19/11/2013 – An unexpected delight

In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a bit of rain about.  This may have been the reason there were a total of just 65 B&B swimmers from all of today’s swims between 6am and 7am.  This did make the 7am an intimate affair!

While some were hanging around ticking the attendance sheet, chatting, or just taking it at a leisurely pace, others were hitting the water eager to get to going.

Cloudy conditions could not spoil the delight of being in the water today.

And what a joy it was to be out there when smiley happy swimmers like Ted appear between the waves.

Something that many swimmers commented on today was how great it is to swim the bay with a buddy. For them this takes the camaraderie of the squad to another level.

Here are a couple of handsome in-laws enjoying a little family bonding.

While visibility is still low, it is possible to find some the regular inhabitants hanging around the rocks.

This groper was particularly keen to be on the blog as it kept swimming past me.  Maybe it has been taking lessons from some of our own blog tarts!

While the sun did try and break through the clouds by the time we returned to Manly, it looks like it will be another grey day.

Thank goodness for the warm amity of our swim buddies.

And you never know where they will turn up!  Here are a few familiar swimmers hanging out in Hong Kong.

Have a great day.

Mary

B&B “Mad Hatters” Christmas Party

The B & B “Mad Hatters” Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday 3rd December at 6.30 pm in the Moonshine Bar (2nd Floor) at the Steyne Hotel. All swimmers and partners/friends are welcome (no under 18s unfortunately). Wear your craziest hat or other headwear. No need to be shy as we will have the whole bar to ourselves. Finger food will be provided and drinks will be at bar prices. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with a band featuring one of our very own swimmers. Come along to find out who it is. The cost is $10 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Don’t miss out. Bookings are essential. Book HERE now so you don’t miss out!

B&B Attendance Login App

The B&B Attendance Login App is the perfect way to avoid queues!! Log your swim (only if you did 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, please send an email to Ian Forster (ugoboyo@gmail.com) requesting to have your account activated. Ian will then send you info on how to get started.  No badge, but bragging rights for being an early adopter.  Happy ticking.

Badges, badges and more badges!!

Summer Badge season is just a couple of weeks away!! The sign of a committed ocean swimmer is a B&B 6km or 10km Summer Badge.  The 6km swims take place every Saturday in summer.  The first 10km swim is proposed to be held on 14 December.

Have Fun more with the Pacific Challenge

Our website guru, Magnus Butlin has developed a fun new page which shows a different take on the Pacific Challenge. The new page shows each swimmer’s progress over the last week (or fortnight/month/two months) in terms of their position on the leader board.

The bumps chart can be accessed from the Pacific Challenge page via a button in the top right hand corner. Take a look and see how many people you have passed in the Pacific Challenge in the last few weeks:

http://www.faulconbridgesoftware.com/bb/pub/bumps.htm

The ‘divisions’ listed are the columns currently shown on the Pacific Challenge page. At this stage, only the first five columns (300 swimmers) are shown.

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:  65

Newbie:  0

Temp:   20 degrees

Sunrise: 5.42am

Sunset: 7.39pm