15/11/2013 – Fantasia by sea

Some mornings it can seem like there are parallel worlds.  In the sleepy suburbs the dawn is acknowledged by the calls of the wild birds announcing the arrival of the day.

Then there is Manly Beach.

 

Colour.  Movement. People everywhere!  Be careful to wipe the sleep from your eyes before venturing close to the foreshore lest you are caught up in a tangle of runners, surfers, dog walkers, surf boats and boot camps!  Today’s Storchy Boot Camp celebrated a significant milestone.  Shaun (Dolphin Whisperer) saw the dawn of his next half century by working out, then later showing off his fascinator.  Well, that’s what he tells me it is . . .

You might think that the 7am swim is the main event of the B&B swim.  I am about to dispel those ideas.  By 6am there is already precious little room under our meeting tree with all the bags arranged around its base.

 

There are at least three groups of swimmers heading out between 6am and 6.30am.

Then at about 6.50am, the returning early swimmers, sweaty boot campers and the 7am mob converge on the one spot!!  Turns out today there were over 194 of us milling around.

The queue for the attendance sheet may soon be a thing of the past as swimmers are getting with the times and opting for the Login App. Lesley is showing how easy it is to log in.  See below for details on how you can get Appy.

 

‘Go Left’ was the suggestion to find a break in the weed close to shore.  The temperature of the water is climbing – now at 20.2!!

 

The golden morning sun embraces us at Shelly, accentuating the stunning pink against so many tanned torsos.

It is pure joy to be out and about.

 

 

Visibility is still low, but I did find these guys playing in the weed just near the point.

There is talk that there will be a change by mid morning.  From the look of the clouds to the south, the prediction could be spot on.

 

For those keen to get in shape for the 6km and 10km Badge Swims, Robin is planning a Bolderdash in the morning at 6am.

 

These longer swims are kicking off in early December and will run through to the end of February or early March.

Have a great day.

 

Mary

B & B Christmas Party

The B & B “Mad Hatters” Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday 3rd December at 6.30 pm in the Moonshine Bar (2nd Floor) at the Steyne Hotel. All swimmers and partners/friends are welcome (no under 18s unfortunately). Wear your craziest hat or other headwear. No need to be shy as we will have the whole bar to ourselves. Finger food will be provided and drinks will be at bar prices. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with a band featuring one of our very own swimmers. Come along to find out who it is. The cost is $10 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Don’t miss out. Bookings are essential. Book HERE now so you don’t miss out!

B & B Attendance Login App

The new B&B Attendance Login App is live!! Using the App you can log your swim (only if you did swim), between 5am and 9am on the day of the swim.  No need to tick the attendance sheet as the App does that for you.  As swimming with the B&B has become the coolest thing to do, using the App will reduce the queue for the sheets so you will never be late for the 7am call.

To get started, please send an email to Ian Forster (ugoboy@optusnet.com.au) requesting to have your account activated.  You will receive detailed instructions how to operate the system. No badge, but bragging rights for being an early adopter.  Happy ticking.

Badges, badges and more badges!!

Summer Badge season is just a couple of weeks away!! The sign of a committed ocean swimmer is a B&B 6km or 10km Summer Badge.  The 6km swims take place every Saturday in summer.  The first 10km swim is proposed to be held on 14 December.

Cleaning up the Bay

Michelle Sparkes is organising a Clean Up Cabbage Tree Bay Swim on 1 December.  This foraging swim is being held to reduce the rubbish in the Bay with the aim is to protect the marine life from ingesting or becoming tangled in nasty plastic.

Have Fun more with the Pacific Challenge

Our website guru, Magnus Butlin has developed a fun new page which shows a different take on the Pacific Challenge. The new page shows each swimmer’s progress over the last week (or fortnight/month/two months) in terms of their position on the leader board.

The bumps chart can be accessed from the Pacific Challenge page via a button in the top right hand corner. Take a look and see how many people you have passed in the Pacific Challenge in the last few weeks:

http://www.faulconbridgesoftware.com/bb/pub/bumps.htm

The ‘divisions’ listed are the columns currently shown on the Pacific Challenge page. At this stage, only the first five columns (300 swimmers) are shown.

Staying safe

Remember that there are no badges for scaring yourself silly!  While it is great to extend your boundaries, it is important to know your limits.  Do read these excellent tips on staying safe in the surf.  To read, or even download, click here.

 

The Stats

Regulars:  194

Newbie:  7

Temp:   20.2 degrees

 

Sunrise: 5.44am

Sunset: 7.35pm