfed most of their lives.
Torquay is famous for being the home town of Rip Curl and Quicksilver, two surfing clothing and equipment companies. Now why would these companies set up in that part of the world where the water is cold enough to need a wet suit even in summer? Well the reason is the surf. Each year a surfing contest is held at Bells Beach just five minutes from town on a famous surfing break. I had heard stories of this break all my life, so I was keen to see it. The surf is consistent with long swells coming into Bass Strait from the Southern Ocean and hitting the coast at just the right angle to create smooth rides in the prevailing winds.
I took my wet suit with me as the water temperature had warmed up to 16 degrees C. I was a bit nervous as we drove to the beach as it was cold and windy, and I thought that the surf would be big. Well as we arrived, I realised that the wind was offshore, it had stopped raining, and there was no swell. As the others showed up, I was introduced as the gun swimmer from Sydney, which was quite flattering but far from true. I soon learnt that the biggest danger were the stingrays the size of dinner plates, as one member of the group had found out in a painful way the previous month. We negotiated the stingrays, and swam out in the cool water to a buoy offshore. We then swam around 350 metres down the beach to another buoy, did a few in and outs, and back.
Those old salts could really swim, I could only manage to keep ahead of one or two of the dozen swimmers. I am glad they do not get up to Sydney to swim, they would put some egos out of line for sure.
So that was Saturday. We then drove down to Bells Beach and had a look at the clean breaks of around 4 foot with a multitude of surfers getting their fix for the day gliding effortlessly down the face of the waves. Just one problem, I had left my camera at home, so there are no photos of this iconic location.
Sunday morning we went back again, and this time there were more swimmers, the water was colder, and I was feeling a tad dusty after a few drinks the night before. I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this friendly group of people who share a love of the ocean and an ability to swim in it with ease.
Back home in Sydney, our squad returned to our normal training pool after a short sojourn at Glebe Beach pool. It sure was different swimming in an outdoor pool again.
Once the Christmas break hit, our squad moves outdoors for few weeks, with a few mornings a week at Clovelly Beach in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Clovelly is a long narrow cove that usually misses most of the swell due to it narrow entrance. It is also a marine reserve, and there is plenty of marine life within its confines. It can be a challenge swimming at high tide when there is a large swell outside, with the waves creating a washing machine effect. It is great for practicing in rougher water and for navigation skills. I have been there a few times and it is stunning first thing in the morning with the sun rising, and the city slowly coming to life. I have even managed to see the resident blue grouper a few times as it swims with dignity. Good to see the Irish Muppet and The Reporter there as well.
The photos on this entry were taken at Clovelly at sunrise. I hope you enjoy them.
Sunrise at Clovelly
A big hi to all those brave souls swimming at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn with the water temperature of 6 degrees as the snow falls. I will never complain about cold water again.
Surf craft near the finish line
The last Sunday in November is the date for the swim around Wedding Cake Island from Coogee Beach. This is the third time I had entered this event, having done the swim in November 2011 and again in April 2012. However, this year I have decided to only enter the long race and leave the one km warm up races for later in the season. I had noticed last year that I had several top ten results in my age group on the shorter races, but those efforts tired me out for the longer races. So for this part of the season I have decided to only do the longer swims, and hopefully have more energy, get some better outcomes, and enjoy the swims more.
I had been to Bondi beach on Saturday for some training for the squad. It was the first warm day of the season for me, and I did get a touch of sun. The water was quite refreshing at around 18 C, and I had not taken my wetsuit. Luckily the sun was warm to make up for the cool water. I enjoyed swimming in the smooth clear water, looking at the fish swimming on the sandy sea floor. I realised that I had missed training in these conditions, and I must try to get to Bondi more often on a Saturday morning.
I jumped on a bus in the City to get to Coogee for the swim on Sunday. I had noticed several groups of energetic people dressed in Santa suits on their way to Darling Harbour for the annual Santa Fun Run. I had packed my wetsuit for the race just in case I needed it. The race would take up to fifty minutes, and if the water was as cool as it was on Saturday, I might need the suit to provide some assistance.
As I alighted from the bus I was struck by the intensity of the sun. It was forecast to hit 30c today with light winds, and little or no swell. Almost perfect conditions for a race.
I registered for the swim and then wandered over to my swim squad, several of whom were doing the one km race. I provided some moral support to them, and watched them start their race. There was three waves for this race.
The first wave for the one km race
I watched the one km race swim to the first mark and saw that there was a drift to the north, which would be useful knowledge for my event.
As this race was going, Rumpole and I went for a warm up swim down towards the surf club and back to the middle of the beach. The water was quite cool, so I decided to put on the wetsuit for the race, just in time for the traditional squad photo.
As soon as I wriggled into the wetsuit I could feel the heat of the sun. I quickly went down to the shoreline and joined the rest of the squad doing some in and outs in the shorebreak. My wave was to be the second last to get away (they start with the elites and then go through the younger age groups first). Standing in the sun was hot, so I went back into the water a couple of times to cool down, and to ignore the jibes from my friends from squad.
Finally my wave started, and I gently jogged down to the water to start the race. I had decided to take it slowly at first and get into my stroke. I had expected a lot of argy-bargy at the start, but to my surprise there was not that much. The wave had spread out along the beach and I was before too long swimming just behind another swimmer at a fair pace.
I concentrated on trying to keep my elbows high on my pull through, and also noticed the difference in my stroke caused by the suit. I noticed I was sitting higher in the water and could keep up with other swimmers with minimal effort and a gentle stroke.
As we got out towards the island I noticed a water safety guy on a jet ski waving those swimmers off to my right that had got too close to the island. Luckily I had kept a fairly straight line for the buoys and only had to make a small adjustment. By this stage I was beginning to notice the bottom near the island in the clear water, and the jelly fish. I was also glad that I had the suit on, as the water was a tad cool.
Out to the back of the island, and it always seems a long way. This year there was not even much of a swell out here, just the beginning of a small wind chop. I had caught many swimmers from the previous waves, and I did see that some of them were showing obvious signs of tiredness. It was not that long ago that I was in that boat.
I was really enjoying the swim and as a few of the fast swimmers from the wave behind me caught me, I tried to keep up with some of them. I did notice they had a faster stroke rate than me., but they soon pulled away.
I had little trouble lining up the buoys for the return to shore. I was moving quite well, and was enjoying the sensation of swimming in the wetsuit. Before long I was approaching the shore, and managed to avoid the shorebreak for the short run up to the finish line. As I crossed the line I saw that the time clock had just passed one hour, and as I had started at around the 18 minute mark this meant a time of just over 42 minutes.
I grabbed a drink bottle and quickly drank it before crawling out of the wet suit. I was feeling quite good, knowing that I had swum well and enjoyed the swim.
When the results were posted I had finished in just over 43 minutes which was two minutes faster than my effort n April, and seven minutes faster than the previous year. I was also in the top third of the field overall, and though some of it was due to the wetsuit, I also felt that my efforts at training over the last few months were starting to produce results.
Next week the Bondi to Bronte swim is on, and I hope the conditions are not as tough as they were last year.
sculling past the buoys
The month of November seems to come round quicker each year. As the jacarandas blossom throughout the city, thoughts of ocean swimmers turn to the opening of the season. Once again the Cockatoo Island swim in Balmain marks the start of the year of swimming in the open water in Sydney.
It only seemed like yesterday when I completed the last of my four swims in New York City. Those swims had given me more experience and confidence, and plenty of t-shirts to show off at squad training. Yet the Big Apple has gone through a rough time since then, having an unwelcome visitor by the name of Sandy in late October. For those of you in Australia, this is the equivalent of a tropical cyclone hitting the northern coast of Tasmania.
I was reading about Liberty Island the other day. The Statue was opened to the public after extensive repairs on 28 October 2012, only to close again the next day due to the forecast storm. To date the island is yet to be reopened due to extensive damage to the wharves and the boardwalk around the monument. Coney Island and Brighton Beach were also severely impacted with many residents still facing issues with power supply and lack of subway access. I saw photos of watermarks about five feet high on the boardwalk at the beach. The reports from CIBBOWS shows that the water is still too polluted to swim in, though the members are doing lots to help those adversely impacted by the storm.
And then there are the poor residents of Rockaway and Staten Island who were either washed away or burned down by fires. Thousands of residents are homeless, and the New York Marathon was cancelled.
It has been heartbreaking to see all those images and read the stories about the places I swam at in June and July this year. But I know that the indomitable spirit that the residents of that great city possess will unify the community to repair, renew and rejuvenate.
I had entered the Cockatoo Island swim in plenty of time, and even convinced some fellow squad members to swim in the harbour. Lots of open water swimmers will gladly swim at the beach, but refuse to swim in the harbour due to their fear of sharks. Sure there are bull sharks in the waterway, but there are a lot more in the ocean.
I was keen to see how my training over the last few months would be put into practice. I had been feeling stronger in the water lately, but it is one thing to feel that in the pool, another to feel it in the open water.
The day of the swim was perfect for swimming, with virtually no wind, light cloud cover and smooth water. Due to the potential impact of ferries arriving at the island, the waves were only one minute apart. This year I was in the second wave alongside the Irish Muppet and the Attorney Nemeses. The whistle went and the wave started in a maelstrom of arms and legs. Quite quickly I realised that my goggles were not a perfect fit (I had not tried them on before entering the water!). But despite that I was soon on the feet of another competitor in fairly clear water, heading for the right hand corner of the island.
Cockatoo Island has a rich history by Australian standards. It was used as a prison for many years in the 19th century, and there is a rumour that a bushranger escaped by swimming across to the mainland. After the prison closed, it was used for ship building and repair and various other industrial use. However, as these industries closed down in the late 20th century the island was left derelict and unloved. In recent years the island has been resurrected and is now a place to camp in Sydney, and is used for film and comedy festivals.
But the best thing about the island is that you can swim around it to start the swim season.
As I made it across the channel to the Island I was very happy with my speed and how strong I felt. My thoughts turned to recent training sessions where we had focused on high elbows to increase leverage on the pull through the water. I did notice when I kept my elbow high I could get more speed with the same effort and could get past other swimmers.
As we passed the ferry wharf (before the ferry arrived), the number of jelly blubbers increased, and so did someone behind me tapping my toes. That really annoys me, but I could understand it as the water was murky and it was difficult to see past your fingers when they entered the water. I had managed to get past several swimmers from the earlier wave by this time, and noticed that I was starting to swim away from others.
I managed to keep closer to the island this year than I had in previous years. This meant that I would not have to swim as far, and I could see the spectators on the island easier. They must have been amused to see all these people who pay good money to swim in a place like this.
By the time I had made it to the back of the island I found my energy levels dropping slightly. This year there was little wash from boats, and the water was still quite smooth. It was about this time that I noticed a familiar swim stroke slowly creeping up on my right. I wondered if this was the attorney, a person I has spent many hours following in the pool. I was surprised that he was behind me, as it was normally the case that I could not keep up with him in a long race. So let him get next to me so I could check whether he was wearing the uniform that we shared. It was him, so I decided to get on his feet for a while in order to draft.
The only problem with this plan was that he knew it was me and was determined to swim away from me. So we went stroke for stroke all the way to the turning buoy off the island where we had to turn right to get back to the finish line. As soon as we were around the marker I noticed that a pack of around six swimmers were heading to the right. I thought the finish line was more straight ahead, so I went that way which would be a shorter finish.
But in the end my plan did not pay off, as after we had negotiated the path through the moored yachts I was still behind this pack. I put in one more sprint to try to beat them, but to no avail. I got to the finish pontoon a couple of body lengths behind the attorney. He had beat me once more, but I was a lot closer than last year. I realised that going in a straight line by myself was shorter, but I was not able to draft off others. Yet the official results showed that we had the same time; one advantage of manual time-keeping.
So this was the fourth time I had done this swim, and I was able to feel stronger for longer and even concentrate a bit more on the technique I had practised in the pool many times. The season was under way again. Who knows what the season will bring this year. Will I do the short and long swims like last year, or would I only do the long swims? Will I do as many swims as last year? Only time will tell. But I am looking forward to it.
It is always fun to start the season in such a relaxed atmosphere.
Looks inviting
After my four swim races in New York City, we had planned a getaway to Massachusetts and Vermont. We both love New York, but we also enjoy getting away from it all for a while, and this trip provided an opportunity to do just that.
Our first stop was near Lennox in the Berkshires. After a four and a half hour bus trip through the green rolling hills of Connecticut we arrived at our destination. We were amazed at how green and lush it all appeared to our Australian eyes. However, we were told that they were in the middle of a dry spell and that it is normally a lot greener than this. The lake I swam in, called Stockbridge Bowl, was around two feet lower than usual due to the hot summer and the lack of winter snow last winter. It would be incredible to see it after lots of rain though. The wildflowers were out, the berries were ripe, the sun was warm, and the water was so inviting.
My first swim in a freshwater lake was an amazing experience. To go out from the shore through a wall of weeds that float towards the surface and past them into the deep water. The first thing I noticed was how warm the water was, I guess it was at least 26 C. The second thing I noticed was the lack of flotation in the fresh water. The third I noticed was that the water did not taste too bad. So I went for a leisurely swim out a few hundred metres from shore. As I looked around I was awed by the beauty of the scenery. And the air was so pure and clean. What a place to relax in the warm summer sun and go for a swim, without worrying about the tide, the swell, and the sea life. What an experience. It was so nice just to swim for joy, rather than as part of a race or training for an event.
After leaving the Berkshires, we drove north to Vermont. This was only the second time that I have driven a car on the right hand side of the road, and it sure tests your skills. Sure, on the interstate it is quite easy, as you follow the cars in front. But as we left that four lane road and got onto the rural roads I had to really concentrate to get the car into the curves differently, and to stay on the correct side of the road while doing those left hand turns. I was relieved that I was never required to do a reverse park. I also made use of a GPS unit for the first time, and I was thrilled with the ease of use. I can see why paper street directories are quickly disappearing.
Our next stop made the Berkshires look shabby. Vermont is incredibly beautiful. The air is gentle, the sun is warm without being hot, and there are plenty of glorious vistas with the lakes, the Adirondack Mountains, and the greenery. We stayed in “the smallest biggest city in the USA” (so called because it is the smallest of the cities that are their State’s biggest) called Burlington. It is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the USA. This lake stretches over 120 miles (almost 200 km) and straddles the Vermont/New York border, and also reaches into Canada. It is around 7 miles wide (11 km), and is just over 400 feet deep (120m) at its deepest point.
Evening on the lake
I was told that they used to have a cross lake swim that finished in Burlington, but the course was shifted to another part of the lake.
In summer the lake looks benign with all the boats making use of the warm air. But in winter parts of the lake freeze, the ferries stop, and people ice skate on it. The summer is quite short, so they make the most of it while they can.
Burlington in summer
I went for a few swims at one of the town beaches. The water was very warm, and the lake floor was sandy with a gentle slope into the water, requiring you to go out around 50 metres of so before the water was deep enough to swim in. But if I thought that swimming in the Berkshires was good for the soul, this place was better. There are mountain ranges on both sides of the lake, and the sun sets are amazing. There are a few little coves and inlets as well that are just stunning.
A popular swimming spot
Here are some more photos of this beautiful part of the world.
But all good things must come to an end. And it was soon time to get back to civilization to start the long trip home to Australia. This trip has been a fantastic experience, and it will give me many happy memories to dwell on while slogging away in the pool at training.
Sunset over the Adirondacks
GregInTheWater 