Pacific Jules

20/06/2018 - Dolphins!

  

A few lucky swimmers got to swim with dolphins this morning. Richard Agius reported one swimming beneath him and there were a few elated early swimmers who had dolphins swimming alongside them! The 7amers watched from the shore. A few like Rozzy jumped in but got dumped by waves and missed out! This took me back to January 2014 when Silky the lone dolphin visited us and swam with so many of us 2 days in a row! It was an awesome experience and another that made me not want to miss a swim and always have my camera on the ready!

 The light made her look pink too! I was a bit late for the swim that day and was walking to Shelly. I saw her in amongst all the swimmers and immediately jumped in and luckily found her at the point off Manly beach cavorting around happily with swimmers!

She seemed to love being close to humans and we'd heard reports about her playing with surfers and people at different places on the Northern Beaches. Fortunately for us she was still in the bay the following day and many people got to see her and swim with her.

Although it's not a good idea to swim close to a large creature like a dolphin, Silky seemed to want to get up close! She almost surfaced between my legs at one point!Here she is close to lovely Heather who is almost veering away from her!

I googled Silky and found out that she had grown used to humans after being trapped in an inlet down on the South Coast. As this was thought to be bad for her she was tranquillised and taken by boat to Sydney Harbour and released with a pod of dolphins. However, after playing with the pod for a while, Silky then left them and went off seeking humans again!

Silky visited Manly again in August 2015 ands June 2016 but we're not totally sure if she has returned to our bay. There has been a dolphin with similar scratches and nips so she may well still be alive! The photo above I took in August 2015 of Michael Stacey and others with Silky at the point. 

Another highlight was watching our free diver Mauricio interacting with Silky who loved him!

Anyway back to today's swim...

The water temp had gone back up to 18.7 and it felt much warmer than the last 2 days. Here is Inge at the point.

It really is so gorgeous being out there as the sun rises over the ocean. Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year and then sun will rise earlier. Remember the nude solstice swim on Saturday at 6.15am folks, for those who dare! We don't walk in and out naked but disrobe at the point. Everyone welcome and there will be a badge!

Swimmers at Shelly.

That's it for today guys. I was hoping Bernard was going to blog but no luck so I stepped in at the last minute. If anyone else can blog Wednesdays even just once a month it would be appreciated.

Just a quick plug for a friend who is setting up a new business called Airdesko. If you would like an affordable and convenient place to work in someone else's home for a few hours in Manly/Fairlight call Joanna on 0478166210. It's only $25 a day on a 'pay as you go' basis. She's also looking for people willing to offer a table or space for locals who need it.

Enjoy Dark Mofo in Hobart those swimmers venturing there for the weekend. They are skinny dipping too!

Remember Merrille's daughter Paige's free yoga class at Power Living this Saturday and the following. Please call her on 0448224233 if you can make it.

 

 

Monthly Dinner – 10^th July 2018 – Guest Speaker

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 10th July at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be sailor and B&B swimmer, Matt Hayes, who represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Matt and his crew of Rob Iles, Syd Seymour and Nicky Kukulka will talk about their upcoming two-year world circumnavigation aboard a Dufour class 56 feet yacht. Hear about the route they will sail, the pitfalls, dangers, highlights, yacht and personal preparations, oceans they will cross and the countries they will visit.

The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). 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.

B&B SWIMMING MERCHANDISE UPDATE:

NEW TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED & COSSIES BACK IN STOCK 😀

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock 😛

- Men’s should be back in stock next week 👍

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

 

Have a great day!

Lainey

 

 

 

This is why we love winter swimming

 It was a little cool this morning but when this greets you........

My car temperature gauge told me 10 degrees - kinda brisk. By comparison the water temps were positively tepid

That may have been so but it varies considerably through the Bay.

Other stats:

Number of swimmers - coupla hunnert

Newbies - idk 

There were many favourable comments about the quality artwork that consistently appears on the board, and today's was no exception. Our compliments to the artist.

The ocean was pondlike today, enhanced by the cloudless sunrise - just gorgeous!

Coming up to 7am, most were getting ready to swim, and others were exiting the water

 

Synchronised swimming?

Edwina says thanks to everyone for their wonderful generosity. Funds will go to the ICU at the Children's Hospital.

Thank you Edwina for your efforts

WOWS getting ready

Ian Nicol, the world's oldest Nipper


As 7 o'clock drew closer, the inevitable removal of warm clothing and the frenzied sprint to the water

Not sure if the flash was kind to Michael but when possessed of such classic good looks how can you go wrong?

Consensus was that water temps at Shelley had dipped to below zero but we are a hardy bunch and will not be denied our fun

Thoughts of a double dissolved with the sighting of one of our resident extraterrestrials

Not too distracted by the paparazzi

What could they be looking at? The underwater wilderness is so fascinating.

A young groper

I wonder how this ended up in the ocean




Hiding in plain sight

Back on shore there were yummy cakes for sale to go with our morning coffees. These photos courtesy of Nat aka MOFS

 

High finance and a dazzling selection

 

Dogs were hoping for yummy chocolate treats. Sorry doggies, it's bad for you. Turbo and Colby were still hopeful

What have I been listening to? Here's one from the archives that popped up on one of my feeds. 

A live video of Albatross by Fleetwood Mac, in the days before they sold their souls to the dollar #contentious

Check out the announcer!

Have a great weekend

And now the important bits

For the first time ever, Blue Dot Travel, proud sponsor of the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad are offering a huge $3,000 discount off our Sicily and her Isles Tour - ONLY for our Bold & Beautiful swimmers.  Our 24 day itinerary to these beautiful Islands allows ample time to soak up the glorious food, wine, medieval hillside villages and Mediterranean lifestyle. Departing October 7, this unforgettable travel experience is available at just $9,990 per person, including economy flights and twin share accommodation. If you are looking for a holiday in October click here for full details. Joanne Coughlan mob: 0403 194 706 fax: 02 9906 5771 Suite 109, 48 Atchison Street St Leonards NSW  2065 joanne@bluedottravel.com.au www.bluedottravel.com.au WINTER BADGES The Winter swimming season is finally here! Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility and no bluebottles. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a winter badge by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August. You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment), you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter without wetsuit). So start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify. --------- Solstice Swim Saturday 23rd June @ 6.15 a.m. • Not sanctioned by Bolds • One swim only (Not three) • Tassie MoFos also qualify for the 2018 badge

13/06/2018 - Wobbie Wednesday

 

https://www.facebook.com/elaine.dejager/videos/10210000366439691/

Around 210 of us swam today in 18.2 degree water under a glorious sky... I'm getting really spoilt by the amazing marine life we see every day, so was bemoaning the fact I hadn't seen the turtle when... this beautiful Spotted Wobbegong swam in front of me, gracefully over the rocks just 40 metres out from the beach. This swim that  brings so much joy and health benefits to so many of us, never fails to be... in some way, an awesome experience...

It may just be the magical moment of entering the water at first light, as our 6.30am swimmers are doing above.

Or catching up with friends. Murray in the middle, (in his pyjama shorts ;-)) is now travelling NSW talking to groups of school kids who may be struggling with mental issues. We think you're doing a great job Murray.

Seeing and hearing stories from inspiring ladies like Edwina and Nat ... (Btw Edwina is having a Cake Stall on Saturday raising money for the children's unit at Westmead. Please bring along cash or/and cakes)

There's even Storchy's free Booty Camp to warm you up before the swim

 And lots of fun when we make it to Shelly Beach and shiver as we wait for the "let's Go'!

Post swim coffee in the sunshine :-)

Last night we also had the Bluewater monthly dinner and all these legends got their badges for swimming 100s or even 1000's of kms!

Bluewater was packed full for Julia Baird's talk about her book 'Victoria The Queen'. We were all riveted and fascinated as she told us the lengths to which she went to work out who the real Victoria was. She spent months going through archive material in London, Scotland, Isle of Wight and Oxford. She even managed to unfold secrets regarding Victoria's love for John Brown. Read the book to find out! Thank you Julia. Everyone had a really great night and loved your talk.

 

A few photos below from last week.

 

Crested Horn Shark

Banded Wobbegong

This Giant Cuttlefish turning a shade of bright blue before he lunged for my camera!

This is taken as the Cuttlefish zooms in towards me, tentacles flared!

You may remember a year ago when a few of us saw this Cuttlefish with a Groper in it's mouth. Now you can see why I was scared! They do go for things almost as big as themselves!

 The Cuttlefish above didn't mind me taking a 'full frontal' pic!

 

And the business section below....

WINTER BADGES

The Winter swimming season is finally here!

Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility and no bluebottles.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a winter badge by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August.

You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment), you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter without wetsuit).

So start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify.

---------

Solstice Swim

Saturday 23rd June @ 6.15 a.m.
• Not sanctioned by Bolds

• One swim only (Not three)

• Tassie MoFos also qualify for the 2018 badge

 

For the first time ever, Blue Dot Travel, proud sponsor of the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad are offering a huge $3,000 discount off our Sicily and her Isles Tour - ONLY for our Bold & Beautiful swimmers. 

Our 24 day itinerary to these beautiful Islands allows ample time to soak up the glorious food, wine, medieval hillside villages and Mediterranean lifestyle. Departing October 7, this unforgettable travel experience is available at just $9,990 per person, including economy flights and twin share accommodation. If you are looking for a holiday in October click here for full details.

Joanne Coughlan


mob: 0403 194 706

fax: 02 9906 5771

Suite 109, 48 Atchison Street
St Leonards NSW  2065
joanne@bluedottravel.com.au
www.bluedottravel.com.au

 

Ruby Lane “Paddock to Plate” Dinner. 

Enjoy a 4 course meal and matching organic wines at Ruby Lane Restaurant in support of Royal Far West and country children. Courses include:

Fig, Rocket & Blue Cheese Salad

Free Range Pork, Mushroom & Pistachio terrine

Heritage Chicken Casserole, Soft Polenta

Upside Down Plum and Almond cake

We will also have a special presentation by one of the Ruby Lane farmers who will talk about their sustainable organic farming practices and how they deliver food in a way that nurtures the environment and our diets. 

The dinner is Saturday June 23 and tickets are $110 per head. All funds go to Royal Far West. For more information and to book click here: https://mailchi.mp/4edadb1a1a08/join-us-at-the-rfw-ruby-lane-gala-dinner-1626289

 

 

Have an amazing day everyone!

Lainey

 

13 Reasons Why. Sunday 10th June 2018

13 reasons why we swim in winter....

 

1. 

The friends.

I’ve been swimming now for over a year and it’s so nice to come down and meet with familiar faces and chat about life and the ocean

2. 

I’m thankful for the people who wear wetsuits as they look more like seals than I do in my swimmers

3. 

A feeling of community. Alison knitted a beanie for Errol and gave it to him which he is very thankful for because it is keeping his head warm.

4. 

A chance to clean up the ocean and discuss ways to reduce our impact on the earth. On Friday I collected all this rubbish in my swimmers, even a fosters can!

5. 

The chance to meet new and interesting people crazier than yourself (good to see you again Kyle)
6. 

The warm shower at the end of a cool swim

7. 

The health benefits, giving us strong muscles and bones especially as we age

8. 

The array of budgie smugglers and brave people earning their winter without a wetsuit badge (these are available online or in store)

9. 

It gives you a good reason to get up in the morning 

10. 

A way to meet other singles in your area. (This lone newbie may or may not be single but I sure singled him out for a pic)

11. 

The abundance of sea life this time of year, pics thanks to Ros of a wobbygong some fish and a southern eagle ray

12. 

The sunrise over the ocean (pic taken by Anne)

13. 

The opportunity to swim with a great white shark without a cage. Here is a picture of me from South Africa, I hadn’t had breakfast and was hangry so was caught biting the cage. 

( my hand a few seconds earlier was where the shark is seen biting in the pic) 

 

For anyone interested the new filter attachment I got for my GoPro was a fail and made the water look like there had been a recent shark attack..

 

Stats

newbies- one brave soul

temp- 37.2 (that’s my temp im not sure about the water but they said it got cooler)

swimmers- man but numbers are dropping off a bit with the rain

 

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend, stay warm.

Tuesdays dinner at Bluewater is sold out. 

Jac Shell xxx

 

 

Wednesday 6th June 2018 - The Science of Happiness

On a recent expedition around the world on the inter-web I was fortunate enough to stumble across the secret to happiness. 

Although it is well known that BnBers have already discovered this secret, I thought for fun I'd share a couple of the pearls of wisdom, with snapshots of a morning well spent creating happiness within our own lives, and those of our community.

Happiness is a combination of... How satisfied you are with your life... and How good you feel on a day to day basis... well after experiencing the beauty of Manly, CTB and Shelly Beach with our favourite people, what's not to be happy about. 

Murray waiting patiently for Edwina so they could find the elusive turtle. How did you go?

No blog is complete without a pic of the A Team :-)

 

The WOW's and some unrecognisable though Bold and Beautiful photo bomber.

 

Pre-swim chats and warm-up squats by a very busy photo bomber.

 

Melise warming up by working it for the camera...

 

A little more serious warming up...

 

Henrietta (congrats again), with 'super fish' Inge and 'super fish in training' Brian.

Da Boys...

Lovely LesBubs, Deanne and Pauline, all happy though perhaps a little cold.

Pre and post swim pics.

 

 

 

Portraits from the foreshore...

 

 

 

Santa Claus visited early.  I asked him to bring us all a hot coffee when he returns in July.

 

Jo received her coffee early and was looking very happy about it.

 

Lovely photo of Peter, Lenore and Howard.

Swim time. Pretty special!

 

 

 

  

I arrived back to the beach a little later as I took my time swimming across CTB pondering more of this happiness stuff... 

 

Get even more out of good experience by using your senses, paying attention to details, sharing with someone and lingering.

The BnB'ers have this happiness thing in hand... many can be found lingering on the beach at 10am with another coffee...

 

 
  

 
   

 Congratulations Robyn, who quietly clocked up 1000kms.

 

 

For those who couldn't make it to the swim this morning, the water was warm and flat and the clouds were spectacular.  Hope to see you on the beach tomorrow.  Have a happy day.

  

 
 And now messages from management...

 
 

Number of swimmers: thousands, well maybe a hundred.

Newbies: not really sure.  I really need to remember to find this stuff out before writing the blog.

——————-//———————-////////——————

WINTER BADGES

The Winter swimming season is finally here!

Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility and no bluebottles.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a winter badge by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August.

You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment), you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter without wetsuit).

So start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify.

---------

Solstice Swim

Saturday 23rd June @ 6.15 a.m.
• Not sanctioned by Bolds

• One swim only (Not three)

• Tassie MoFos also qualify for the 2018 badge

--------------

Blue: the film

Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of the industrialisation of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change.


If you haven't seen this incredible multi award winning film yet, you are in luck. Follow the link below to reserve your ticket 
Wednesday 20th June 
6.30pm at Hoyts Warringah Mall 
$10 + booking fee 
If you love the ocean ... this film is not to be missed.

Please Note: We need you to prebook your ticket. Film launches once we reach 'Demand' of 140 (Currently at 90)

https://tickets.demand.film/event/5027

----------------

Monthly Dinner – Tues 12^th June  – BOOKED OUT

  

Next B&B monthly dinner

Tuesday 12th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant with TV presenter, journalist and B&B swimmer, Julia Baird.

Unfortunately, due to an overwhelming response, this event is now booked out.

If you would like to be wait-listed, please email Ian at ugoboyo@gmail.com. You will then be contacted if there is a cancellation.

Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.  
 

30/05/2018 - The Boldest of the Bold and Beautiful

We don't get to see this bunch of gorgeous women on the blog very often...They start their swim at 6am every morning, rain, hail or shine. Here they are, Midge, Nan, Mel, Jo and Trish in the ladies changing rooms at 6.40am. They head out in the dark with head lights glowing without wetsuits, the boldest of the bold! Guess which one is naked ;-)!!

It was a silvery morning down in our favourite corner, early on. The sky reflected on the ocean casting a silvery light. It was flat, calm and so much better than forecast! Here are the 6.30amers heading out.

The wetsuits are out a bit early this year. Here are John, Ian, John, Jeff and Michael. I've never seen Ian in a wetsuit in my 7 years swimming with the Bold and Beautiful, a real fearless leader. (He's also never sick)  Remember on 1st June you can start counting your www swims for a winter without wetsuit badge.

The benefits of cold water swimming are... 1.Even more endorphins are released making you happy :-) 2. Huge boost to circulation 3. Boost to your metabolism (so you can eat more chocolate or whatever tickles your fancy). 4. Boosts testosterone and estrogen 5. Reduces stress 6. Boosts immune system   https://www.lifehack.org/288238/6-amazing-health-benefits-cold-water-swimming

...and the fearless Wows! (Or a few of them as their numbers are increasing). Here we have Georgina, Emma, Rosemary and Lisa with Jeff and Annie trying to get in on the action.

Jimmy is 'Catch of the Day' again today. What a lovely guy!

Just a few metres from Shelly Beach and I come across my favourite, the Giant Cuttlefish! Except this time another appeared. A few of us stayed with them and saw them change colour and texture as they swam over sand, weed and rocks.

Ann posed with a Cuttie pretending to be weed.

This shows how shallow this Cuttlefish was with Michael standing behind. He almost swam up the ramp at Shelly Beach and didn't seem fazed by us at all!

The lucky guys on the right Peter and Billy, are looking pretty smug after finding and swimming with the beautiful Green Turtle Anne saw and photographed the other day. Nothing like seeing a healthy turtle swimming and coming up for air. I'll insert here a couple of my old photos of Turtles of Cabbage Tree Bay as I haven't seen one lately :-(

Green Turtle

The Hawksbill Turtle that was around for a couple of months 3 years ago.

Ann on the left and her friends saw the Cuttlefish with me, Cheryl and Michael off Shelly.

Post swim smiles and the sun came out!

Below some photos I loaded earlier of beautiful marine life sightings since my last blog...

Old Wives

Wobbegong

Fiddler Ray

Bull Ray

Thank you to all of you who came to our Trivia Night last year in aid of Australians for Women's Health and  those of you who have supported our cake stalls. I just thought I'd include a post showing some of the incredible work being done by Dr Ray and his team in Nepal Amazing work by Dr Ray Hodgson and his team in Nepal.

 

 

Australians for Women's Health

 

Local Women Trained in Genital Prolapse Screening.....

This is one of our wonderful ‘Hamri Didis’ (literally ‘our sisters). These are women in the West and Far-West of Nepal who have been trained to be entrepreneurs, and in this way, become empowered. Nearly 400 of these women have been trained to date.

Many of these Didis can’t work because of their disabling genital prolapse. A4WH will be operating on as many of them as we can during the next treatment camp in November (17th Nov - Dec 1st).

A4wh is now training a selection of these Hamri Didis to understand prolapse and its causes. They are then going out into the community to explain to the women with prolapse that they needn’t suffer. The Didis then bring the afflicted women back to the hospital for us to treat and this recruitment system is working well so far.

The picture below shows the crude operating theatre Dr Ray and his team are working in over the next couple of weeks.

 Have a fantastic day everyone!

Lainey

Oops just been told I'm in the MD!

Stats:
Swimmers  140

Water  17.9 degrees C

Outside Temp 15 degrees C

 

Monthly Dinner – 12^th June 2018 – BOOKED OUT

 

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 12th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be TV presenter, journalist and B&B swimmer, Julia Baird. Unfortunately, due to an overwhelming response, this event is now booked out.  If you would like to be wait-listed, please email Ian at ugoboyo@gmail.com. You will then be contacted if there is a cancellation.

Thank you for your support.

B&B SWIMMING MERCHANDISE UPDATE:

 

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock 😛

- Men’s should be back in stock next week 👍

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

 

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill

Stats:
Swimmers  140

Water  17.9 degrees C

Outside Temp 15 degrees C

 

Monthly Dinner – 12^th June 2018 – BOOKED OUT

 

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 12th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be TV presenter, journalist and B&B swimmer, Julia Baird. Unfortunately, due to an overwhelming response, this event is now booked out.  If you would like to be wait-listed, please email Ian at ugoboyo@gmail.com. You will then be contacted if there is a cancellation.

Thank you for your support.

B&B SWIMMING MERCHANDISE UPDATE:

 

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock 😛

- Men’s should be back in stock next week 👍

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

 

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill

You can't always get what you want (or don't sweat the small stuff)

The surf report on 702 for today mentioned dangerous Southerly swells, with a recommendation to boaties to stay away from open waters. How would this impact us swimmers?

The clean, long-period Southerly lines were definitely in evidence at Queenscliff and North Steyne and the Bower, but at South Steyne and in the Bay we were largely protected, although we wouldn't call the conditions flat.

I'd left home quite early (for me) and was happily anticipating the opportunity to photograph the 6:30 Drinks Express, but parking challenges due to road closures put a stop to that and all I saw was arms disappearing around the Point hence the title of today's blog. Such trifling setbacks  do little to dampen the spirits on a morning as lovely as this one.

Here's Edwina looking forward to getting onto the warm water - at 18 or so, much warmer that the 12 degree air.

She was not the only one heading into the ocean

Lone photographer at the Point, getting ready to take in this morning's gorgeous  muted sunrise

Patience rewarded

 

Socialising of a different kind

We are a stylish lot. Ugg boots definitely the footwear of the seasons, modelled by the lovely Janet

Drinking from the fountain of youth

Check out these 2, Bin and Pauline

The procession

And in a flash, the Let's Go at the point and we're off

What's going on at Shelley?

While we didn't have huge conditions in our Bay, we did lose quite a bit of water clarity and I didn't get many chances for good photos.

Very lucky to spot this bull ray. It happened to move its tail as I swam over it. Massive.

I was very close to these fish but the visibility was just not good

Back on shore was  cute doggie Charlie

And even cuter.....

 

What am I listening to? Ry Cooder has a new album out and I've just had my first listen while writing this blog. If you love blues and slide guitar, do yourself a favour as a music show presenter used to say. There is quite a religious focus to this album, as well as nods to several other music legends

I was going to upload a song with an ocean reference but today as the cuttlefish summer of love draws to a close I am posting an ode - or could it be a warning - to our gorgeous exotic friends that a big brain does not free you from the biological imperative, no matter the price. It's Leonard Cohen (bless his memory), serenaded by his choir of angels 

 

And now.....

 Monthly Dinner – 12^th June 2018 – Guest Speaker

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 12th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be TV presenter, journalist and B&B swimmer, Julia Baird, whose recent Biography of Queen Victoria;  "Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman who Ruled an Empire", has been critically acclaimed around the world.

Julia's talk is about 'ADVENTURES WITH QUEEN VICTORIA: BEHIND THE MYTHS". In it she will be answering the following three questions:

1. Why write a book about that old bird? i.e. wasn't she super grumpy and unamused all the time?
2. What are some of the juiciest things you discovered about her (and is it true she had a legendary libido?)
3. What would Queen Victoria think of the Bold and Beautiful?

In other words: Queen Victoria on sex, stereotypes and swimming. DON'T MISS THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT. Also… Julia will be signing copies of her book if you would like to purchase one on the night or bring along the copy you already have!

The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). 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.

Newbies:

B&B SWIMMING MERCHANDISE UPDATE:

NEW TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED & COSSIES BACK IN STOCK 😀

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock 😛

- Men’s should be back in stock next week 👍

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

 

Tim Slessor who is a long time B&B swimmer is competing in the Shitbox Rally again in two weeks. The aim is to buy a car for less than a grand and drive it, along with 200 others, from Brisbane it Darwin, OFF ROAD!! 

Shitbox Rally is a dedicated fundraising event for cancer research with funds going to Cancer Council.

Cancer Council is one of the largest non-government funders of cancer research in Australia. We conduct and fund research studies across all cancers and all stages of the cancer journey.

Thanks to the community funds raised such as Shitbox Rally we can fund world-class research that reduces the impact of cancer for everyone.

Over $13 million has been raised by Box Rallies to date. 

Please click on the link to donate to this worthy cause and thank you all.

https://donate18.shitboxrally.com.au/a-pom-and-a-kiwi

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill

Have a lovely weekend

B&B SWIMMING MERCHANDISE UPDATE:

NEW TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED & COSSIES BACK IN STOCK 😀

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock 😛

- Men’s should be back in stock next week 👍

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

 

Tim Slessor who is a long time B&B swimmer is competing in the Shitbox Rally again in two weeks. The aim is to buy a car for less than a grand and drive it, along with 200 others, from Brisbane it Darwin, OFF ROAD!! 

Shitbox Rally is a dedicated fundraising event for cancer research with funds going to Cancer Council.

Cancer Council is one of the largest non-government funders of cancer research in Australia. We conduct and fund research studies across all cancers and all stages of the cancer journey.

Thanks to the community funds raised such as Shitbox Rally we can fund world-class research that reduces the impact of cancer for everyone.

Over $13 million has been raised by Box Rallies to date. 

Please click on the link to donate to this worthy cause and thank you all.

https://donate18.shitboxrally.com.au/a-pom-and-a-kiwi

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill

Have a lovely weekend

Wednesday 23 May 2018 - Becoming Fearless

A very wise person recently shared with me that 'feeling cold is just fear exiting the body', which leads me to believe we BnB'ers are a fearless bunch!

It was positively balmy in the water today with JB reporting the temperature at 18.4 degrees, up 0.5 degree overnight, however some lovely BnB'ers are starting to feel the cold so here are my Top Tips to help keep you warm throughout the coming months...

Tip One:  Stay in Bed... better still bring your bed to the beach...

 

But why would you stay in bed when you can experience beauty like this!

Tip Two:  Swim really fast to the point because everyone knows the water is warm just around the corner...

 

Or swim to halfway so you can get back for an early coffee... Drinks?

 

Tip Three:  Snuggle up to your favourite BnB buddies...

 

Tip Four: Wear a wetsuit... (nah stay fearless!) :-)

 

Tip Five:  Do a post swim jump around to warm up again

 

Tip Six: Live really close to the swim so you can run home for a nice hot shower

 

Or bring your hot shower in a bottle...

Tip Seven: When you get to Shelley Beach... make like a penguin...

Or stay underwater chatting with friends...

 

Or jump around a lot in front of the Blogger...

Tip Eight: Post swim wear your warmest clothes

(a bottle of Passion Pop to the first person to guess the owners of these feet - participants excluded)

And sunbake with your buddies...

Tip Nine: Hang out with the coolest dudes in da hood

Tip Ten: Stay underwater for as long as possible because it's colder out than in

And you may be lucky enough to spot these wonders...

Tip Eleven: Bring a furry friend for a post swim snuggle

 

And finally perhaps the real secret to staying warm this winter is to become absolutely fearless!

Tip Twelve: Become fearless... Before it gets much colder jump into a Kryo Chamber (found this morning at South Steyne) get really cold and feel all your fear exit your body... It will set you up to stay warm all winter long! :-)

  

 

Have a great week and see you on the beach... 

xo

 

STATS:

210 swimmers

3 newbies

18.4 degrees

 

MANAGEMENT NOTICES

Monthly Dinner – 12^th June 2018 – Guest Speaker

The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 12th June at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest speaker on the night will be TV presenter, journalist and B&B swimmer, Julia Baird, whose recent Biography of Queen Victoria;  "Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman who Ruled an Empire", has been critically acclaimed around the world.

 

Julia's talk is about 'ADVENTURES WITH QUEEN VICTORIA: BEHIND THE MYTHS". In it she will be answering the following three questions:

 

1. Why write a book about that old bird? i.e. wasn't she super grumpy and unamused all the time?
2. What are some of the juiciest things you discovered about her (and is it true she had a legendary libido?)
3. What would Queen Victoria think of the Bold and Beautiful?

 

In other words: Queen Victoria on sex, stereotypes and swimming. DON'T MISS THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT. Also… Julia will be signing copies of her book if you would like to purchase one on the night or bring along the copy you already have!

 

The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). 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.

 

B&B Merchandise Update

NEW TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED & COSSIES BACK IN STOCK

- Ladies B&B bathers are back in stock

- Men’s should be back in stock next week

And...

- NEW B&B TOWELS HAVE ARRIVED !!! 🎉😜 they are an amazing new light weight material that is super easy to shake the sand from.

Get yours now for only $50 in Budgy Smuggler Store, 1A/22 Darley Rd, Manly or Online:

https://budgysmuggler.com.au/collections/accessories/products/bold-and-beautiful-towel

  

What a morning!

Seeing the soft early light when I stepped out of my door shortly after 6am made me happy. I knew it was going to be a Good Morning. The conditions of the ocean only served to lift my spirits. And a car spot outside Far West - who can ask for more?

Made it just in time to catch the Drinks Express heading out at 6:30, at the same time as some ski paddlers from the surf club

Trying (with limited success) to be arty

And here, how can you improve on perfection?

Meanwhile things were hotting up on the path. Maybe, but not in the water. Theories abound for the low water temps.

Folk were gathering, talking about last night's activities. Some were out partying, some stayed in and watched the telly, some slept.

The welcoming committee, waiting to greet the newbies (no idea how many, but I hope you had a fabulous swim)

Wows making the morning look good

Heading down to the water were (at a rough guess) around 200 eager swimmers

snapping the paps

Belinda happy and eager for a mermaid frolic

Hi Janet!

Paula executing the famous ColdWaterAsana, enabling a full-bodied scream from the throat chakra

At Shelley. For some, the blog camera is a magnet

I waited a while at Shelley in the hope of seeing some of the sights on the way back.

yass!!!!

The cuttlefish was quite obliging to his very large fan club. The groper and crimson morwong not so much. The yellowtail were just doing their thing

And this. I usually edit my photos and am posting both the edited and unedited versions here. Can you see what's there? It's very, very well camouflaged

 

And these on the sand, also cunningly camouflaged

I saw this yesterday. Here's the original and my attempt to be clever with  the Snapseed photo editing app

The magic mushroom of the ocean



And then to drift shorewards until slowly, reluctantly, feet touch the sand, you stand and walk out of the water.

This is Lisa yesterday. looking stunning in Belinda's gorgeous hat

 
What am I listening to?

Recently I learned that Ray Davies had released an album called Americana a year or so ago and I have it on high rotation. All I can say is the master has not lost his songwriting awesomeness. (Please, please don't ask me who Ray Davies is, I would get horribly depressed)

Even more recently the latest album by Courtney Barnett. It was only released last week and it's called Tell Me How You Really Feel. I'm loving it.

Have decided to include a track with oceanic links on my blog posts. This is a bit of a stretch but it's Kim's Caravan from Courtney's first album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcQY0Cqy97Q

Have a great week

Management notices

Tim Slessor who is a long time B&B swimmer is competing in the Shitbox Rally again in two weeks. The aim is to buy a car for less than a grand and drive it, along with 200 others, from Brisbane it Darwin, OFF ROAD!! 

Shitbox Rally is a dedicated fundraising event for cancer research with funds going to Cancer Council.

Cancer Council is one of the largest non-government funders of cancer research in Australia. We conduct and fund research studies across all cancers and all stages of the cancer journey.

Thanks to the community funds raised such as Shitbox Rally we can fund world-class research that reduces the impact of cancer for everyone.

Over $13 million has been raised by Box Rallies to date. 

Please click on the link to donate to this worthy cause and thank you all.

https://donate18.shitboxrally.com.au/a-pom-and-a-kiwi

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill

 

 

 

Saturday 19 May, 2018 All you need is .....

LOVE .... written in the sand

Despite the what I sense, after a quick chat with the people of the B&B is the republican leanings of  our tribe, there is a little bit of extra love in the air. With a Royal Wedding today, there has been a little more excitement than your average Saturday including 

DOLPHIN'S

It might be hard to see, however as we schlepped, uggbooted toward the beach a cry of 'DOLPHIN'S' was made by Cammeray Annie.

The change rooms were a chatter with swimmers who had been close to these beautiful creatures.  Cammeray Kate commented maybe it was Meghan and Harry escaping the paps".

Swimming conditions were sublime, 18 degrees might be getting chilly for some, but the gorgeous hues of orange and pink, played a trick on my mind and gave me a warm feeling, a glow to take into Saturday sports activities various.

THERE WERE 'SWIMMERS IN ARMS'

Cammeray Kate, Annie and Roz, terrific car companions and swimmers, we had planned to brainstorm some great blog ideas instead debriefed the week that was..... maybe next time.

B&B - SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF THE DAY 

Meghan needs some one to walk her down the aisle, there were some men on offer at the B&B(is there nothing they won't do !!! Don't pick Charles, what about Drinkie(welcome back) What about John ? or Dorset? Being a Barbie, I pick Ken for the job...looked at that exhuberance.

 

GO WELL ALL OUR BONDI TO WATSON'S BAY SWIMMERS

May your seas be calm, your strokes long, and your winds, in your favour.

AND MAGIC MICHELLE"S 1000 KM's .....CONGRATULATIONS 

 

Thoughts for the day 

LOVE OVER CYNICISM, SUNRISE OVER WATER,

WINTER SWIMMING, OVER SUMMER - BRING IT ON

 

LOVE CAMMERAY BARB

 

PEEP - HEAPS

TEMP - 18.3

NEWBIES - some, I heard Ian doing the spiel.

Management notices

Tim Slessor who is a long time B&B swimmer is competing in the Shitbox Rally again in two weeks. The aim is to buy a car for less than a grand and drive it, along with 200 others, from Brisbane it Darwin, OFF ROAD!! 

Shitbox Rally is a dedicated fundraising event for cancer research with funds going to Cancer Council.

Cancer Council is one of the largest non-government funders of cancer research in Australia. We conduct and fund research studies across all cancers and all stages of the cancer journey.

Thanks to the community funds raised such as Shitbox Rally we can fund world-class research that reduces the impact of cancer for everyone.

Over $13 million has been raised by Box Rallies to date. 

Please click on the link to donate to this worthy cause and thank you all.

https://donate18.shitboxrally.com.au/a-pom-and-a-kiwi

Julia Chalon, one of our swimmers has interviewed Julie Isbill, the B&B founder for a blog.  It’s very interesting and attached here;

 https://www.thrivhers.com/meet-the-thrivhers/thrivher-interview-dr-julie-isbill