GregInTheWater

Archives

  It is now mid October, and usually at this time I look at the calendar of open water swims at http://www.oceanswims.com, to start planning for the upcoming season. There are normally some old favourites I like to do, such as the Dawny swim at Balmain in Sydney Harbour, and the Australia Day swim at the Opera House. I also like to see when the various swims at Bondi and Malabar are… Read More

  Easter weekend in Sydney, and finally after 30 days of rain and showers over the previous 45 days, the forecast was for fine and sunny weather for the extra long weekend.  Of course the presence in Sydney of the future King of Australia (even if he is English) and his wife and son seems to have helped bring out the sunshine. The swim last weekend at Coogee around Wedding Cake Island… Read More

I have missed a few swims through a combination of illness and cancellations, since my last event at Malabar in mid February. So I was looking forward to the Across the Lake Swim to be held for the 54th time on its usual Saturday. This is the third time I have competed in this event, and it always brings make so many memories for me. The swim is a 3.8 km race… Read More

  Another Sunday in February in Sydney and that means another ocean swim race, and it was the turn of Malabar to host its event. This is the fourth year in a row I have competed in this event, which is one of the more pleasant Sydney swims. The swim has only been operating for six years, and was started by Murray Rose in his role as patron of the Rainbow Club…. Read More

A different photo to start a report on an ocean swim. This photo was taken on the way to North Bondi beach for the Classic swim, the second of two swims held at this beach each season. The first swim is held in early January, but I was enjoying the delights of a New York winter at that time. So I was keen to do this swim in early February. Now February… Read More

The first Sunday in February is the date for the Coles Classic at Manly Beach in Sydney’s northern suburbs. It is named after the Coles family who started the event at Bondi, before it was moved to Manly. It is now operated by one of the oldest newspapers in the country, and they like to proclaim it as the largest swim in Australia. Well it is the largest in NSW, but its… Read More

I had not planned to do this swim this year, as I was doing three swims at Toowoon Bay the day before. However, after the cancellation of the 2 km swim on Saturday, I tossed up the idea of doing the 2.4 km swim around Wedding Cake Island at Coogee the next day. I had missed the deadline for the online entries so would have to pay more on the day. Would… Read More

  I had tried to do the swim at Toowoon Bay in 2011, but the event was cancelled due to strong winds. I was nervously watching the weather forecast all week for Saturday as the week had been wet and stormy again. I decided to enter the race and hoped it would be on. One of the great things about this swim is that there were three swims on offer: a 400m… Read More

  The middle of November has arrived. The Jacaranda trees have been in bloom for a month or so due to the early start of the summer. Huge bushfires have raged for weeks outside the city destroying hundreds of homes, making their presence felt with the pall of their smoke. That means it must be time for the start of the open water swimming season again in Sydney. After the hottest September… Read More

  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… Read More