24/12/2013 – A record breaking day

You may hear about all sorts of records being broken today.  Silly things like the number of prawns sold, how much Australians will spend on food this month, the number of Chrissy presents appearing on eBay tomorrow morning.

Today we set two of our own.  With 268 swimmers, today was the largest Christmas Eve swim for the B&B, PLUS, we hit 6000 with Joop and his son signing up to the pink cap wearing crowd.

A lovely calm morning in Manly as it appears most of the locals had already headed for the carparks of shopping centres across the Peninsula.

Lucky for us, the surf was calmer.  This brought a smile to the faces of the early lappers of the Dinks Express.

Truly a huge morning and nothing to be ho hum about.

But dear swimmers please spare a thought for those attempting to make their way to work and TRY to keep a pathway clear.  We would hate to be the reason for someone to have a nasty start to their day by missing their ferry!

There was such a buzz with 19 new people signing up.

Some are here for holidays like this lovely swimmer from the US who even managed to coordinate her cossie!!  She had her first swim yesterday so was relieved to see the changed conditions today.

We totally covered the point, although Brad felt that someone was missing.

Shelly is always so much fun where small groups gather to chat, celebrate birthdays, celebrate being alive and generally tart around.

A notably sighting today was Shaun!  Such a privilege as this is a very rare sight indeed.

The calmer conditions provided incentive to at least attempt some marine creature hunting – of the photographic kind of course.

Have a massively joyful and peaceful Christmas.  Remember to breath deeply and give many long, warm hugs.

Mary

Chrissy Breakfast

This has moved from Shelly to the benches on the beachfront just opposite Manly Wine!  Meet there after the swim for a bit of wholesome Chrissy cheer to kick start the day.

Lost and found

Did you lose this towel yesterday at Half-way?  John picked it up by mistake if you did.  Also today, did you leave a wetsuit or a swimming costume in the ladies change room?  Contact Ian to reclaim any of these items/

B&B Attendance Login App

Come on folks – there are so many good reasons to use the B&B Login App.  No queues, no need for glasses so you can find your name, and it is eco friendly. With the aim of becoming carbon neutral the B&B Login App reduces our paper consumption.  Log your swim between 5am and 9am for the easy way to ensure your swim is recorded in the daily attendance and on the Pacific Challenge.

To get started, send an email to Ian Forster (ugoboyo@gmail.com).  He will check that your email address is activated on the attendance register then send you info on how to get started.  Happy clicking.

Summer badge swims

Every Saturday during summer there will be a 6km swim – usual route is to Freshwater and back; then once a month there is a 10km swim – this is to South Curl Curl and back.  However, the final route depends on conditions that day so it is a good idea to arrive a little early to have a briefing from the designated swim leader.  Both swims kick off at 7am.

The next 10km swim is scheduled for 11 January depending on conditions.

2014 B&B Calendar ON SALE NOW!!

Get one for yourself or pin it up at work. Give one to friends or send them overseas to the family back home. Only $15!  BUY YOURS HERE NOW

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:  267

Newbie:  19

Temp:   20.8 degrees

Sunrise: 5.42am

Sunset: 8.06pm