GregInTheWater
CENTRAL SCOTLAND OPEN WATER SWIMMING COACH
The stunning Cornish coast
My trip to Vanuatu was over and it was time to hop on a plane to England. I was off to get my qualifications in driving a powerboat and beach lifeguard to enable me to work as a tour guide.
I did my powerboat course in Falmouth in Cornwall. That was a lot of fun, though the weather was cool and grey.
Then it was off to Newquay to do the five day beach lifeguard course. That was one of the toughest physical activities I have undertaken in quite a while. There was a constant four foot swell to deal with, and the water was only 13 degrees, despite it being July. Each night I trudged up the 133 steps from Lusty Glaze beach to fall into my bed asleep before darkness fell.
However, I along with the other ten younger course participants managed to pass the course. The weather was still cold with the air about the same temperature as the water when the clouds covered the sun.
I had learned on the course that there are huge tides in this part of the world, with high spring tides of seven metres. Each day the difference between the high water mark and the low water mark was huge. Of course this often traps the unwary beach goer, and I quickly learnt to know where the tide was at any particular moment.
As soon as the course finished, the sun came out, and it has stayed out for the last three weeks. As the sun came out, the swell dropped, and the water warmed up to anice 16 degrees. I even managed to do a few solo swims without a wetsuit along some of the Newquay beaches. i made a point of telling the lifeguards of my plans each time for my own safety, and also to let them know of my plans. These swims were great, with the water crystal clear, with only the odd small purple jellyfish saying hi.
Just to give you an idea of the tides, the rocks in the centre of this photo are around four metres tall, and at high tide they are covered by the water.
What was really tough though was that England was winning every sporting event going. They won the mens title at Wimbledon for the first time in over 70 years ( even if he was a Scot). Then the Lions Rugby team beat Australia two test to nil ( though it took the combined efforts of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England to beat the Wallabies). I was the only Australian supporter in a pub in Newquay that day.
Then the English cricket team beat the Aussies in the first two tests of the series (at least all the Australian players were born in Australia).
And finally an Englishman won the Tour de France cycle race.
And the weather was warm and sunny for days on end.
Quite unnatural. I had been brought up to believe that England were ok at certain sports, but in the end Australia would beat them more often than not. And the UK summer is usually cloudy with the odd sunny day here and there.
As I write this I am in Brighton having caught up with the nice people at the firm I will be working with. Now Brighton is quite different to Newquay. Newquay is more of a surfing town, and is graced with lots of sandy beaches.
However, Brighton is one of those seaside resort towns that is quite close to London, and most people come here to sit by the sea. There is no sand on the beaches, with pebbles covering everything, and a famous Pier as well.
I have enjoyed my time in England. I adored Cornwall with its rugged beauty and stunning beaches.
Lonnoc Bay
On Sunday we took the fifty minute flight from Port Vila to Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu. The 72 seat flight was full with excited swimmers eager to take the next step on the adventure.
Monday saw us pile into a mini-bus to take the one hour drive to Champagne Beach on the east coast of the island. This has to be one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to anywhere, with fine white sand, warm water, and lush tropical plants overlooking it all. We swam as a group around the point to Lonnoc Bay, a distance of just over a kilometre. We are all as excited as school kids on an excursion as we played in the 30 degree water, and glided around the point over coral reefs. Even managed to catch sight of a turtle as it sought refuge from all the noise from the surface. At one point I was by myself, and saw a school of fifty or so colourful fish just beneath me. I stopped swimming, and they floated up towards me, before they moved on in their endless movement. Another feature of this swim was the cool water that bubbles out of the reef on its way from the hills to the ocean. It was great to feel cool water, even though it did reduce visibility. Magical. What an incredible experience.
Monday night had us sitting on a deck at Deco Lodge overlooking the scene of our swim race to be held the next day. Some locals gave us performance of singing and dancing in the water using their arms and hands that was beautiful and graceful.
The yellow is the start line: the red sign is the finish line
The real reason for our trip came on Tuesday with the swim race from Unity Park in Luganville to Aore Island Resort on Aore Island. Yes we were swimming from one island to another across a channel covering a distance of about 2.6 km, but with a sweep going from left to right which would make it interesting. After registration I could go make to my hotel as it was just across the road, in order to stay hydrated and cool.
The race was once again an in the water start, and we all made our way out towards the yellow buoy to wait on the start signal. We expected that the Brazilian Samba Queen who won at Vila would also do well in this swim. We were told that the sweep was quite strong, so after chatting to several others, I decided to head well left of the finish marker to compensate.
The start signal was given, and off we all went, all 55 of us. Once again I tried to settle into a steady stroke rate, and soon passed several swimmers who had got too exited at the start and gone too quick. I kept looking up every ten to twenty strokes to make sure the current was not pushing me to the right. At one stage I noticed a group of swimmers on my left go across me towards the right, caught by the current.
About halfway across I noticed the chop had increased which meant breathing to the left was difficult. I also had to work quite hard to ensure that I was still on course, and kept looking ahead quite often. At one point it felt like the finish line was not getting any closer, a notion made worse by the lack of swimmers around me. Most of the pack seemed to be well off to my right, but I was confident that I was on the correct line.
Soon enough the finish line started getting bigger and bigger, even after a patch where I seemed to not making any head way at all. As I got closer to the beach I relaxed knowing that I would soon make it. But the current caught me, and I was swept about 50m to the right, which was annoying, as it took some hard swimming to get back on-line. I made it to the beach, ran over the finish line to hear my time of 47 minutes.
I found this swim tougher than the Vila swim despite it being shorter. I put this down to the battle against the current, and the bigger chop in the water. When the results cam out, I found that I had come 20th overall, and 10th for the men. I was very happy with that.
Matevulu Blue Hole
The next day was another bus tour where we went to various places of interest. Santo was the sight of a large Allied Forces military base in the Second World War. We drove past the resting point of the SS Calvin Coolidge, a US troop carrier that hit a mine on its entry into the harbour. The captain beached the ship on the reef close to shore enabling all but 2 of the 5,000 troops and crew to get to safety. It is one of the best diving sites in the world, with the 190m long ship sitting in 20 to 60m of water.
We also went for a swim at Million Dollar Point where the Americans pushed huge amounts of military hardware into the ocean instead of paying the huge costs of shipping it back stateside. That was surreal to see all this equipment now with the ocean starting to claim it back with the coral and fish swimming amongst the debris.
However, the highlight was going to Matevulu Blue Hole. Santo has a number of blue holes which are created when fresh water from the hills form a spring in a deep hole in the ground. It is possible to swim at a number of these, and we were fortunate enough to do just that. The water was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom which at its deepest point is about 20m. In addition, this water was cooler than the ocean, and was fresh water. It truly is remarkable and a pleasure to experience it. We talked to some people who had kayaked from the coast to this blue hole, as it drains into the ocean. They told us it only takes 45 minutes or so to make the trip.
Flowers at Matevulu Blue Hole
As I sat on the plane on the way back to Sydney, I reflected on the things I had experienced in Vanuatu. I felt privileged that I was lucky to have seen this place. So thank-you to oceanswims for providing the prize for their annual series of swims. I hope those who win the prize in future years enjoy it as much as me. I may even still go in the competition next year even though I will not be eligible for the prize.
Now off to my next adventure.
View of Port Vila harbour from hotel
I was in Port Vila the capital of Vanuatu as part of my prize in the NSW Fine Oceanswim series. Luckily for me the winner had chosen the trip to Fiji as his prize (thanks Rohan), which left the Vanuatu trip for the random prize winner amongst the eligible top 20 finishers in the series.
I flew out of Sydney on the Wednesday evening flight, and after a short three-hour flight, landed in Port Vila. All that I knew about Vanuatu was that it used to be called the New Hebrides and was a nation comprising about 80 islands. It used to be jointly administered by Great Britain and France, and as a result had English and French as official languages. It was also a large naval base in the second world war for the Allied Forces, and was the setting for South Pacific written by James Michener. I really did not know what to expect in on arrival.
There were a few familiar faces on the plane from the South Curl Curl swim. There were about 75 swimmers travelling from Australia for the swims in Vanuatu and a large number of them were on the flight. We left Sydney on a cool winters day, and arrived in Port Vila in the tropics.
Thursday was free time for us all, so after breakfast I wandered around Port Vila, and had a look at Iririki Island, the scene of the swim. Swim registration was Thursday afternoon, so I caught the ferry over to the island and registered, getting my identification and t-shirt. We were told the swim would start at 10am on Saturday, with final registration from about 8.30 am.
On the way back to my hotel, I caught up with a group of swimmers from Murwillimbah and had a nice dinner of local beef with them all.
Friday was a tour to the village of Mangaliliu about a half hour drive from Port Vila on the western side of the island, and the scene of several Survivor series. A swim along the reef had been arranged for us. On our mini-bus I met more people from the tour party and we all chatted about our swimming histories.
Some of the fish and coral
As we drove down to the village I was struck by the beauty of the location, with smooth water, and lots of greenery. We were given a briefing about the swim from one of the local masters swimmers, and he told us to be very careful entering the water to avoid getting scratched by the coral, but if we did treatment was available. We swam over some giant clams that the village is restocking, and then over to the edge of the reef. The water was crystal clear and it was no trouble to see all the way to the bottom twenty metres below. A few of us saw a turtle gliding by, and there were lots and lots of fish. It was an absolute joy to swim in such warm clear water, and I did not feel any effort in gliding over to the point and back. Unfortunately I managed to scratch myself on some coral coming back to shore, but I received suitable treatment. Then to our surprise the village gave us a feast of wonderful food. What an amazing day.
So Saturday morning arrived, and it was overcast with the odd shower, completely different to the day before. Upon arrival we were tagged with marker pen and we studied the course map. The course was a clockwise circumnavigation of Iririki Island, a distance of
Port Vila Swim Course
3.2 km. We were told to be aware of the sea urchins growing in the shallow water at the southern side of the island, but that the buoys should steer us well away from that area. There was also an in the water start with men starting at 10 am, and the women two minutes later.
The men entered the warm water and I stuck to the rear. The gun went and we were off to the first buoy just near some moored yachts. I swam steadily, as I knew that a lot of swimmers would go fast at the start and then fade. I was also conscious that this was going to be my longest swim since Governors Island in New York in July last year, and I wanted to save my energy for the last portion of the race.
Around the first buoy and I was enjoying myself swimming in the tropics in water in the high twenties. Around the second buoy, and time to look for the third buoy. But where was it? I learnt later that it had drifted off course, and before I knew it I was swimming over the shallow reef at the southern end of the island. As I was thinking of the warning about the sea-urchins I looked down to see a forest of them with their long spines reaching up ready to caress us. It was daunting, but soon I was clear of them.
Around the back of the island, and I had to stop to readjust my silicon cap, costing me some time. By this time the faster women had started to pass me, and I managed to briefly get on their toes. As I turned to cross the channel back to the ‘mainland’, I was swimming with a group of three or four swimmers. I had trouble sighting the turning buoy, but I knew it was near the markets and they were easy to spot. Swimming across the channel was the toughest part of the swim as we were swimming into the wind and a small chop.
Finally turned the buoy, and turned for home, but once again had to stop to re-adjust my cap. This time I removed it and stuck it down my swimmers.
The start of the race
The finish line was on the beach near the start line, and it was easy to spot. By this time I had enough energy left to swim faster and make sure my stroke was working well. I ran out of the water and crossed the line. My time was just over one hour, which I was happy with and was close to my target. I finished in the top ten of my age group, so not a bad effort.
We had a nice presentation dinner that night, and it was sad to say good-bye to so many new friends who would not be going onto Santo on Sunday. A big thank-you for the photos Rosie, after a malfunction with mine.
I had enjoyed my swim in Port Vila, and was looking forward to the next stage on the adventure.
Brooklyn Bridge swim in New York July 2012
It is now the end of May, which means it is time to report on my adventures for the twelve months ended 31 May 2013. This corresponds to the custom that the open water season in Australia finishes on 31 May each year.
So what have I achieved during this period? I completed a total of 19 swim races, four in New York city, and 15 in Sydney, covering a distance of just over thirty-four kilometres. This has taken my total races since 2008 to 59, with a total distance covered of 112 km,
Some of the highlights of this season were:-
- winning my age group at the Brooklyn Bridge swim in New York in July 2012. This was my first victory in a swim;
- finishing third in my age group at Terrigal in April 2013, the first time I have finished in the top three in Australia;
- finishing in the top 100 overall in eight races;
- finishing in the top twenty in my age group in ten races;
- finishing six races out of seven in the NSW oceanswims series, finishing in the top 20 overall, resulting in eligibility for the end of season prize. This prize was a ten day swimming holiday in Vanuatu in the South Pacific in June 2013 with two open water swims. Not only did I qualify to go in the draw, but I actually won the prize;
- swimming with the bold and beautiful group of around 500 swimmers on ANZAC Day at Manly;
- swimming around the Statue of Liberty in June 2012;
- volunteering for the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in June 2012, helping those athletes who completed the 45km swim leave the water. Just a shame there were no Australians in the race, though there are nine in the 2013 race;
- swimming around Governors Island in July 2012, another swim organised by the NYC Swim crew; and
- doing the Cockatoo Island swim in Sydney for the fourth year running.
Looking back over the season I am amazed where my hobby has taken me, and all the friends I have made from across the globe. I thoroughly enjoyed the people at CIBBOWS in New York who made me welcome at Brighton Beach on several weekends over the summer of 2012.
I remember thinking towards the end of Feb 2013 that this season was going to have me competing in a lot fewer races than the 27 I completed in the previous season. However, by the end of May, I had taken the season tally to 19 races, which was not a bad result.
I was mostly satisfied with my results, as during the season I did not spend as much time in the training pool as I had in the previous season. But at least I did get to race at a number of different beaches, which is always fun. I was also glad that I now have more experience, which only makes me respect the ocean more. On each swim I learnt something about my swimming and adapting to the conditions presented.
In addition to the swim races, I also swam recreationally in other places, including Vermont, the Berkshires, the mid north coast of NSW and Torquay in Victoria.
Lake Champlain Vermont USA
Green Island near South West Rocks in NSW
So another great season is over. Who knows what the next twelve months will bring?
Looking back towards the start line
The last weekend of April, and there were three swims scheduled in Sydney: the Shark Island swim at Cronulla; the Warriewood swim; and the South Curl Curl swim. All of these were attractive, but I chose the Curl Curl swim, as I had heard excellent reports of it from other swimmers. The swim over a two km course starts at South Curl Curl and swims south along the cliffs down to Freshwater Beach (the scene of the swim I did on Good Friday). Last year this race was hampered by testing conditions, but the forecast for the day was for excellent conditions. All week the weather had been warm and sunny with no swell and light winds.
I parked the car near Freshwater beach, and walked along the cliff top path to South Curl Curl. This gave me a chance to examine the finish line conditions as well as the rest of the course. By the time I had walked to South Curl Curl, the sun was beating down despite it being the end of April.
I arrived at the clubhouse and went through the familiar registration process: find the table for your age group, state your name, get a number written on your arm, and get the coloured cap. Once again my age group was given pink caps, it seems to happen more often than not. You will note there was no timing chip. As I registered, the man in front of me congratulated me for winning the swim holiday to Vanuatu.
Lining up on the start line
Yes I had found out that morning that I had won a swim trip to the South Pacific in June thanks to the Oceanswims competition. This competition required swimmers to do at least five of the seven nominated swims over the season, with the best six swims counted. Each swim was awarded points out of 100 based upon your finish time and handicap based on age and gender. Only the top twenty swimmers were eligible to enter the prize draw, with the first placed swimmer having their choice of the two swimming holidays on offer. The winner had chosen a trip to Fiji, which left the Vanuatu trip up for grabs. I had managed to scrape into the top twenty, having done six of the seven swims over the season. I was very excited about winning the trip, as were various other people I had come to know on the circuit.
The briefing took place in front of the clubhouse with the swimmers being told that the buoys were placed a fair way off the cliffs because of the weed and backwash close in. While I can understand why the organisers do that, it is a bit disappointing for these journey swims as swimmers could be encouraged to navigate themselves with fewer buoys. if they want to swim the shorter route closer to the cliffs they would have to deal with the backwash. If they wanted to swim further out they would swim a longer distance, but get the assistance of a current. We were also told that there was no timing chips as the cost of the system was equivalent to a rescue board for the surf club. Fair enough, we are trying to raise funds for the worthy cause. So when we finish we get a hand written time given to us, and then we give that time to the timekeepers. Simple and old-fashioned, and quite relaxed.
As I waited on the beach for my wave to enter the water, I once again watched the earlier two waves to see if there was any sweep. I did notice that the swimmers seemed to be pushed slightly to the south, which meant the left hand side of the start line would be a better place to start. Every now and then a nasty shore dump would break, and I thought that would make things interesting if we had to deal with that. But each of the starting waves were five minutes apart, and as we entered there was no need to even duck under a wave.
A wave of swimmers entering the water at the start
So we were off, and the water was quite warm. I had swum on ANZAC day on Thursday at Manly (see my previous blog entry), and again on Saturday with the Bold and Beautiful group when there was only 250 swimmers. The water today seemed warmer, but whether that was because it was later in the morning I am not sure. Regardless, it was divine swimming in the ocean in conditions like this, and it was difficult to remember that I was supposed to be racing. I was feeling a bit tired from the previous five days of swimming, so I wanted to swim slowly at the start, and increase the speed as the race progressed. By the first buoy I was towards the back of my wave, but I was not worried by that. A few swimmers annoyed me with their inability to swim straight, but I soon swam away from them. It was so enjoyable out there today.
Cliffs along the course
The good thing about this swim was the large number of buoys to guide you on your way. Though the buoy that was a dark blue colour was difficult to pick out from a distance, but it really did not matter too much. There was only a small amount of chop to deal with, and I was feeling quite relaxed, as other swimmers in my wave were caught and passed. I even managed to pass some of the slower ones from the earlier wave which surprised me, and I admired their resolve to get to Freshwater no matter how long it took.
In what seemed no time we passed the big white buoy off Freshwater, which meant it was time to turn right and head towards the finish line. We had to go through two pink buoys and then get to the finish line at the northern end of the beach. I recalled that this side of the beach was more likely to have a rip, but I had not seen one when I walked past earlier. I did decide to head slightly south just in case, as there was still an occasional one metre wave coming through. I had been swimming in a pack, but they headed right, and I initially regretted my decision to head left due to the loss of drag. However, I did soon recover and swam past them on a more direct line towards the finish.
I wanted to try to swim hard towards the finish, as this was going to be my last swim for the season. So I upped the pace, and soon caught some other swimmers in my wave. It is always good to catch people, and go past them in the last part of the race. I hoped for a wave to catch, but once again I was as successful as creating world peace, so I had to swim all the way into the beach.
View of the finish line
I jumped up in the shallow water, lifted my knees and waded out, and even managed to run up to the finish line. I had hoped to do a time of around 36 minutes, and I was only a few seconds over that. I was quite pleased with that effort, and I was not exhausted like I had been earlier in the season. No doubt the additional training I had done lately was starting to pay off. I gave my time to the timekeepers, and then grabbed some fruit and a cold drink, and found some friends to chat to. I was very satisfied with my efforts, and pleased that I had been able to swim at Freshwater when conditions were not as challenging. At the time of preparing this report, the results are not available, which is one of the down sides of manual timing.
It was a glorious day, a fantastic way to finish my season. This really can be the best time of year to swim when the water is warm, clearer, smoother, and the sun is not as intense.
Swimmers catching a wave at the finish
As I drove away from the beach I realised that my season was over. But there was the prospect of June trip to the South Pacific to keep up my interest.
Today is April 25, which in Australia and New Zealand is ANZAC Day: the day we commemorate and remember the 100,000 Australians who have lost their lives serving our nation in war and peacekeeping operations over the last 100 years or so. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the day was first observed in 1916. On 25 April 1915 under the orders of Winston Churchill allied forces made a beach landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Ultimately the attack was futile, and in December 2015, the invaders departed leaving 8700 Australians, 2700 New Zealanders, 21,000 British, and an estimated 85,000 Turkish troops dead. It is one of the features of the battle that today Australia and Turkey share a special bond despite being on the opposite sides of the trenches in 1915.
The battle has been recognised as the day our then young nation came of age. During the First World War over 60,000 of our finest young men lost their lives, at a time when our total population was only four million, and 40% of our male population enlisted in the great adventure. It was also the battle that lead to the formation of the modern state of Turkey.
Today we remember those who died and strive to ensure that never again will we have to be involved in such a conflict. It is one of the few days of the year that we come together as one nation despite our backgrounds and pause to reflect.
On ANZAC Day in 2012 I did the five km swim from Coogee to Bondi. However, this year that swim was not on due to the complexities of organising a swim in this modern age. However, Sydney really does need to have more of the longer swims to enable our swimmers the opportunity to compete over longer distances. Next year I hope it is one again.
So this year I had no organised event to swim in. However, I realised a few days before that I had not done that glorious swim at Manly with the Bold and the Beautiful gang since last season. I had not even swum at any of the oceanswims held there over the season. So I made the easy decision to go and do the swim at seven am.
It was a cool calm morning when I got up to get ready for the drive to Manly, which is not far. Today it went by quite quickly due to the lack of traffic on a public holiday. I found a park in a side street a few blocks from the surf club (a pity the ferry times do not suit), and made my way to the beach.
The sun had just come up, and it was glorious morning with a stillness in the air and ocean to reflect the solemnity of the day. I added my name to the list of swimmers, and was offered a pink bold and beautiful swim cap. I told the friendly people (Anne and others) that I had swum before, was on the email list, but had a pink cap of my own. So I chatted to some fellow swimmers in that wonderful way of people who love to swim in the ocean. I donned one of my pink NYCSwim caps from summer 2012 and wandered down to the sand.
As it was a special day, we had a short service overlooking the ocean and the Last Post played on a bugle by one of the swimmers, followed by the national anthem. It was cold on the sand, but it was wonderful to be able to live in a place where this can happen.
We waded into the water, which became warmer as it got deeper (it is that time of year). There was no swell at all to deal with, so we swam out to the point like a pink tide. There were over 500 swimmers all in pink caps communing with the ocean. What a sight, what an atmosphere, what an experience. My goggles started to fog up, and it was not because of the cold.
Over to Shelly with everyone having a great time in the warm water (compared to the air anyway). In what seemed like no time I had arrived at Shelly and I stood on the beach in a small patch of sunlight trying to stay warm, watching the glorious scene of 500 swimmers enjoying a truly great experience together.
After a break waiting for the slower swimmers we got back into the water before the gentle breeze made us too cold for the swim back (though the fingers were a tad cold). Next time I will have to swim closer to the rocks to see some of the sea life in the aquatic reserve. My line straight to the point was too murky to see much.
Enjoyed the swim back and used it to practice some of the techniques I had learnt over the last few years such as high elbows, keeping air in my lungs to aid floating higher in the water, and breathing both sides.
Once again the swim back seemed to be over before it had begun. I remembered the first time I had swum this 750m swim from Manly to Shelly and I could only make it one way. Today I did both ways for 1500m with no real effort or fatigue. In fact I felt like I was just warming up when each leg was over. It is good to recognise progress.
On the way home I resolved to try to get back on Saturday morning to do the swim again.
Regular readers will note that I have not included any photos today. I could go on about how this is in recognition of the day, but really the reason is that I left the camera at home. However, the Bold and Beautiful group do a blog, and they took lots of photos of the morning (go to http://www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au for link to their website and go to the blog entry for 25 April 2013).
Part of the course at Coogee
Mid April, the return to Coogee for the Wedding Cake Island Swim. The local surf club is one of the few that are able to two swims a year at this iconic location. Each November the course is run, when the risk of cold water is high; and it is repeated in April when the water is warmer and often calmer. As I have said several times, it really is the best time of year to swim in the ocean around Sydney. I had done this swim a few times already, but it is always a pleasure to swim it again. This time, there were over 1100 entries for the day across the one km, and 2.4 km swims.
I made an early call to only enter the long swim this time. After watching the one km event and seeing the times, I may have finished in a top three if I had swum well. But really the long swim is the event to do if there is a choice.
I arrived at the beach just in time to see the one km race hit the water ten minutes early. There were only two waves, and they were split between those under 40, and those over 40. I watched them closely and saw that there appeared to be virtually no sweeps pushing swimmers off course.
Start of the one km race
Several of my fellow squad members had entered both races, and they all enjoyed the short race as a warm up. I know that I had made the right decision, as the long course can be deceptive when you get around the back of the island.
For those of you unaware of the course for the long swim, it starts at the northern end of Coogee Beach, and heads east out to Wedding Cake Island. You swim around the island clockwise, and then return to the middle of the beach for the finish line. Today, there was little swell, just a small bump out the back, and a sometimes tricky shore dump.
The organisers on seeing the numbers entered ensured there were several waves in ten-year age groups, and then five years. I was in about wave 8, with all those in the white caps. My plan for the day was to swim at a consistent pace and enjoy the event, as it may be my last swim of the season. As my wave started, I jogged down to the water, slid under a small wave, and started stroking. I remembered to swim slow at this point to let others race ahead (the plan is to catch them later..you cannot win the race at the first can, but you can lose it, so I am told). So I started easily, got into clear water as soon as I could, and then settled down into my familiar pace.
Waves near Wedding Cake Island
As can be seen from the photos, we were blessed with the conditions, with lots of sun, a very small swell and clear water. Swimming out to the island was quite easy,as the buoys were easy to spot, made easier by the waves in front. About two-thirds of the way out the gun swimmers in the next wave were catching me, and as they started three minutes behind me, it was clear I was not swimming as fast as I had in the past. But hey, there was plenty of fish to see swimming on the bottom oblivious to the race on top of the water. I was also catching the slower swimmers from the earlier waves.
Getting close to the island I remembered there was a tendency for the swell to push you to the right towards the island. I looked ahead and saw that the pack was edging right, so I aimed to the left to offset the effects of the swell.
Around the back of the island, and the bottom came into view in the clear water, with all its reefs and weed waving in the gentle caress of the ocean. Hard not to be distracted.
Oh it was good to swim a course that I had swum before: the buoys were easy to spot, and I knew the general direction to swim back to shore. I maintained my pace, and concentrated on keeping my elbows high on my pull through to increase the efficiency of my stroke.
Before long I had made it back to shore, and manged to get to my feet without having a wave anywhere near me. I even had enough energy left to sprint over the finish line.
There is an interesting discussion of this course at the following link : http://www.oceanswims.blogspot.com.au/
I had done it again, the fourth time for this swim. My time was only thirty seconds slower than the same race last year, though I was placed closer to the middle of the field this time. I had missed our Irish friend, he was off swimming laps of Botany Bay as a warm up for a cold water swim he is doing in his homeland in July. Good to see he was paying homage to all those who had been transported for the term of their natural life to that place two hundred years go.
One of the nice touches for this swim is the ANZAC procession with the pipers leading the way. A nice touch with ANZAC Day just over ten days away. Little did we know that the events of Boston would overtake all the news in less than 24 hours. We all share your pain and our thoughts are with you all.
The march past
Sun and clouds over Terrigal
The weekend after Easter meant making a choice of where to swim. There was the long swim ending at Forster; the swim at Shellharbour from the boat harbour to the beach; the swim at Queenscliff in memory of Saxon Bird a surf lifesaver who drowned at the National Titles a few years ago; or two swims at Terrigal. In the end I chose Terrigal in order to swim two races on the one day.
Terrigal is about a 80 minute drive north of Sydney, and there was fog on the freeway in the usual spots around Mt White and Mooney Mooney Bridge. That is a great sign for a swim because it meant calm clear conditions ahead. The drive as also made easier as daylight saving ended at 2 am. It is so good to see the sun rise at 6.15 am again when the previous day it was 7.15 am (it does not get that late in Sydney in the middle of winter).
We arrived at the beautiful beach at Terrigal which faces north-east and is protected from the big southerly swells by the local geography. It was a glorious day, cool out of the sun, no wind, and once again little or no swell. The only issue was the forecast of thunderstorms for the morning.
The registration for this swim was old school: name on a sheet ticked off, and one cap given to cover both races. No timing chips and no numbers scrawled on upper arms. At the end of the race you get a hand written piece of paper with your time and then you give that to the recorders. So that is how it was done before technology took over, and it was great.
I had entered both swims: the one km event, and the two km event. This was only the second time for the season that I had done this, and I thought I was ready for it after doing two swims over last weekend.
Storm clouds gathering behind the registration tent
The briefing for the swim was held on the beach with instructions given on the course: start in the water, swim out to the yellow can, turn right to the next cam, turn left and back to the third yellow can, back around the first can, and back to the beach. It was clear what the course was, the instructions were clear, and all 90 odd swimmers could hear it.
We wandered down to the shore and waited in the knee-deep water for the starting whistle for the one and only wave. It was clear that everyone was here to enjoy swimming in the ocean on a beautiful day. The whistle went and we all just started.
I was telling myself to pace myself as I had two swims to do, so I let a number of swimmers sprint off ahead of me. If I caught them later fine, if not what did it matter: it was hard to believe this was an actual race. Out past the first can, and the water was like satin, warm and clear and a joy to be immersed in. Off to the second can, and I started to go past some of the swimmers. I settled into my now familiar style, enjoying the sun on my back and the views around me.
Back to the third can for the long reach of the race, and I managed to swim in a group of swimmers. Oh this was fun. Back to the first can again, and then into the beach. As it was just after high tide, there was no chance of getting a wave until the shore dump, so I just concentrated on swimming straight to the finishing chute.
Out of the water, a short run up the beach and a piece of paper was thrust into my hand telling me I had finished in just over 18 minutes, which was acceptable. Lining up to give my time to the timekeepers I talked to a chap who told me this was his first swim. What a day to do it: no waves, no rips, no sweeps, and warm water. Gave me time, took my certificate (nice touch), grabbed some fruit and water and then sat down in the shade to wait for the longer swim.
The start of the race
I was felling a bit fatigued after the one km race, another sign that my swimming fitness has dropped in the last few months. A drink and some food, and good company on a picture perfect day refreshed me for the two km race, which was scheduled to commence about an hour after the one km race.
The briefing for the two km was held in the same relaxed style with no fanfare or fuss. There was a storm just off the coast and we could hear the thunder rumbling in the background, and the occasional flash of lightning. That would make conditions interesting if it came closer to shore, but I thought it was heading north away from us. However, the organisers decided to delay the start for 15 minutes just to make sure there was no risk for competitors. N0-one seemed to mind too much as we gazed at the ocean.
The first half of the two km race was identical to the first three-quarters of the earlier race. However, the long reach went a lot further north to something called The Ruins before we turned and headed back to the start line.
Once again we waded into the water and waited for the whistle start as the storm had cleared. As the tide had dropped some more by now, we were able to wade and porpoise about a third of the way out to the first can. There were more swimmers in this race, and I tried to keep my eye on those in the blue caps in my age group: there were not that many.
The storm that delayed the start
Around the first can, and soon the second and the conditions had not changed too much. Clear warm water, no chop and settling into my style. Just after going round the second can I was swimming close to another swimmer at a good pace. I decided to take it easy and got behind him and enjoy the drag for this long reach north. A big thankyou to this chap who swam straight and at a consistent pace, passing other swimmers with me close behind. My fingers grazed his feet a couple of times, and when I did that he kicked harder to try to shake me off. This was fun.
Around the can at The Ruins and the beat back to the club house. I lost my guide at this point once he increased his pace, but I did manage to catch up to a large group of others who were clearly fatiguing at this point.
Around the last can and into the beach. I could feel a small swell pushing me to shore and stood up and dived forward several times in a series of unsuccessful attempts to catch a wave. Into shore and I stood up, feeling very tired. I looked around and there was no-one near me, so I walked slowly up to the finish line. My time of just under 37 minutes was ok. At the time of writing, the results have not been published so I am not aware of how I went compared to the rest of the field.
Once again gave my time to the timekeepers, took my certificate, and then off to the shade once more.
I had really enjoyed this swim: great atmosphere, great conditions, and a sense of achievement.
Off for coffee in one of the local cafes, and then a beautiful lunch at a restaurant with a panoramic view of Terrigal.
I will definitely consider doing this swim again next season especially if the conditions are this good.
Terrigal looking north
The finishing line
The Easter long weekend and this year I was doing two swims. I had done the race over 1.5 km at Freshwater on Friday, and Sunday was the turn for Bondi to host its postponed event. There were two races on offer, the 1 km, and the longer 2.1 km. This year I had decided to only enter the longer swim, and it was race seven of seven in the oceanswims series. It would be my sixth swim of the series, meaning I would qualify for possible prizes if I was in the top twenty.
I was hoping that conditions were better than Friday, and as can be seen from the photo, the conditions were quite different. There was little wind, it was overcast, and the seas had dropped to virtually nothing. At this time of year the water is still quite warm at around 23 degrees C (or 73 F), and very clear. As I have written before this can be the best time of year to swim: warm water, light winds, no blue bottles, and the UV factor drops from 13 to 6 reducing the risk of sunburn.
After seeing these conditions I was quietly confident of finishing ahead of the Reporter: I seem to perform much better when there is little or no chop. Besides she had entered both swims. She showed up with both of her daughters and we chatted before the one km event started. A part of me regretted not entering this event as it was only a small field, but I was very conscious of the lack of training over the last few months.
The sprint at the start of the one km
I watched the three waves of the one km race start and noticed a big difference in the energy at the start. The first wave raced to the water like starving people at a banquet: the last wave (the elder statesmen) entered the water in a considered dignified manner with lots of grace. I also noticed that there was a small sweep going north, which was surprising. But you can always rely on the water to be moving, you just have to take the time to watch it.
Different conditions today as the first race begins
Before long the first race was over. I was full of admiration for the sprinting of the leaders as they ran over the finish line. I could not wait for my race to start now.
As is usual at these events there were a lot more entrants in the longer race. I think there were around seven waves, and I was in wave five with the other middle-aged males in their pink or yellow caps (two age groups combined). I headed to the right hand side of the start line to take advantage of the sweep so that it would push me toward the first turning buoy. This was the same yellow buoy used in the shorter race, but we would veer right to get to the orange buoy off Mackenzies Point.
We started and I raced to the water, and it took no time at all to get over the breaking waves. What a difference two days can make. My strategy was working well, and I enjoyed swimming in the warm clear water. Around the first buoy, then around the second to turn left to swim across the bay to Ben Buckler. At this point I switched my breathing to the left so that I could see the Bondi beachfront gliding past. In the background I noticed two A380 passenger planes doing a fly past over Sydney Harbour to celebrate some new alliance for our national airline. For the first time in 60 years they would no longer use Singapore as a hub on the Kangaroo Route to the UK, but would now go through the middle east.
I was having a great time today, feeling the immense joy you get swimming in the ocean in such beautiful conditions. I had to remind myself that this was a race as the first swimmers in the next wave speed past me. The shark net floated past beneath us, there was no swell, and the water was warm like a blanket on a cold night.
The last leg home
At the second last buoy off Ben Buckler there was a sharp left hand turn to head back to the yellow buoy before turning for home. As can be seen from this photo, there was virtually no waves. However, there was still that small sweep to deal with, so I aimed slightly south of the finish line to reduce the distance I would have to swim. I noticed that quite a few around forgot about this, and once again I was swimming by myself. I had noticed today that I would mostly swim by myself until I arrived at a turning buoy.Suddenly swimmers would converge like ants at a picnic, and then disappear again. Oh well it is a big ocean.
Swimming back to shore was a totally different experience to Freshwater. There was no need to back breathe to keep an eye on the waves, as it was easy to feel the slight rise of the small swells coming through. It was more important to keep looking ahead to ensure that sweep did not affect the line.
Today I wanted a small wave so that I could catch it. But alas, there was nothing when I swam in, as the sand gently rose to meet me. I stood up, and picked up the knees to run over the finish line. I had finished, and was happy with my effort well aware of the effort it had taken to finish.
After the Reporter finished and the results were posted it was clear that normal transmission had been resumed, and the pecking order had been returned to normal. In fact I had finished ahead of two thirds of that family.
This was the third time I had swum in this race, and my time today was the slowest of all three. Just goes to show that courses can be different, but it also told me that the intensity of my training had dropped off, something that will change soon.
This was the first time I had swum in two different events over the same weekend. Perhaps next season I could do it again.
The season is almost over, with the potential for some swims over the next three weekends. That would wrap up a nice season.
The gentle waves
Surfers before the swim started
Good Friday, and when the swim calendar had been published earlier in the season, this date was free. However, the Freshwater swim that was originally scheduled for earlier in the season was adversely impacted by big seas, forcing the postponement to this date. Usually Easter is a great time to swim with warm water, and small surf, so it appeared to be a good idea. The week of the swim was superb weather with warm days in the mid 20s and no wind: perfect for an ocean swim.
However, Good Friday was one of those days where the weather gods were not as kind as earlier in the week. The swell was forecast to increase to 2 m from the south, and the wind was to move onshore as the day progressed. There was a touch of autumn in the air with a cool breeze blowing.
I arrived at the beach earlier than I had anticipated due to the lack of traffic on Sydney’s roads. The beach is located just north of Manly on the northern beaches of Sydney. I was looking forward to swimming again, after missing last weekends events due to a lack of regular training caused by unusually heavy work commitments.
After registration for the swim in the surf clubhouse, I walked down to the beach to have a look at conditions. I had never been to this beach before, so I wanted to familiarise myself with the beach. I was surprised to be greeted by some waves for a change: it has been quite a while since I have raced in waves of this size. I also knew that high tide was due at about the time the race was due to start, so I expected the sets to get bigger.
Beach looking towards Manly
The race was due to start in the left hand corner of this picture, with the finish towards the centre of the beach. We were to swim out along the northern side, turn right towards Manly, turn right towards the beach, then a left turn and back; a distance of 1.5 km. Sounded straight forward.
I caught up with some fellow squad members and we talked about the swell and the course. Some of us were looking forward to the challenge more than others. I mentioned to the Reporter (who had her eldest daughter with her), that she had beaten me in one race over the years. Little did I know at that stage that today was to be the second.
As the start time approached, the swell kept getting bigger. I was in the second wave off the beach, which is normally a good thing. However, today I would have preferred to be a in a later wave so that I could see the earlier waves negotiate the shore break. I did notice that quite a few headed left in order to get the assistance of a small rip. But this appeared to create issues further out when they had to veer right to get to the first buoy.
My wave entered the water, and I was tentative getting in. It had been quite a while since I had been in conditions like this, and I knew my fitness was not as high as it had been due to a lack of consistent training. I had decided to put my goggles on under my cap to ensure they stayed on easier.
Out through the shore break I was swimming slowly, going under the waves and looking forward to the next wave. It seemed to take quite a while to get out to the first buoy off the northern point, but we were swimming straight into the wind and swell. As I turned the first buoy I had to go wide so that I could stop and put my cap back on which had been knocked loose by the waves. Frustrating.
View over the pool back towards the beach
The reach across the bay was punctuated by the rise and fall of the swell; fun. I tried to concentrate on my technique, but I quickly noticed that I was being passed by the next wave already. Not a good sign.
The next buoy was not easy to see due to the rise and fall of the swell, but there were plenty of swimmers in front of me so just followed them. Of course I remembered that adage that I should not blindly follow them as they may not know where they were going either. But I knew roughly which way to head. Got around this buoy and wow the push of the swell was awesome as we headed back toward the beach. You could really feel the wave as it urged you back to shore.
Back across the bay again the way we had come, and by this time I did notice that the swell was definitely increasing. That should make it interesting getting back to shore. I noticed at this time that the cub reporter was swimming near me, so I went over and tapped her toes just to say hi.
Around the last buoy and there was decision to be made. Would I go towards the left of the finish line and let the sweep push me to finish towards the rip? Or should I go well left and use the waves to get back to the beach and then run along the sand to the finish line? By this time I was getting tired, so I just headed to the finish line. As I crept closer to the beach I could feel myself tense up as the big sets came through. I remember looking round at one stage and seeing this wall of water coming my way and thinking uh oh.
But I negotiated it, just. I did see one lady putting her hand up for rescue at this point, and a small part of me was tempted to do the same thing. But this swim was race six in the seven race oceans swim series, and I wanted to finish to get in the top twenty. So I put my head down, and kept swimming, breathing behind me to keep an eye on the surf.
Finally I made it to shore and I walked over the finish line. I had finished, and I was tired. I also knew I had not swum a fast time, but I was very happy that I had finished.
One of the buoys with Shelley Beach in the background (site for the Coles Classic)
I gladly took the fruit and water on offer at the finish line and walked over to talk to some of my fellow competitors. The comments ranged from that was a lot of fun, to that was so scary.
For those of you interested, the Reporter did beat me for the second time, and she was so pleased with herself. Congratulations, you always seem to do better than me in choppy conditions. No excuses from me.
But I was already plotting revenge for Easter Sunday for the swim at Bondi. Bring it on.
GregInTheWater 