01/06/2021 – First Day for Winter Badges!

What a stunning sunrise this morning to bring in the first day of Winter! For the last 10 years (since I found this amazing group) 1st June has taken on a new meaning as it’s the start of a challenge. The cold water challenge…to see if we can swim 20 times over 7 different weeks and get the ‘www’ badge! I have managed it up to now but this year might be difficult…Of course there is also a badge for swimming 20 times through Winter. As most of you know Winter brings calmer water, glorious sunrises and clear water with abundant sealife! 

Yoga was extra special this morning under that sky although I had to keep getting up to take photos! There was a bit of surf so a few walked around to halfway. This had dropped a bit by 8.30am though when I eventually went in!

A few more pics taken between 6.20 and 7am all from this morning! Would have been such a beautiful 6.30am swim…Visibility wasn’t so good under the water unfortunately and water temp was 17 and chilly!

It was great to have Jenny Holmes back swimming with us today after a break following the sad passing of her lovely hubby Roger. The Wows greeted her warmly, a few wore her trademark pink lipstick to make her feel at home! Jenny is 2nd from right and is a longtime B&Ber.

Duncan in the foreground who put in a huge amount of work for last week’s ‘Salt Joy’ fundraiser which was a great success. We will keep you posted when the Premier of ‘Salt Joy’ will be and give everyone chance to buy tickets. There may even be two different showings. We only saw 5 minutes and Tim Keith has done such a fantastic job that you are laughing one moment and almost moved to tears the next!

Pete, Sheena, Shane, Tony, Ted and Freddie in the background!

Scotty, Sterling and James

Rachel, Emily and Penny

Peta waits to go in at halfway

Not too long now before Jac becomes a Mum!

Now they show me their bums!

Back at The Surf Club I catch Michael and Guy invigorated after their www swim.

Gorgeous Lauren is my ‘Catch of the Day’ today! Come on guys, I can be discreet, I can help with matchmaking here!

Lauren and Kathy

Juliette and Annie

I met Liz years ago through Can Too and she wouldn’t contemplate swimming. Now she is addicted and is full of enthusiasm for the swim and group!

Happy Birthday to David Hire my Camper Brown today!

Lainey and Liz

Ultra swimmers Sue and Janet

Jude posing with her lovely goggle bags. She makes them and the Bommie hoody towels. She’s going to be selling these great bags next Tuesday night at the Bluewater dinner with all funds going to Australian Seabird Rescue who rehabilitate the Turtles we see in our bay. The night will be great with a talk from Robert a key volunteer with the organisation. See bottom of blog to book tickets.

Drinks and a few of his Expressers!

I noticed through Facebook Memories it’s 4 years since my photo of the Cuttlefish eating a Blue Groper appeared in The Manly Daily!

It was such an incredible sight. Such a shame to think a creature with an average life of 1 year can eat something that could live up to 80 years 🙁

Pete McGee’s great photo of a freediver Lisa and i with a Giant Cuttlefish last week.

My not so good photo of Pete with the Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish photos taken last week!

 

Keep swimming

Lainey xx

B&B monthly dinner – Tuesday 8^th June 2021

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 8th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. To celebrate World Oceans Day, this month’s speaker is Robert Olive, co-ordinator and a senior turtle carer from the Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR) organisation, whose volunteers have been rescuing seabirds and sea turtles along the NSW coastline for over 25 years. Robert will talk about the amazing work they do and specifically about the rescue, rehabilitation and release of two green sea turtles, Billie and Ella in Cabbage Tree Bay.

There will be the opportunity to sign up to a Volunteers First Responders Training Course to be held on 26 June in Manly to learn about the capture, handling and first aid of seabirds, turtles and other coastal wildlife. Dinner attendees will also have an opportunity to help fund this important work. On the night, Bommie Australia, a Manly conscious clothing & beachwear brand, will donate 50% of all sales of their ocean inspired swim goggle bag range and beach accessories to ASR.

The cost of the dinner is great value at only $30 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each (please note, NO BYO). Bookings are essential, so to avoid disappointment and secure your spot please book at

www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/bb-bluewater-monthly-dinner.html . 

Winter Swimming

While we had hoped that the B&B could resume its normal activities by now, we are still bound by Covid 19 restrictions with which we would be unable to fully comply. So, for the near future, B&B’s operations will continue to be suspended. This does not mean you need to stop swimming. As an encouragement to swim, B&B will offer its usual badges over the winter swimming season. To qualify for a highly prized winter badge, you need to:

• swim from Manly to Shelly and return (or halfway swim) a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August. 
• swim in at least 7 different weeks during the same period.
• log your swims.

If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment), you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (winter without wetsuit).

Since we no longer have restrictions on movement within the community, the Covid swim will no longer be a swim option and all swims must be at Manly. Should there be any restrictions imposed during the Winter period, The Covid Swim will return as an option.

Message from Duncan

Keep warm this winter swimming season and help raise funds for the Tim Keith’s film documentary ‘The bold and beautiful’. The film’s targeted completion date isthe 1st of July 2021 and we need your support to fund the final cut.

John Hill legendary triathlete and owner of Fastgear Australia has agreed to help film funding by donating the profits of orca swimming wetsuit sold in May 2021. For every wetsuit purchased at RRP Fastgear will donate the mark up to fund film expenses. (limited of 20 customers). Make sure you tell the store that you are raising funds for the documentary

I can highly recommend Fastgear as the swimmers wetsuit store and their insight and experience is invaluable in ensuring you get the right suit and right size. Online www.fastgear.com.au, email john@fastgear.com.au or via phone (02) 8068 6229

Help us fund the final cut and keep warm at the same time.