GregInTheWater
GLASGOW OPEN WATER SWIMMING COACH
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The national day for Australia is celebrated on 26 January. Unlike other countries this was not the date that the long-suffering populace ousted the dictator/monarchy/foreign invaders. Rather it was the date in 1788 when a fleet of convict ships arrived in Sydney Cove after a long voyage from the UK, to start a penal colony called New South Wales. It was not until 1901 that the various colonies on the continent of… 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
That’s right. The Statue of Liberty in New York. The one that was a gift from France to the USA to celebrate 100 years of US Independence and opened in 1886. The one that is there to welcome immigrants from the Old World as they sail into New York Harbour on their way to Ellis Island: “Keep ancient lands your storied pomp” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your… 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
Australia Day on January 26 is the day of the Sydney Harbour swim at the Opera House. Unlike previous swims I could not enter both races on the day as the 2.2 km race was scheduled to start shortly after the one km race, making it impossible to do both. So I only entered the longer swim. There was only a few from my squad doing this race, as they were saving… Read More
Now that I had joined a squad, I quickly increased my training distances. I was now doing around thirty km in the pool per month which was about double what I had been doing previously. In addition to the increased distance, I was also getting fitter with faster laps and repetitions with the squad. I was also enjoying pushing myself in the pool and trying to understand the instructions from the coach…. Read More
I had mapped out a plan for swims for the season, and the one at the Opera House on Australia Day was on the list. I was familiar with the course, and it was a harbour swim which suited my confidence levels. The swim was scheduled to be two and a half km so it would test my fitness. When I arrived at Circular Quay I was greeted with a fog that… Read More
After my succesful traverse of Lake Macquarie, I decided to enter another swim. The location Farm Cove in Sydney Harbour. The starting point was next to the Opera House, a swim around Farm Cove looking at the Botanic Gardens, and back to the Opera House. Distance two km, harbour swim with no waves. Easy after my recent effort. Only problem was that a year before the swim a navy diver had lost… Read More
GregInTheWater 