Pacific Jules

And we danced

Misty. A light easterly carrying the smell of warm places. The beach is empty at 545am. Empty car spots line queenscliff. Daughters day.

My daughter painted me a sign a few years ago. Sort of my motto now. 

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain."

 

 

 

Just get up. Get out there. And go. Never regret a swim.

 

Rustys pitch report

Push off Shelly. Still. Flat. Super clear. Had the shivering shag in tow. Then Tony. Then Special K joined. A big smooth eagle ray at the shed. Whiting. Discussion around why no whiting in NZ. A turtle off the pool. A couple of laps, swimming in the rain. Like a fine Sav Blanc. Except by the stairs where leaves signalled a metallic taste as the rains washed into the bay.

Thanks for the swim amd coffee team. Remember don't let your true love run cold!

 

Rusty the Fish and Baby Spice

 

Meanwhile...on holidays..

Cam goes skyward in Melbourne

Kath and Di goes to the Galapogos

Monday 23 December 2024 - Big crowd, poor visibility, great wave home.

 

B&B Blog - Monday 23 December 2024

 

Typepad Not working see blog @

B&B Facebook page

Big crowd, water clarity down, great wave home.

 

I swam at 6am with this crew.

 

James forced to remove cheat pants.

3 boys post 6am swim.

Panoramic crowd@7am.

Family of 3 from Queensland before & after pink caps.

22.4 degrees in the water.

Trooper Simon Phin.

Linda Goodwin & friend.

Caroline Giardina Dragon Boat Queen.

Muscles Miguel Maestre.

David & co.

Jeanette Brits.

Lesbubbles & Leveena Denton.

Lovers Alex Prendergast & Alison Annett.

 

Have a safe & enjoyable Christmas. 

If you’re on the beach Christmas afternoon come and see us on Manly LSC Patrol 5.

Simon Fraser

 

 

The Chosen Ones

Caroline's Pitch Report

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 🎄🎅🎁🎉🍾 festive cheer all around 

6am and our corner is soooo busy! By the time Dx are ready to get in, it’s pumping 🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♂️ 🏊 7am - and it’s as crowded as a 24h rave 🕺 

Bay is flattttttt 🐟🐠🐡 Visibility is almost aquarium standard

 

 

Thanks for the swim and coffee team. Remember don't let your true love run cold!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas

Rusty the Fish & Baby Spice

 

A tribute song to the early risers amongst us, whose virgin tracks cross the bay at 6am and before...we truly are so privileged to share this experience together! 

 

Friday 13 December 2024 Lots of water all about

The sea came up the ramp. Very high tide. the sand is disappearing. Swimming was fun though

Friday 29 November 2024 Best place to be after a heat wave

Fabulous morning at Shelley Beach

When the Manly rip is working & the surf is pumping here is our favourite swim out for a more relaxing though somewhat bumpy swim. Today I loved the silvery seas shimmering across the bay this morning The jellyfish tribe with Caroline finished their Shelley swim with a coffee at the Boathouse. Sue caught up with Ian for a chat after her morning double and Jenny B told Ian that she was the only member of the Golds to make it down today. They are all promising to hit the water with you tomorrow Jenny.

Enjoy your Thursday

HRH

There's magic everywhere

It's Saturday, no it's not, it's just really busy. Hard to find a park. Here I go, out to sea again

Friday's Fast Fives are queued up. Anyone can join, not a clubby thing, just come to the ramp at 6.25am. Look for the good looking roosters in their FFF budgies!

The sunshine fills my hair, And dreams hang in the air

6am is the new black. Warm, lush, sparkling. A 5.40am sunrise helps as does a tropical feel to the water. A slight North East but nothing threatening us in the water.

Taipan sponsors FFF with flags. Women outnumbered men, patriarchy quivered in their budgys.

Boomer rants about something for so long everyone fell asleep.

No need to laugh and cry. It's a wonderful, wonderful life

The Sales team set up the day with another outstanding swim north

These blokes make Drinksy look small (and he isn't). Had a great chat to Stickman (Drinksy's faster brother) about swimming in the fast lane.

I miss FFF and Punter's Saturday tips, still nursing the calf back to full health after an epic soft sand collapse in the weekly Baby Spice FFF challenge.

and the Queen and Kylie, sans wetsuit!

Tony (Faahany) is back from his Phuket trialthon adventure. The water here a bit cooler than the 34 degrees in Thailand.

A face for radio, Greg Cole

Reid, Fingerbone & Blocky living the dream

Anne joins the 6am crew 

and 007 (James) sticks out his gut (I had to photoshop it out) and subconsciously thinks about raising $5million. Snoopy looks on in amusement and thinks my 4km a day has wiped out my gut..

Another day, Tim relentlessly rips off another lap, heading into top 20 territory

and special shout out to mate Thommo, who nailed his age group in Phuket Tri on Sunday. A massive effort after 22 years of plugging away with Faahany.

Thanks for the swim and coffee Team. Remember don't let your true love run cold!

Baby Spice & Rusty the Fish

 

still looking for my missing coffee...

Jen in our Ocean Swimmers sprint group recently wrote...

You are enough in every way, In every moment, in every day.

Let the world see you shining bright, unfiltered and raw.......

In our little corner of the world I believe you can be just that...

 

Friday 1 November 2024 a dip and a swim for the first day of the month

Manly put on a great day for 1 November 2024 - nice gently waves, over 20 temperature and zero bluebottles in the water. 

 

The Cruel Sea

It's 19.3 in the water. Swell and waves and building numbers of surfers at the point.

Frangi complains how the ocean is not conforming to his predictable predictions. 

My heart is a muscle and it pumps blood. Like a big old black steam train

Trooper (aka Bev but mainly known as Bevan McBevan) and our fearless leader Blocky observe, analyze and set the start line for the Fast Fives

My stomach is the ocean, and it swallows up the sun

Lovesongs spruik his superb new book (Keep it Smooth by Cam Daddo... go out and buy it!).

Rubberman Will slides into the line up. Rubber shorts. Still broken the rules.. no-one notices.

Jen almost accepts a race challenge ....  

The Boomers rant about halving Donald and Kamala birth years and getting Bill Gates. Not sure, but I think they've got too much thinking time on their hands.

I miss Taipan trivia. But the replacement economist and his useless prediction is hilarious!

The Baker tackles, wrestles, manhandles anyone to the sand if in his way. Unfortunately I cop the handful of sand down the sluggos. A crunchy entry to the water. Still finding sand 4 hours later

Thanks for the rather excellent FFF, swim and coffee today. Remember don't let your true love run cold!

Baby Spice & Rusty the Fish

PS - 2 zip Caroline... you'd better bring your A game next week :)

and if you are getting ready to see Franji and Riddo's band tonight at the Surf Club, here's some of my favourite music to get you in the mood.

 

The Unbearable Lightness of the Friday Fast Fives

Summer is back. The FFF are back. Bluebottles are back! But not in the waves, where joy and ranting and running are the essence of our morning.

If you want to join the FFF, come on Fridays... 6.29am on the ramp... and then we make our way 100m down the beach to the starting line. All welcome!

BTW Caroline & I race each other each week to see who can touch the wall... 6 ins and outs today... if you see Caroline ask her how she went :) 

 

 

At dawn, the Fast Fives gather,  

The sea pulls at their feet,  

First FFF of the season, now the Quadruple F,  

The ocean, vast and wild, stretches before them.  

 

A giant shark shadows the deep,  

Silent, powerful, gliding through currents unknown.  

Yet the Fast Fives stand unshaken,  

Eyes fixed on the horizon, ready for the wave.  

 

Bluebottles drift, washed ashore,  

Their fragile forms whisper warnings,  

But still, they run,  

A race with the sea, against time, against fear.  

 

They plunge into the cold embrace of the water,  

Catch the wave, it lifts them high,  

Spirits soaring on its crest,  

And as it breaks, they ride to shore.  

 

Wet sand beneath their feet,  

Hands outstretched,  

They tap the wall,  

A ritual complete, the ocean behind them,  

But its echoes, still looms close.

Thanks for the Swim and ins and out and of course Coffee Team. Remember don't let your true love run cold!

 

Baby Spice (aka Carolinebythebeach) and Rusty the Fish

 

Footnote: 

At the center of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being is the philosophical concept of eternal return, which assumes that everything in the universe—people, animals, events, and the like—recurs and repeats in a more or less similar fashion over infinite time and space.