Its the last day of winter! Everyone who has swum through winter and shivered through winter without a wetsuit will have the badges to prove it, and those enduring invigorating vitamin Sea without wetsuits can now indulge in covering head to toe with neoprene - I suspect not without a little good humoured judgement, however!
Lots of movement this morning - spring is in the air and in everyone's steps as they gracefully tiptoed into and scampered out of the water
todays stats:
warer temp: 16.1 (warming up!)
Air temp: 7.8 degrees at 7am
Conditions: calm & glassy & clear
vibe: there’s spring in everyone’s step
interesting sights: Duskys are back !
tammie & tilly - www all the way and then a beach run!
mermaids kath and annora - our inspiration for www !
Today, with vulnerability, i'm sharing a piece I wrote for a creative writing course I'm undertaking. We were asked to challenge ourselves, so i decided on poetry. The theme we were given was "and you said" - so here it is, written in recognition of those of us who, until the pandemic, were new to ocean swimming, started in head to toe neoprene and have slowly changed our mindset and grown to love swimming without a wetsuit all year around - this is for all of us on our individual ocean swimming journeys, and continue to be inspired by ALL our swimmers, whether or not in neoprene:
"And you said" (by me)
And you said you’d never swim in the ocean,
Beyond the breakers was scary.
Too deep, cant stand, too bumpy,
And never at dawn or dusk, sharks about, be wary.
And I said to you, don’t be worried;
I’ll swim alongside you all the way.
I’ll make sure we swim in the shallows,
Where the fish and sea creatures like to play.
Karen - winter swimming and surf swimming is a huge step ! Well done !
And you said you would not swim in winter;
Unless in a heated pool.
even on a sunny winter’s day,
The ocean was far too cool.
And I said to you, winter swimming was magic;
Clear calm water, lots of sea life about.
I told you to buy a wetsuit,
You will have so much fun you wont want to get out.
Matt (neoprene all the way) & Ben (no need for neoprene!)
And you said you would always wear a wetsuit ;
The absolute warmest money could buy.
Covered in neoprene head to toe,
In an “Orca”, you said youd be warm and (kind of) dry!
And I said to you that cold water immersion was energising;
Improves circulation & burns calories too.
If you take off your wetsuit, and float in the bay;
You’ll feel alive, a renewed you.
Mermaid natasha & health care hero - an inspiration for www !
Scottie & Simon - once the www badge was in the bag, out came the neoprene (ie “spongies” for a new challenge - winter with waterlogged !)
Nic- wetsuit all the way!
And you said I was right on all counts;
two years later, swimming most days of the year.
In the deep ocean, way out wide, no wetsuit,
Invigorated, a daily ritual you now hold dear.
And I said I was proud of you, how your mindset has changed,
You have flourished, you have challenged yourself out of your comfort zone,
Energised by liquid gold of the winter morning sun,
And the daily dose of vitamin sea - in the ocean, you feel at home.
Gentleman Chance has a natural sealskin :)
Have a wonderful wednesday, stay safe, stay sane, be kind, look after one another,
Jocelyn
Public service announcements:
B&B monthly dinner – Tuesday 13th September 2022
At our next monthly dinner, to be held on Tuesday September 13th at Bluewater Café at 6.30 pm. Our September speaker, or rather speakers, will be a group of BnB swimmers who took on the challenge of walking the entire 800 kilometre pilgrim trail, Camino de Santiago, the way of St James.
Battling exhaustion, despair, resignation and finally exhilaration they travelled from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and headed westwards across mountainous Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
Be enthralled as they recount their tales of exhaustion, rain and blisters as they discover more about their fellow pilgrims and delve into their own individual journey of physical and spiritual self-discovery.
The cost of the dinner is great value at only $35 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 (please note, NO BYO). Bookings are essential, so to avoid disappointment and secure your spot please book here http://www.
2022 Winter Badge Ceremony – Sunday 9th October
You’ve done the hard yards and earned your Winter Badge(s), so why not collect them personally with all the pomp and ceremony the B&B can muster. Our Winter Badge Ceremony will be held at the Royal Far West’s Centre for Country Kids at 14-18 Wentworth St(opposite Rialto Square) on Sunday 9th October, at 8 am, straight after the regular swim! Everyone is welcome, family, friends and swimmers alike. Bring along $10 for each badge you have earned (credit cards accepted at this event). For the first time at this event, $2 will be donated to the Royal Far West for each badge purchased on the day. So, if you can’t make it, get your friends to collect your badge for you. Or if you have previous badges you have forgotten to collect, now is the time to do it.
A $5 per person donation will be payable to the RFW at the gate for hosting this event, and .... RFW will provide a FREE breakfast (sausage sandwich and a coffee/tea). Bookings are essential to ensure there is enough food. Book here NOW https://www.
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