GregInTheWater
GLASGOW OPEN WATER SWIMMING COACH
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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… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
So the 2012 season is now over. What was my progress over the season? Well to recap in 2011 I had competed in six races with a total distance of 13.4 kms, and I struggled to finish some of those races. For distance covered in Australia I was ranked 1,398 out of 43,462 and in NSW 509th out of 17,154. For the oceanswim handicap series in 2011 I did three swims for… Read More
The last day of March 2012 and the Caves Beach swim was on a Saturday. This was the beach I had grown up on as a boy, and it was good to return. I had done this swim in 2009, and the course is a good one. The early morning drive up from Sydney for the last day of daylight saving was highlighted by heavy fog on the F3. For a sporting event… Read More
It was back to the Opera House and Farm Cove for one of my favourite swims. As you can see from the picture the location is idyllic, just near the Opera House and Botanic Gardens. Sure there was no surf, but the view from the water is just divine. Another good thing for me is that I can walk to this swim, which is a pleasant way to warm up. Luckily the… Read More
For this weekend I had a choice to make. I could do the Cross the Lake swim on the Saturday over 3.8 km, or do the Tamarama Clovelly swim on the Sunday over 2.5 km. I knew I was not up to both, so I decided on the Cross the Lake Swim. I had done this swim in 2010, so it would be good to see the comparison with 2012, and I… Read More
GregInTheWater 