09/01/2016 – Spectacular Saturday Debuts!

On a welcome dry and bright Saturday morning with a balmy water temp of 21.5c (thank you, Master-Temperature-Tester John), this morning saw the debut of Smiley Mary (long-time-swimmer / first-time-blogger), newbie Danny (long-time-surfer / first-time-swimmer)….and some fabulous new swimwear c/o the A-Team. And after this week’s ‘interesting’ weather, conditions couldn’t have been better.

Drinks, Bones, Dawson, Sarah & the 6.30am team were on sparkling form, raring to go:

Meanwhile back at the tree, surfer Danny & fellow newbie Anthony got signed up and pinked up:

 

 

Fortunately, JP & Sterling were on hand to give the newbies their A-Team pearls of wisdom…..along with a sneak peek of their new Speed Slacks (TM & patent-pending):

 

Jenny, Richard & Henrietta brought some much-needed maturity – and gorgeous bright togs & broad smiles:

 

Ted & Blog Queen Lainey brought their support team member Fluffy Freddy:

 

7am, and in we all went…:

 

 

Waiting at the Point for the ‘Let’s Go’:

 

After the ‘Let’s Go’, newbie Danny – clearly auditioning for the A-Team – smashed it to Shelly, leaving Smiley Mary trailing in his wake. He won’t be laughing next time when I confiscate his flippers:

 

Newbie Anthony made it to Shelly with smile intact:

 

Lovely (camera-shy) Sharne waiting at Shelly:

 

Kathy and 2015 Calendar Star Alan :

 

Limbering up for the return:

 

Let’s go!:

 

And after a nice easy swim back, the regulars and the newbies – led of course by the A-Team – returned back up the ramp:

 

Apologies for no underwater shots, but a highly technical glitch (i.e. dead camera battery) plus cloudy underwater visibility stitched me up. Huge thanks to my trusty Blog Assistant James for coming to the rescue with his superb iPhone work.

Bottom of Blog

Parking

B&B members do not have permission to park in any car spot or bay that belongs to the surf club. Please adhere to this rule. There is plenty of parking in the Council car park at no charge to you.

Summer Badges

There are now three badges available for those swimming in summer:

# 1: Saturday 5 December kicked off the 6 km summer badge swims. These are on every Saturday during summer.

# 2: There is one 10 km swim in December, February and March 2015/16. The first 10 km swim was on Saturday 12 December. Watch the blog for details of the second 10 km swim, to be held in February.

# 3: Our new badge, the Shelly Triple, involves a triple lap of Cabbage Tree Bay (i.e. swim to Shelly Beach and back to The Point three times – total 3.5 km). This swim can be completed any day and should be logged on the i-log system. Since this is designed for those who are unable (or unwilling) to do the longer swims, this badge is only available to those who haven’t completed a 6 km or 10 km swim during the season.

Really important with the big waves we’ve had recently! 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. Also, if you have a bit more experience, keep an eye out for new swimmers who might need company. Do read these excellent tips on staying safe in the surf. To read, or even download, click here.

The Stats

Regulars:    149

Newbies:     Quite a few

Temp:     21.5

Sunrise:   5.53am

Sunset:    8.10pm

 

Happy weekend, everyone!

Smiley Mary x

….learning the art of blogging from the Blog Queen Lainey herself: