John 007 Bond came up with the title for today’s blog. 112 swimmers enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, calm, smooth, crystal clear waters and loads of fish sightings…Someone was happy to be back. Would you believe Robbie has just returned from a holiday in Hamilton Island (not Iceland). You’d have thought he’d have worked on his tan a wee bit 😉
The day started in the usual way of late…with simply gorgeous skies as The Drinks Express headed off at 6.30am…
Look at that…We get a magnificent view thrown in with our swim too!
The motley crew of builders, doctors, teachers, plumbers, politicians, physios, mortgage brokers, artists, actresses, inbetween jobbers and ugg boot manufacturers arrive…Everyone is welcome!
Steve has just returned from sunny Lancashire…
Robbie insists he has turned from blue to white and is now working on his tan.
The air temp is a bit down on the last few days and the water temp 16.1 so it feels chilly but off we go because we know it is SO worth it!
The sun is bright and it is Winter in Sydney! Nicky uses her flipper as a sun visor. Sarah makes a whale signal. We are still hoping to swim with one before winter’s over!
There are so many fish to see as we swim to the point.
Lots of happy faces at Shelly!
It’s Laura’s 20th Winter swim so she does the ‘Let’s Go’. Well done to Robbie Pasty Byrne and Kelly who are up to their 20th too. (Thank goodness Robbie has reached his 20th without a wetsuit now and can put that wettie back on!) Seriously though what a great effort on his part and encouraging many others to take on a challenge and raise ($3000 now is it?) for Bear Cottage.
After my sighting of Port Jackson sharks mating yesterday, Mike wants to see if he can see some shark porn with me today 😉 He is happy to see a cuttlefish for the first time…Amazing how the cuttlefish lightens up to sand colour as he swims away from the weed and over the sand.
Then we come across this interesting sea creature putting in a massive effort to get photos for her Saturday blog. At breakfast John Kelly said you reminded him of the Isle of Man flag Renae??
It’s so exciting swimming back close to the rocks today, not knowing what beautiful marine life will swim underneath you next. It could be the brightest of blue gropers…
Or a sergeant baker having a rest on the seabed as a crimson morwong swims by…
Look how clear it is! You really must come swimming with us at the moment. Don’t let the cold water put you off!
Now yesterday as I got left behind at Shelly, I had a feeling I was going to come across something special…I did! What I thought at first was a large white plastic bag stuck in the rock turned out to be 2 Port Jacksons locked in a passionate embrace. It was amazing to see, (even if I did feel a bit of a peeping Tom!)
They were huge!
Another PJ comes along to see what he’s missing.
Luckily I see Maxine and she marvels at them with me. Annie and Helen come across and the PJs soon disentangle and swim away. It really was an amazing sight.
And another reason to swim in Winter and as much as you can. If you don’t already, swim back slower closer to the rocks and you might come across something…
Some of our inspiring swimmers…
If you want to have pain in your abs like never before, see the man on the right, Storchy, who is leading fantastic boot camps. If you want a great hug, early swim or to have a special deal on tiles see the man on the left Drinky. If you want to be inspired by a gal that pushes herself outta that comfort zone time and time again see Inez in the middle…
Happy Thursday everyone!
Hope to see you at Moonshine Bar, top floor The Steyne from 6pm on Friday for birthday drinks for Annie and I. Everyone welcome.
Just added a photo I took on Sunday of someone (guess who?) swimming with a wobbegong!
Let’s get behind James Pittar!
James
Pittar is a blind marathon swimmer and he is swimming 12km from Long
Reef to North Steyne via Shelly Beach. He would love for 100 swimmers to
join him for the last 2km (From Shelly Beach to North Steyne Beach) and
raise funds and awareness for The Fred Hollows Foundation. His
condition caused him to go blind when he was in his 20’s but he knows
how many people are out there in the world that are needlessly blind.
Further details can be found in the link below:
http://www.hollows.org.au/news-media/james-pittar-swim-sight
Manly Relay For Life 2013!
Keirle Park, 277 Pittwater Road, Manly
2pm- 8.30am
BnB Swimmer Jenny Menzies
has registered Bold and Beautiful as a team to make it easy for anyone who wants to join her.
Also the good news is her team is only to be there from 2pm – 5pm to wave our flag.
Anyone who has a query, please contact Jenny Menzies 0413 886 557orjennym@nswcc.org.au
and here is the link to our team –
http://relay.cancercouncil.com.au/2013/manly_2013/Bold-and-Beautiful-Swim-Group/
******
Staying safe in the surf.
Stats
Swimmers 112 Newbies 1
Sunrise 6.33am. Sunset 5.26pm
Forecast brilliant!
Signing off Lainey Loo aka Eelaine
26 comments
Pacific Jules
15/08/2013 at 10:55 am
Oh look at that it’s the lovely PJ mating season again. What a wonderful time of year 🙂
Sorry for delayed comment for yesterday’s blog… Happy birthday Snorkels. So nice that I could share your birthday with you (thank you Lesbubbles) 😉 xx
Robster the Pasty Blogster
15/08/2013 at 11:31 am
Remember folks, SLIP SLAP SLOP!
Great blog Elaine and thank you for the lovely smiley welcome this morning.
(Thanks Drinky for the cold and wet hug….)
Alyson
15/08/2013 at 11:49 am
Greatictures Elaine of the PJ’s
Drinks
15/08/2013 at 12:17 pm
Seeing you standing there all tanned and buff I couldn’t help myself.
Emer is one lucky lady!!!
Robster the Pasty Blogster
15/08/2013 at 12:21 pm
Fair enough, you are only human
Drinks
15/08/2013 at 12:37 pm
Another awesome blog Lainey. Such a hard working blogger.
Always there at 6.30 to take pic’s of The Express departing and back last from the 7am swim taking all of those amazing photos.
The PJ shots are incredible. Well done (hope you didn’t get a parking ticket this morning)
Elaine de Jager
15/08/2013 at 1:42 pm
Thanks so much Drinky for your lovely comments, no parking ticket 🙂
ros
15/08/2013 at 1:45 pm
Amazing sea pics Elaine: the one with the green groper looks like it’s above water, it’s so clear. Nice to see Robbie back: with Lips and LSA having departed for overseas jaunts, we needed a blog-tart replacement.
Sparkles
15/08/2013 at 1:51 pm
ab fab wonderful blog birthday girl to be lainey loo !! catching the port jacksons pashing /passion was truly spectacular… thanks for sharing. looking forward to celebrating your birthday friday night. xx
Sparkles
15/08/2013 at 1:54 pm
great to see you back…always miss yr sense of humour
Renae Fowler
15/08/2013 at 2:11 pm
Great Blog Lainey Loo. Too get the ones of the Sharks Mating must have been awesome. Bet you wish you had a long snorkel so you could stay down there…
Ian N
15/08/2013 at 2:39 pm
I forgot to mention on 13th August a centenary which my family and I celebrated in a small way. I’ll write a bit about it here because it involves a little bit of Aus swimming history.
On 13 Aug 1913 my mother Dulcie Nicol (nee Raine) who became an Australian champion swimmer was born. She grew up at Bondi and after her 28 yr old father died a week after arriving home from WW1, a neighbour took her at a young age to learn to swim at Bondi Baths now know as The Icebergs. By the late 1920s she was winning Australian championships and setting Australian records. One record had been held for 15 yrs by the famous Fanny Durack. Australian gold medals in those days were solid gold!
Unfortunately she could not afford to go to Melbourne for the Olympic trials for the 1932 Los Angeles games. Some of her friends on the team (which was away for more than 6 mths for the Games) took an autograph book for her and obtained many famous signatures and notes: Jonny Weismuller and many film stars of the time.
She told us stories about swimming tours to demonstrate the new Australian crawl stroke. One of those trips with 4 women swimmers was to Byron Bay by ship then travelling inland to Lismore and Casino, often staying on local farms, swimming in some crude pools and rivers to demonstrate the stroke that most people had not seen before. My mother was the oldest on one trip, about 20 yrs old, and was in charge and had to break up occasional pillow fights between the other girls.
Our mother told us of a day on Bondi Beach when she was playing with a group of friends. One of the young fellows went in for a cool-down swim and disappeared in a pool of blood, thoght to be a shark attack.
Mum was an official in the NSW Ladies Amateur Swimming Association and went to most state and national carnivals held at Nth Sydney pool through to the 1960s. Consequently my siblings and I saw many of the world records set there through the 1950s. That was a golden era for Australian swimming and was the main reason that Nth Sydney pool has claim to many more world records than any other pool in the world by a large multiple.
After raising 5 children (one of whom, Barbara, swam for Australia in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games), she resumed swimming at the age of about 60 with the Manly AUSSI Masters Swimmering Club (around 1974), as did I soon afterwards. She swam very well and won many more medals as she moved up through the age groups. After our father died, Dulcie moved to the Gold Coast where she made many friends swimming with Gold Coast Masters and Miami Masters until almost 90 yrs old.
In the early 1990s, Dulcie swam in some of the first open water swims on the Gold Coast across the Broadwater near Southport.
One of her great friends on the Gold Coast was Linda McGill, the first Australian to swim the English Channel and the Manhatten Island swim. Linda was in the Aus team that my sister was in for the 1962 Commonwealth Games. Their mates then were Ilsa Konrads and Ruth Everuss, wonderful swimmers and lovely young women in 1962.
At the age of 92 Dulcie opted for a heart valve replacement so she could get back and swim laps. Unfortunately after 12 weeks of no significant improvement in intensive care, she passed away one night.
How could my siblings and I avoid a swimming life with that influence. We were proud of her swimming achievements.
In 1988 in the first World Masters swimming championships at Brisbane’s Chandler pool, Dulcie competed and so did 4 of her children.
We scattered her ashes at the Broadwater near the location of one of her swims.
RIP Dulcie
Snorkles
15/08/2013 at 2:42 pm
Thank you ! Its my non birthday this year, and I’m going to gatecrash the lovely Elaine and Annie’s drinks on Friday night!!!
LSA aka HKTQ
15/08/2013 at 3:20 pm
Good to see you back in action and congrats on the www – I thought you were going to steal the Blog-Tart Show until I saw the PJ’s outshining even you!
Congrats to Lainey and the PJs for sharing the amazing spectacle. Is it the passionate embracing that gives them them the glistening glow?
Fifi
15/08/2013 at 4:53 pm
Wow Elaine that was a fantastic post, extraordinary photos and its so nice to see. How you mange to include everyone,even the eexpress crew.
I saw so many marine animals today and was happy to know you would capture them with your camera!
Inez
15/08/2013 at 5:01 pm
Hey Lips and LSA, since you have been away I have been in the blog every time I have swum, sometimes more than once in the one day! Thanks! Take your time coming home:-)
Fred Flintstone
15/08/2013 at 5:36 pm
Yabba Dabba Doo
Has Drinky at Amber got a paving deal for you!!!!!
😉
John.S
15/08/2013 at 5:41 pm
Ian N
A really great story, thanks so much for sharing it with us all.
The Powerhouse Museum was collecting stories of contemporary ‘everyday’ Australians a while back.
They may be interested in documenting Dulcie’s life and family for keeps.
Give them a call.
thanks again.
John.S
15/08/2013 at 5:45 pm
Elaine such a great blog, sharing and caring.
So lucky to see the PJ’s.
And so many fish out and about today, all dressed in their finery!
Lainey
15/08/2013 at 5:48 pm
What an interesting aquatic family history you have Ian. Thanks for sharing. What an amazing woman your Mother sounds.:-)
Lainey
15/08/2013 at 5:49 pm
Thanks Fifi. Wonder what awaits us tomorrow…
Lindsay
15/08/2013 at 9:35 pm
Amazing photos and blog Eelaine, and happy birthday!
LSA aka HKTQ
15/08/2013 at 9:55 pm
Very well-deserved comments by LL- always glad to see you inspiring everyone!
Looking f/w to the bolderdash season and maybe we’ll do a 10K together!
LSA aka HKTQ
15/08/2013 at 9:57 pm
Oh Freddie, I think that’s a great pic of you with the wobbegong!
Yabba Dabba Doo
I think boot-camp’s suiting you!!!!
Ian N
15/08/2013 at 11:13 pm
John,
thanks for that info. I’ll look into it.
I remember also that she was used for trialling competition swim suits by old Mr MacRae who started Speedo Knitting Mills in the 1920s. Some were made from silk and were probably some of the first womens’ costumes that were not like the old neck to knee style.
Ian
Ian N
15/08/2013 at 11:22 pm
thanks Lainey,
the daily swimming we do at Manly is so incredibly different from what people did around 1930 and the number of people in Aus who are competent swimmers has exploded since then.
– and PS:
Well done on the blog and the photos. They are always interesting.
Ian