What a difference a day makes.
The end of daylight saving.
After an extra hour of sleep, everyone arrived wired and eager to hit the water.
Their bodyclock yet to adjust to the time difference.
Ian arrived on his bike
Lainey fitted in a 10k run prior to the swim
No matter how they got there, they were just happy to be back and ready for their beloved B&B swim.
A relative newbie, Bin.
Jamie & Yen
Father and daughter, Adrian & Sasha
Ray & Eleanor
Janet, Debbie & Mollie
Laura, Jeremy & Aran. Their first swim since returning from the USA.
Prue, Hilary & Louise
Baby bumps.
Some started at halfway
But the real excitement of the day was the upcoming badge ceremony at RFW.
This blog is a little late today. It was of utmost importance to cover the gala event of the year, the badge ceremony.
Not really a red carpet event, more like a red sauce occasion as it oozed from the sausage sangers.
Mmmmm!!! Maybe just one more sanger.
The badge virgin with the badge whore.
The excitement was building.
Nick rehearsing his acceptance speech for his 10k badge.
And then it was time.
Never a more deserving group of supreme athletes seen, outside the Olympics.
Stories of jellyfish and bluebottle attacks during 6 & 10k swims retold to awestruck audiences.
Well done everyone, but the true heroes are those that conquer their fears and complete that first return to Shelly.
There was still one more eagerly awaited award for the year.
Photobomber of the year.
As usual, Rainer went into competition this year as the firm favourite. However, there was a late contender that may have caused an upset.
Coming around the final turn and into the home straight, Shelley made a bolt to the finish line.
It came as somewhat of a surprise to Rainer but Shelley had winning in her sights and went for it.
At the time of going to press, officials were still poring over the photo finish, more news as it comes to hand.
Stats
372 swimmers
13 newbies
22.2 degrees
B & B Monthly Dinner– Are you swimming with Elasmobranchs?
The next B&B monthly dinner will be on Tuesday 11th April at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be Sian Liddy, a Marine Science student at the University of New South Wales, who will pose the question: are you swimming with Elasmobranchs?
Sian is looking for citizen scientists to engage with a research program she is running as part of an Internship with the Manly Environment Centre. The research aims to use non-invasive methods to assess elasmobranch biodiversity in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. So come along to find out how you can be a part of this exciting new project.
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). 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.
Thunderbird
20 comments
Jenny ((:
02/04/2017 at 3:29 pm
Super blog 👍
LSA aka HKTQ
02/04/2017 at 3:35 pm
Great occasion (BIG thanks to all the organisers and helpers) and Great Blog!
Completely agree: the biggest challenge is to put on a cap and make that first Shelly return….
Keep blogging!
Lisa B
02/04/2017 at 3:51 pm
Thunderbird you have created a masterpiece of a blog. You captured the fun and craziness of the badge ceremony perfectly. All hail to our new blog tart Shelley. What a tremendous effort she has put in. Thanks to all management for putting together another fab badge day
JeffwithaJ
02/04/2017 at 4:22 pm
Wow, what a great blog!
Mary
02/04/2017 at 4:36 pm
Fantastic blog!! You deserve a special Blog Badge for your spectacular efforts. Love the mash up photos.
And the sad irony; Rainer to those photos of Shelley which,sadly, lost him his crown. Here’s to next year.
Congrats to all involved in the organisation of today’s ceremony. Best ever and I didn’t even overstay the carpark 🙂
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Jenny
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 6:01 pm
Thank you. It is so great to see that look of achievement after someone’s first round trip.
Edwina
02/04/2017 at 6:01 pm
Wow! Badge day looked great 👍 , does shelley get a badge for all those poses? 😜
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 6:01 pm
Thanks Lisa. Looking forward to getting back in the water on Wednesday.
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 6:02 pm
Thanks Jeff. Hope you are having a wonderful time on your Galapagos adventure.
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 6:03 pm
Thanks Mary. Queen Shelley, long may she reign.
Lainey Loo
02/04/2017 at 6:04 pm
Great inclusive blog and love your photo collages. (Didn’t they take forever or is there an app for it??) Love the Shelley montage! Well done everyone on all your badges.
Michael S
02/04/2017 at 6:08 pm
Thanks Lainey. They did take ages.
Shelley K
02/04/2017 at 6:19 pm
Fabulous blog Thunderbird, even if I do feel a tad overexposed…
Suzie P
02/04/2017 at 7:56 pm
Awesome blog!! Poor Rainer, beaten at the posts..
Julie
02/04/2017 at 8:30 pm
Fantastic blog! Loved the photos and the mash up. Captured a great morning!
Lips
02/04/2017 at 10:44 pm
Nice one Thunderbird. Great photos. I particularly like your work on swimmers eating sausages.
As for photobomber of the year.. what can I say. Congrats Shelley. Finally some serious competition in the bay. It’s been too easy those last few years.
Michele Franks
03/04/2017 at 5:08 am
Great blog Michael you really captured the day. Agree Shelley has taken the Mantle from Rainer.
Gemma
03/04/2017 at 8:53 am
Superb blog, Michael, and some very clever photo montages!
Shelly
03/04/2017 at 2:07 pm
Great Blog T-Bird !
Love you all
Shelly
xoxoxo