100 Bold and Beautiful swimmers swam this morning and were greeted by the most magnificent sunrise just at The Point . Sunrise was at 7.04am today on this warm, stunning THURSDAY! The night was muggy, the swim was refreshing… with waves!
First light over Cabbage Tree Bay looked like this.
Swimmers arrive and the boy in blue is back!Izzy is saying, ‘Wow Greg has got really big ones!’ Leswee is trying to sneak past to get a good look. (I need those fins on blogging days.)
There have been rumours that Julia G and T. Abs have been sneaking in swims with us lately. Bruce and Lucy are on the look out.
We are told no blue bottles by the early swimmers, Toohey’s owner Todd, and Miles.(Well done on your swim for autism at the weekend M.) Most of us venture out through the surf.
Sparkles, Retha, Tania and Ros love a few waves to wake them up…
Here’s the proof Attracta did swim, so no illegal ticking today 😉
James Goins had a great early lap, (6.30am) this morning. He’s off to drive the ferry!
As we swim to Shelly today the sun appears like a gigantic, glowing pink cap over the ocean. No-one minds that visibility is poor below the water, because above it is so stunning!
Now one of our most dedicated swimmers John 007 Bond got a special badge on Sunday. A badge for swimming 1000 kms on The Pacific Challenge. Only Michael Christie is ahead of him. He has had a poorly finger so has had to miss out on a few swims but today he is back to do the final 500 metres of that 1000 kms! A big ‘Let’s Go’ from 007!
John Kelly is back swimming after 6 parties and 60 hours of birthday shennanigans. Here he is at Shelly with Leswee. ‘Wot ‘av we eyu?’ he asks her. ‘Aww fur a minit I fort it wus a giant bluebottle bahaha!’ (Sorry JK we love your Lancashire accent!)
The waves were huge getting in but if you took Craig and MC’s surf tit advice you would wait until the big sets died down, relax, dive under if you need to and get in safely.
Look how beautiful and benign it looks here.
Back at the Surf Club there was concern for Izzy and Bella but they were found! Bella looks traumatised. Was it the surf itself or the fear of losing that incy wincy bikini and emerging naked!
Here they are with their rescuers. They were freaked out by the waves so swam back to Halfway and were helped in by Jenny M and Brenton. It’s great to have the Halfway option. Thanks for stepping up Brenton, always there to save a bikini!
The waves were huge said Izzy, as high as the Surf Club!
Only 2 reports of a rogue bluebottle getting swimmers. Brian copped a bad one. Here is Leswee giving him sympathy…NOT!!!
The water was all chopped up and murky today due to the chop so the only creature I got a shot off today was this…L said it was a possum, I said it was a rat…
But every swim is different. Today was amazing with the moon and sun reflecting all those glows on the ocean but we couldn’t see the marine life. Tuesday was different however. This eagle ray that Lesley and I came across between Halfway and The Point on Tuesday was huge, probably about 1.7 metres. And I took the photos! (The best ones of my career 😉 It’s so exciting going for a swim and not knowing what amazing sea creature you might see 🙂
And I just love this one of the eagle ray SMILING!!
Then as I came past The Point, (looking for the cuttlefish Brenton and I had seen earlier) I saw a moray eel being chased by a crimson banded wrasse!
Hope you like my gossip from the fish below!
Sorry for the long blog but I really want you to know about Ray (read below)
We meet some amazing and inspiring people at our swims. Apart from the swim, scenery and marine life, the camaraderie is what makes so many of us keep coming back. We often hear stories at breakfast that are incredible.
Recently I was lucky enough to sit next to Ray Hodgson who is based at Port Macquarie but is doing a course in Sydney and often swims with us. He’ s a Doctor/Gynaecologist and has set up a charity to help women in Nepal. Many women suffer prolapse after giving birth and they suffer loss of dignity, income and worth due to this. Dr Ray and his team go to Nepal and perform operations which stitch up womens bits and give them back their dignity, capacity to work. In other words save their lives which ultimately benefits the whole community.
They are in urgent need of voluteers to go to Nepal and help these people. There are so many ways you can help without being a Doctor. I can really see a lot of our kind, caring, adventurous B&Bers being interested in being a part of this. It could be something to tick off on our Bucket List or 100 Things…Please talk to me if interested or email Ray. He will come and do a presentation for us soon. Click on link to find out more!
http://www.a4wh.org/
Stats
100 swimmer. 1 newbie. Quite a few early lappers and a few did a double.
High tide 5.59am Low tide 11.23pm
Sunrise 7.04am Sunset 6.55pm
For the diary . . .
Next Tuesday, 2nd April is the Bluewater dinner. Great value at just $20 for two courses with $5 drinks. To register your attendance follow the link Bluewater Monthly Dinner
Arrangements for Bluewater breakfast over the Easter weekend. B&B swimmers must sit in the back part of the restaurant. If this is full you will be able to get a takeaway, or pay full price at the front of the restaurant- so be early. Also there will be a 10% surcharge over the weekend as the computers are programmed to charge this. $10 brekkie will be $11 so have change ready.
Relay For Life
If you want to attend the Thank You bash on SUNDAY APRIL 7th, 2pm – 4pmfor the Relay For Life, please RSVP by Wednesday 27th March, 2013 by calling 9334 1600 or email northernsydneyevent@nswcc.org.au
And because it was so much fun last year, there is an exclusive Early Bird Special for the B&B of only $10pp to register for the 2013 Manly Relay For Life. Jules Mackin is the team captain and chief organiser. Give her a call on 0430 156 170 if you want to join the team.
Badges. Please see Lesley to buy your 6km or 10km swim badge $10.
Staying safe
NEW water safety tips courtesy of champion Ironman Craig ‘Riddo’ Riddington. It’s a great read and can help keep you safe in the surf. To read and even download click here.
HAPPY EASTER everyone! See you tomorrow!HAPPy BIRTHDAY hubby Ted!!!
Signing off
E-laine aka Lainey-Loo aka Fish Twitcher
34 comments
DWSS
28/03/2013 at 12:17 pm
Great Blog Lainey. Those sea life creatures are on to it!!!! haha
Lainey, great to see your a deputy of integrity. Keep the good work up.
Brenton – your on to it!!!! Great work.
PS – I thought I saw Julia down there yesterday swimming next to Alison’s baby.
T-Abs
28/03/2013 at 12:32 pm
Good onya Brenton!
Who would have thought you’d be the first on the scene to help a female with a potential lost bikini?
Bring a board tomorrow and we may have a quick wave together and I’ll tell you about the time my good friends Fifi and Attracta and I ticked and then ran round the point laughing rather than swimming.
It was a HOOT hiding behind wave rock together and both Fifi and Attracta are a great sounding boards for my policies on women’s rights (haha)!
Integrity Police on the beat.
28/03/2013 at 12:55 pm
Ohhh T Abs
I didn’t know Fi was a good friend of yours!!!
Small World!!!!!
Fi – Im handing out some brochures at the next election if you would want to join me??
Lets call it community service!!
Slow Lips formerly known as Lips
28/03/2013 at 12:59 pm
Please see Lesley to buy your 6km or 10km swim badge $10???
Elaine, you can’t ‘buy’ 6k / 10k badges. You have to earn them. Except for the fake ones sold by HKTQ Little Sarah. But they are more than $10. Ask LSA directly to esquire about pricing and payment options..
John
28/03/2013 at 1:07 pm
Great shots of the Eagle ray Elaine. You were unlucky Brian, hope you are OK. It’s good to know we have people always willing to help ladies in distress.
A bumpy swim for the double,but the water was warm with a clear,sunny sky. Thanks for the company,Michelle and Bruce.
Happy Birthday Ted.
Jane
28/03/2013 at 1:12 pm
Mark at the OzMus loves your Eagle Ray pics E-Lane. Did you notice that it has a Slender Sucker Fish (Echeneis naucrates) on its back? Mark did!
leswee
28/03/2013 at 1:13 pm
It’s NOT badges it’s BADGERS.. All Badgers who swam the 6 and 10 km’s please see me to get your badges! 😀
It’s a possum Elaine!!
Well done Elaine AND posted 11.33am from home eh!?!? I bet quicker in quiet of your own place??
Also re: the Eagle Ray – he was big too! Elaine’s photos are great and clear but he doesn’t show up how big he was – I should have photo bombed to show perspective! 🙂
leswee
28/03/2013 at 1:15 pm
Jane – he looks pretty worse for wear yeah? Or is he just old?
Jane
28/03/2013 at 1:19 pm
And Mark agrees that the green fish in the 3rd. pic looks like a Moray Eel (When the eel that you feel takes a bite of your heel, That’s amore).
leswee
28/03/2013 at 1:19 pm
Brian definitely ok – he had a line of people (Mostly women) waiting to rub cream into him – every time I looked around there was yet ANOTHER female rubbing him …at one point Iain Liddel was lining up too! hahahahaha
"Snorkles"
28/03/2013 at 1:52 pm
Great Blog Lainey-Loo ..I love the smiales that Eagle Rays have. Great pics of them!
Does anyone have a camera I can borrow for Sunday’s blog ??
"Snorkles"
28/03/2013 at 1:52 pm
Oh dear! I mean ‘smiles’ above!! Should put more water with it!
Jane
28/03/2013 at 2:00 pm
Sharks and rays have a very violent love life (as we saw with the mating PJs last winter!) so it might be that. But to grow so large he’d have to be pretty old, so I guess he has knocked around a bit.
Jane
28/03/2013 at 2:03 pm
Someone else here has expressed doubt that it’s an Eagle Ray – its tail is much too short. It might be a tropical species – I’ll keep you posted.
leswee
28/03/2013 at 2:13 pm
ooh i did wonder!? coz the ones on the web look different! (ps. it was me who told Elaine it was an eagle ray so i take the blame if wrong…)
The real Julia Guillard
28/03/2013 at 2:17 pm
Doesn’t Mark from Ozmus want my interesting species photos for the museum Jane? I would be so chuffed if he did! I even caught the ray smiling! Yes I did notice that fish on to of him but not in my photos!
Little Sarah Abbott aka Hong Kong Triad Queen
28/03/2013 at 2:53 pm
Amazing blog, Fish Twitcher! I can’t believe the size of the Eagle Ray – incredible!
Happy Birthday Ted and congratulations 007!
Lips, don’t forget to collect the tick fees whichT-Abs and the “Integrity Police!!” are kindly keeping tabs on for us:-)
Slow Lips formerly known as Lips
28/03/2013 at 4:27 pm
Mullet, definitely a mullet..
Elaine de Jager
28/03/2013 at 4:34 pm
Yes I notice how they don’t use any inverted commas around Integrity Police now. More respect!
Slow Lips formerly known as Lips
28/03/2013 at 4:35 pm
No worries Triad Queen. Good to know you’re keeping a watchful eye on operations down here whilst overseas..
Elaine de Jager
28/03/2013 at 4:37 pm
Or if it’s a she, she has been ‘knocked up’ a bit!
T-Abs
28/03/2013 at 4:38 pm
Yes Fifi and I go way way back.
At Uni both of us were in the SLP, passionate campaigners for the cause.
I remember attending a lecture by Mr R Menzies (God, Fi and I used to jokingly call him). We’d had a few West Coast Breezers out the back and a few Ciggys (we never inhaled is my recollection), must have been early 70’s if a day.
Well God was getting on a bit in years and tripped as he left the lectern, you should have seen Fi run! Was a race between her and Little Johnny (as we jokingly called my personal mentor) to see who could save God the embarrassment of a fall!
I’ve got to give it to Fifi, got there first, saved the day!
Tell you what, of all the women I’ve known (and they fall over me as you know) Fifi is the closest we’ve ever come to a female Prime Minister that I could respect!
Great blog E-laine, great blog!!
A hoot!
Elaine de Jager
28/03/2013 at 4:39 pm
Oh dear! Forgot i was still signed in as the above!
John S
28/03/2013 at 4:43 pm
Oh Jane
Thats lovely!
Happy Birthday Ted!
DWSS
28/03/2013 at 4:49 pm
Will the real Julia Guillard please stand up!
Julia I hope you’re taking Ted somewhere really nice tonight for dinner (not the Kombi).
Jane
28/03/2013 at 6:09 pm
But Mark still thinks it’s an Eagle Ray with its tail bitten off. The plot thickens………….
Jane
28/03/2013 at 6:11 pm
Well, Ms Gillard, let’s have a luke (as John Kelly would say) at them and we’ll have a think.
Jane
28/03/2013 at 6:13 pm
Are you talking fish or John Kelly’s hairstyle?
DWSS
28/03/2013 at 6:24 pm
Lainy Lainy Lainy – I can see you have not changed your email.
NOW we know who puts on all the alias’s.
So –
Lainy = T Abbs
Lainy = Julia
Lainy = Little Johny
Lainy = Integrity Police
Lainy = M Thatcher
tsk tsk
DWSS
28/03/2013 at 6:26 pm
Lainy – we can see your the same person with the same coloured box’s next to your Alias name!!!
Tsk Tsk
I bet the marine creatures will be talking about YOU next week. haha
Brenton
28/03/2013 at 7:32 pm
A pink cap, a large multicoloured mens board shorts and Nike goggles were lying on the ground in front of the bench this arvo. They were still there after my swim so I’ve taken the goggles and will bring it to the swim in the morning to be handed into lost property.
Elaine de Jager
28/03/2013 at 8:25 pm
You can be the Lost Property person if you want Brenton, especially in charge of lost bikinis!
fifi
28/03/2013 at 8:28 pm
with all due disrespect,
I think someone has their Fifis mixed up!
Either that or i am going to be handing out smacks on friday morning, you are naughty for telling such dreadful fibs!!
Elaine de Jager
28/03/2013 at 8:28 pm
Shady Shauny, being a Blogster your email address comes up with all the comments on my email and I can see you, shaunthebuilder.com are usually all the alias’s above! Anyway most of the comments are far too witty and intelligent to come from me!