15/11/2014 The pink caps disco

Party season is closing in on us, summer is just two weeks away, social engagements are accumulating fast and Christmas parties start soon – don’t miss ours on Tuesday Dec 9^th, just over three weeks away so mark the date and check out below and buy your ticket.

Outsiders might wonder – with all these super early morning rises for their dawn swims perhaps these Pink Cappers are a dull lot that aren’t into socialising. Are they kidding?

THE BOLD & BEAUTIFUL IS A DAILY PARTY!

That’s part of what keeps us coming back to the swim because actually every single weekday morning we are having lots of fun together and on the weekends it gets even better and we get the chance to join in: the PINK CAPS DISCO!

It’s the best disco in town… you can hear the beat with the rhythm of the waves and the pounding of your strokes and kicks, your humming it now aren’t you…

It’s the best disco in town, number one in disco sound
It’s the place where hip people meet, hey, hey
It’s the best disco in town, bump and boogie all around
It’s no place to sit in your seat, hey, hey….

……It’s the best disco in town, funky music pound for pound.
Join the crowd, come on dance and sing, hey, hey.
It’s the best disco in town, people come from miles around.
It’s the place to do your own thing, hey, hey

I-I-I-I-I’ll be there..…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeSCC0oKSIA

Everyone knows that the first step in going to a party is getting ready. One has to look just right. The whole crowd at the Pink Caps Disco (PCD) adhere to an ultra-attractive fashion code – our cossies and pink caps:

– and yes you are right, every social gathering ie every day, is a masked ball as we don our goggles and often later sunnies.

Of course there are always some who don’t quite get the dress code right, or dress to impress. Here despite a bagging last week Rusty displays again one of his new outfits. Presented  in an effort to regain his crown as our sartorial superman

Some confidently or unashamedly at least, loudly proclaim their own individualism with their attire

Then there are the others who look magnificent in their everyday wear, even though the place does at times resemble the star wars bar scene!

Or those who appear to have a different outfit for all occasions and settings ( yes these are all cuttlefish photographed in CTB)

Makeup is important but of course at the PCD you need to make sure your mascara is waterproof, even though its hidden by your goggles. Fake eyelashes or extensions don’t work because they squash in ones goggles making it hard to see or causing leaks. Many Pink Cappers sport fabulous body art – not water soluble – permanent ink. Thanks Greg and Clare for sharing yours.

Some days there is bling to be seen. You didn’t just think these were rocks and shells did you? Are you sure they aren’t diamonds and jewels? Even the rocks often appear pink in the shimmering sun

The atmosphere at PCD is reliably incredible but not every session is identical.  Sometimes they bring out the glitter ball

What are those bright blue flashes? The police? Nah no way. Our gatherings are both harmless and safe. This event is G rated because the kids are welcome ie its also a blue light disco. Not cops but Copepods – blue light flashes as explained by Penny at our October dinner – thanks Penny.

Drugs? That’s not our style – we are a healthy lot and our highs are natural. Well ok you are right, we do have Lucy, Sky and Diamonds

E’s you are asking ? Not Elizabeths, Errol, Ed and Elaine ? oh those other E’s……..yeah, we’ve got them aplenty…..endorphins. Yep they are part of our natural high and are always on display after the swim. Have you noticed that of a Saturday morning the tables at the various Manly cafes or benches are filled with subdued, sombre people. EXCEPT for our tables that is. We are the lot laughing uproariously and having a party over bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. Oh yeah, you are right – caffeine is a drug, ok I concede on that one. And yes there is grass but ours is playing limbo or grooving and bending to the beat at the Point

What gets us laughing you ask???? Don’t ask what, ask who. I have already explained the critical role played by endorphins but what is the catalyst that begins the laughter and happiness. Why it’s the Chuckle Meister of course. Our Quintessential B&Ber Andrew, widely known as Drinkie is our reliable and irreplacable Chuckle Meister. (seen here sporting his One Direction towel)

The intrepid 6.30 swimmers are lead in to the water by Drinkie and they swim FAST. That’s why they are called Drink’s Express. They are on their way back in before most of us get to the tables of a morning. These days by the time our resident DJ John K hits the volume and booms “7 oclock” there are well over 100 of us ready to move to the rhythm of the sea. As we make our last minute preparations, & undressings, Drinkies’ laughs start up. They are as reliable as the dawn chorus and the rising sun and a great catalyst to put us all in to a happy frame of mind. Thanks Drinkie! Here seen busting his best John Travolta moves – salon hair, dance moves to die for and hugs galore – what a guy!

He is also one of the ‘solid rocks’ of our crew. He has a great knowledge of the ocean, currents etc which he shares willingly. A lot of my fear and apprehension about the swim has disappeared based on tips and explanations he has helped me with and his biggest one about remaining calm, taking it slow if need be and breathing, breathing, breathing has been invaluable. Drinkie you really are not only a stalwart and an integral part of our days but under your fun happy, demeanor is a generous, kind and concerned bloke and many of us appreciate you hugely for it and all your are to the B&B.

Speaking of drinks…. Sure we have drinks at the Pink Caps Disco but none of the alcoholic ones for this healthy lot. Theres the Drinks Express – here busting some of their best disco moves at Shelly this morning

and there is plenty of water, hopefully fresh and not salt water whilst swimming !! and then there are all the coffees, teas etc Some people can drink coffee on an empty stomach before they swim – not me! But I guess that’s the B&B equivalent of ‘pre-s’ before the party. Others have pres at different locations eg on the beach doing yoga (Sharnie and Ian) or on their bikes (Dave).

Capless Dave is another one of our ‘under the sonar’ swimmers. He is also one of the stars in the first column of the Pacific Challenge having swum nearly 900km and currently at 39th. There is only one way you get in the first column – consistency and commitment, and both in spades. Caps off to you Dave! Today he cycled up from Clontarf but still had energy to display his best disco style.

Meet todays Bond girls – in their Bond girl wetsuits. With John Bonds thermom now reading 20 degrees we might not be able to present this section much longer. Todays Bond ladies are Michelle and Hope, they are Mums and bestie neighbours from Collaroy and boy can they burn up the disco dance floor.

There were 205 swimmers today and 13 newbies. Meet two of our newbies – Nick & Scott. Hmmm…shy retiring types by the look of it !!! they will no doubt fit right in.

Here a group of mainly teachers (Phil, Paul, Pete, Alison, Angela, Kaye, Brad and Karel… oh yeah and photobombed by Lips) many of whom travel long distances ( eg from Galston, Asquith, Roseville) show their best Stayin’ Alive style…. stayin’ alive, stayin alive, ah ah ah ah, stayin alive…

At the point so many little pink caps bob in the water like hundreds & thousands on a cake (here Ted in the foreground kindly waved hello to the blogger taking photos – thanks Ted)

-then, “Lets Go” booms out and the cake becomes a whirling maelstrom of thrashing arms, legs and fins.
Early arrivals at Shelley wait for the masses and then the masses wait for the stragglers. Its all good! The fun cohesive spirit of the Pink Caps on display.  One of the things I love about the B&B is the extended family. Here you can see other family members who watch their loved ones come in on the swim. In the foreground on the ramp is Martina who was a bit late so sprinted around to Shelley to catch the mob for the swim back.

Meet Kurt with youngsters Mac and Maddie – they are watching out for Mummy who is swimming today

Brad decided to have a leisurely walk around enjoying a coffee. Maybe that’s his secret to success because he won the A team sprint back today.

As the last of the mob descend on Shelley disco divas Lainey and Henrietta display their cool moves

Today is Sean’s birthday. Sean aka DWSS in his blog comments is another first column man. His nom de blog stands for Dolphin Whisperer Slow Sean. He used to be known just as Slow Sean because he does have a measured, steady swim style ie a confirmed member of the Team Omega zedders. Then on a number of Bolderdash swims when the crew had left him far behind he was joined by dolphins who swam and played with him. Sean prepared a few short words for a birthday speech but had to take paper to remind him what he wanted to say.

Is that photo at a strange angle or does Dreamboat now get a handicap head start in the A team stakes? I am sure the former. People might have been anxious for the Lets Go but as it was Sean’s to deliver they just had to hear him out as he espoused his views on swimmers tunnels (like guards of honour) which he says must be straight. He might have thought he would get one today, it being both his birthday and the day he will clock up 1000km swum and earn that incredibly prestigious badge. I think he deserves one! Less than 40 people of the ~8,200 who have swum with the Pink Caps have achieved that truly impressive milestone   People were rapt with Sean’s speech, especially the Bairdfather who helped him write it – all two minutes of it!

The dash back to Manly begins again and ends in the waves with bodysurfing and a sad goodbye to the last of our fishy friends for the morning.

Another thing I love about the B&B is that everyone is free to do their swim as they wish. As the safety tips at the bottom of the blog say – staying in your comfort zone and taking note of the conditions are paramount, not bravado that puts your safety at risk.  Today it was pretty calm so few took the half way option but quite a few walked to Shelly or back and thats good, its all good. Those who did noticed that some knuckleheads had vandalised the Bower cafe – a shame.

Between the rest at Shelly and the return much happens at the Pink Caps Disco. For instance there are amazing lighting effects which can thorougly transform our experience:

And sometimes they use the strobe as well as the glitter ball and you get that weird sensation where your actions seem disjointed and you see one arm out in front of you and then the other and then the first and so on in the rhythmic movement to the beat. What? thats not the lighting?

Often the PCD features glitter falling in waves like silver shiny snowflakes.

And if there is food there is probably going to be a feeding frenzy

Of course a key focus is the dancing.  Many of us bust our best disco moves as we first hit the waves

Some of those great disco and 80’s hits are always favourites. And just like the final of the Spring racing sometimes it all comes down to the Rocky Horror

First you swim to the left…..

And then you swim to the ri-iii-iiii-iii-ight……

Put your hands on your hips…..

….. etc to do the Time Warp, Nutbush City Limits, the Bus Stop or the Bump: go Anne and Maureen.

Theres always some gang who get gar gar and want to start a conga line. The Garfish often pull it off perfectly gliding past me in single file but wouldn’t cooperate for the camera unfortunately

And by the end of the party there might be some who end up writhing on the floor doing their best impressions of The Worm or The Dolphin to no avail (Storchy+, Zen Zedder, Ray and Mirek)

Invariably some find little nooks and crannies to ‘hide’ in. Has that got anything to do with nookie?

Then there are always lots of hugs to be had and sometimes even a kiss !

Apres swim its time to refresh with showers and by this stage there are always smiles all around. Andrew and Buck show us their best disco pose Movember style.

Mac, Maddie and Daddy have found Mum – Kitsy. Oooh look how happy the kids are to see Mum!

Then Kitsy and Martina celebrate their successful crossing of CTB disco style – go girls

We have got our next round of drinks and are enjoying the after party as the endorphins and caffeine flow.

Here anecdotes and adventures from that days discoing are shared and analysed.  This part often challenges the main event as the best thing about the Pink Caps Disco.

Every good dance party relies on a few exhibitionists having the courage to hit the dance floor first. Here some of our best blog tarters show their form and their disco groove:

Freddy joins Ted & the gang and Lainey appears to be about to hit C0rrine over the head with a rock!

Popette shows Buffman the luurrve – but he’s not so sure

Then she shares it with LSA who isn’t convinced at all

Even the cool gang get their disco groove on:

And Phil explains that he ‘just doesn’t do Disco’ and Ed is mourning the passing of those glory days when he grabbed the attention on the dance floor – though he was laying a few snappy dance moves at Sharnies party last week.

Thank goodness there is at least one table of grown ups at the benches today!

and cudos to all the Pink Cappers who do life saving duty, many of you have donned the yellow and red in recent weeks. Congratulations for your community spirit and contribution.

Speaking of grown ups…yes Declan we are a fun loving lot but we aren’t immature. Chocolate moussey /milkshakey looking mush just doesn’t cut it as a grown ups breakfast !

The final action of today was for our birthday boy Sean to blow out his candles. Here he is, the man who proves that slow and steady get you there, what an awesome inspiration for perseverence. Sean comes down most days and SLOWLY has a swim and in that way he has clocked up 1,000km. Inspirational. He is one of our savvy sea-salts who has amassed lots of knowledge about the ocean and generously shares it with newbies. If you are scared of sharks Sean has some rational ideas that will calm your fears. What is Dolphin Whisperer Slow Sean doing here? busting a disco move or reminding us about his ONE thousand kms? Richard isn’t sure either but it doesnt matter. Its all good!

So there you have it.  Another happy start to the day the Pink Cap way !!!

This morning was yet another fun outing to the Pink Caps disco. If you ever wanted proof that the B&B is a fun easy-going lot todays blog proves it. Where else could you accost people between 6.30 and 8.30 am and with no warning ask them to bust out their disco moves and have such a unanimous happy response.  One thing is for sure whenever I start the day with a B&B swim I feel SO alive. Someone else said it better than me (with acknowledgement to Barry Gibb and in my best falsetto):

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother,
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’,
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ ali-iii-iii-ive.

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY

signing off,  ZZZZab

 The Bottom of the blog: