Saturday 6 August 2016- SQUAD GOALS

Today was overcast with a bit of a drizzle and a bit of a swell too. But that did not stop the Bold and Beautiful Squad from descending upon their little corner of the globe.

6:40am

 

 

The term Squad GOALS is an inspirational term for what you would like your groups of friends to be or accomplish……..basically the Bold & Beautiful! You may have seen the hashtag used on social media quite a bit too #squadgoals

My first hand experiences with the Bold & Beautiful Squad are:

• they love life
• they Get Up, Get Dressed or Undressed and Show Up every single day of the year.
• they are welcoming
• they know how to have fun
• they look out for each other
• they love the ocean
• they love Manly
• they love each other
• they love being photographed

Benefits of living this way are:

• epic friendships are formed
• happiness
• they love life
• they are fit

=SQUAD GOALS

One of my favourite swimmers Danny in his orange wetsuit which I love with some of the Squad.

 

The beautiful Lisa with, Shaun, Dorset and some other Squad members

Squad is getting ready to get in the water…chatting, coffee drinking, undressing, pep talking etc etc

 

7am the Squad are making their way in

 

The Squad continuing their descent down the ramp

 

Ooh a bit chilly

 

They are in

Last of the 7am Squad making their way in at 7:00am

 

The Squad made it to Shelly Beach safe and sound in the 18.6 degrees water

The Squad made it back safely (pic cred goes to Lainey)

Like always I have asked some of the Squad members a couple of questions

1) Why did you start swimming with the Bold & Beautiful Squad?

2) How does swimming with the Bold & Beautiful Squad make you feel?

“I started swimming with my friend from Dee Why. At first I could only swim half way but now I enjoy swimming the whole distance. I live down South and it takes me an hour to drive here but it totally makes my weekend.”

Dorset: “There was just this lovely bunch of people down here with pink caps, all going in the water in the morning and it is something I like to do and I decided I wanted to join. I got my 1000 kilometers yesterday on my 66th birthday so that was my Route 66 moment in life. It makes me feel double the happiness to be with all my friends. My philosophy is health, happiness and harmony, that’s what I get here.”

Massive Congratulations Dorset, what a mammoth accomplishment. Your smile is absolute GOLD!

 

Angela: “I started swimming with the Bold and Beautiful because I live locally, I love the ocean and it makes me feel wonderful.”

I love your wetty Angela

Keith: “My mum got me into swimming with the Bold and Beautiful. But she told me the water would be a lot warmer. I started swimming this year. It makes me feel great.”

Robin: “I started swimming with the Bold and Beautiful because I love swimming and a very good friend of mine introduced me to it. Now I am addicted. I started swimming in March 2015.”

I hope that one day my sons can come swimming with me too.

Saf 13 years old (right): “I feel ready to start the day after I do the swim. I love it.”

Anna 13 years old (left): “I started swimming with my dad. My first swim was Australia Day. I feel like when I get up in the morning and go for a swim I am ready to start the day. I really love it (giggles).”

Jen’s 20th swim and it is her birthday (centre): “I started swimming because Lou made me do. But now we love it. When we started in January we said we would never do it on my birthday but maybe on Lou’s. But we are here and it is winter and we don’t have wetsuits.”

Lou (left): “Lainey made me swim. We never thought we would be swimming in the winter.”

Lainey (right)

Side note: Lainey you have encouraged a lot of people who I have interviewed over the months to participate in the swim and therefore a part of the Bold and Beautiful Squad. You are such a champion. I love your energy and enthusiasm for life and the ocean.

Jen on her 20th winter swim on her birthday (thanks for the pic Lainey)

 

Rusty’s 2000 kilometer swim today!!!! Massive Congratulations mate!

“I started swimming with the Bold and Beautiful because I  love swimming and I love the people. It makes me feel brilliant every single day.”

Rusty going through the arch celebrating his 2000 kms with the Squad (pic cred goes to Lainey)

 

 

Newbie Madeline from the UK pictured with her dad Phil: This is my first swim. I wanted to come down and give it a go because dad lives here and he does it so I thought whilst I am here I should give it a go.”

It has been 11 months since I started swimming with the Bold & Beautiful Squad and I have to say being a part of this squad and everything that comes with it has enriched my life. Thanks for all your support. I love chatting with you all on my blog days and sharing this beautiful part of the world with you all.

Happy Saturday Legends,

Nat (dry blog today, pic of me rushing off to breakfast)

 

Bottom of the Blog:

Stats

Swimmers: 210

Newbies: 1

Water Temp: 18.6 degrees

 

House Keeping

Walk for Pancreatic Cancer – Sydney 2016

Our own Caroline Kelly is excited to announce the 8th annual Sydney walk on Sunday 7th August which saw a large contingent of the Bold & Beautiful take part. Due to recent storm damage to the pathway between Shelly Beach and Manly, the start/end point has been changed this year. It will now commence about 200 metres north of the North Steyne SLSC.  Come out and support this very good cause by registering and walking or doing some extra fundraising. To register Click here. Or you can Continue Reading more.

Special Event – Guest Speaker!

The next B&B monthly dinner will be on Tuesday 9^th August at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. The guest speaker for the night will be John Sear, a keen local SCUBA diver who has been diving at Shelly Beach for over 25 years and made over a thousand dives there. In recent years his interest as an amateur photographer has driven him to start recording the fish species that can be found in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. He shares his passion through his website www.ctbar.wordpress.com which aims to help educate divers, snorkelers and swimmers as they explore our local biodiversity hotspot. His talk is titled “What Lies Beneath”.

The cost of the dinner is only $25 a head and includes shared entrees, a selection of mains to choose (incl a vegetarian option), corkage (for byo wine only) and a little thank you for the staff. Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each. Numbers are limited, so bookings are essential:  To avoid disappointment and secure your spot please BOOK HERE NOW, 

Manly Surf Club Season Opening Party

A season Opening Party for the Manly Surf Club will be held upstairs at the Steyne Hotel on Saturday 6th August. The event will feature the band Triple Shot, with a live auction also lined up! Tickets are $50 or 2 for $80, includes food and 3 free drinks. Follow the link to purchase tickets: http://manly-lsc.myshopify.com/products/tickets-mlsc-season-opener

Streetwork are trying to raise money (and awareness) of StreetWork Manly and to do thisJim Stackpool is helping organise a gig at North Manly Bowlo Saturday night 13th August. They’re charging $35/head (best beforehand using the trybooking site –https://www.trybooking.com/206959) or will also take money at the door – the fees includes food, not drinks and music from the 2WS playlist – i.e. three chord songs – we don’t know any others!
Come prepared to dance.

Fundamentally StreetWork work with kids in Manly ‘under pressure’ or on the street. They mentor kids one-on-one until they are ‘out of danger’ of self-harm, crime, drugs, or worst of all suicide. These kids are ‘usually’ living at home, but not in safe environments. They struggle for funds and like most charities are held together but a dedicated few doing a lot in their spare time. We’ll have one of the guys from StreetWork (they have two counsellors now and trying to get another – they can’t meet demand) at the gig giving a really quick story about what they do. As many B&B’s that want a night out dancing to us playing 1970’s, 1980’s rock’n’roll (three chords only) with drinks at pub prices.

 

Happy Saturday Legends!

Nat