Pacific Jules

Wednesday 15th November - 6.5 weeks until the end of the year!

Wednesday 15th November - 2 weeks until Summer (and the summer badge blast commences)), 4 weeks until the B&B Xmas party, 6.5 weeks to go for this year and holiday time!   Seems like everyone and everything is "feeling it" from the weather to swimmers to canines and felines and everyone & everything in between.   Even the dreaded jimbles are becoming (thankfully) lazy and perhaps they are refusing to muster up to terrify us, with one or two eager beavers making up for the rest (as some of our swimmers found out today!)?   

todays conditions:

water temp - balmy 20.3 (however, neoprene is still very much visible!)

air temp at 7am - 22.8!!!  summer is coming!  

Conditions - feels like even the water is waiting for this year to end,  a few lacklustre waves, a bit of a lacklustre swell, and fairly good visibility

Vibe - bring on the holidays!

Its Kara's birthday so the Drinks Express celebrated with cake of course

 

These energetic mermaids Petra, Susie, Simone & Tracey had a lovely energising swim, Petra and Tracey after running and Simone after a sensational sail last night, crewing to another podium!  

Robby and Lindsay were looking forward to a sea immersion to energise them

WOWs Georgina, Debbie, Fiona and Clare were all smiles after their immersion, and Debbie was gallantly smiling after her jimble kiss !

susu, Steph & Leah weren’t feeling it this morning however they were glad they went out !

Barbie enjoyed her daily morning walk along the beachfront, looking stylish in new rain attire!

as always, be safe, stay kind, look after each other, look out for each other & have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jocelyn

 

 

 

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Sea Life

Cloudy with intermittent showers but still lovely

Confirmed by Sheila. She went North and said it was very clear but had heard the Bay was a bit cloudy.

She was very sure I'd find something

Buddy waiting patiently

Stunning work from Guy

Anne said it was good

 

Emma and Georgina

c

Jane and Alison

Did somebody say sea life?

Shelley got given a lecture and doesn't appear to give a ......

Guess who's got a girlfriend ooooooh (she's besotted)

What am I listening to?

Shonen Knife are coming back to Australia early next year. They are a 3 piece Japanese girl band who love the Ramones..... 1234!

Wednesday 25th October - Weird Wednesday in the Bay!

Wednesday 25th October - seemed full of "weirdness" for some reason.  Firstly the sky was weirdly eerie - a red dawn followed by a thickening cloud stealthily slowly blanketing the city from the south, transforming the seas from calm to calamity .... Perhaps also due to the advent of "Scorpio season"  (which started on Monday) which the astrologer aficionados in the community would understand... apparently Scorpio season is marked by intense energy, deep renewal and transformation...  this can be somewhat unsettling, and also energising depending on your situation and perspective.   AND, lets not forget the weirdness of Halloween this weekend - all those chocolates on special in Coles and woollies giving sugar hits to kids and big kids alike (necessitating more swimming to counter the candy!), dress ups in weird and scary costumes and scary (and imaginative) house decorations (please refrain from using the fake spiders webbing as our animal and bird and bug friends get caught!).

So, onto today.  

water temperature:  19.2 degrees

air temperature at 7am: 16.4 degrees 

conditions:  calm (until the southerly hit)

vibe:  eerily calm... 

Todays weirdness extended into the Bay

Amanda, Ruth and Carolyn found the transitions from cold to warm patches quite unsettling... and a few waves out of nowhere to push them back into shore.

Elizabeth swept the sand from the steps so it wouldn't encroach into her bag and shoes!

Rayner and jo - Rayner slept in and missed his swim date and hopes his swim date doesn't see this blog!

lainey, Lenore and Mike - found the bay eerily quiet! 

Leonore and Lenore's son - recognise him?

WOW's - Annette had her first swim with the B&B in July and has returned every week since!  She doesn't find the B&B weird at all! 

DC arrived at the beach to a red ball of fire, then rode to Church point and back with the "tour de cure" crew -weirdly still smiling after that massive effort -  not so weirdly he was still up for a dip!

Mermaids found the conditions spooky with the eerie light and calmness before the "storm" so to speak...

Lainey and Ted are looking forward to seeing everyone on friday evening!  

And Ruby - well, she is thinking everyone is so weird putting clothes on!

As always, have a wonderful Wednesday, stay kind, look after and out for each other and be safe!

Jocelyn

 

 

 

Wednesday 4th October - Longer days, summer is coming!

Wednesday 4th October - longer days, summer is coming!  How's everyone going with the daylight saving time change?  A few weary eyes with less sleep, 6am feels like 5am..  At least its kind of dark - ish - at 6am, with the sun starting to break through at 6:30  - in time for the (depleted) Drinks Express to swim into the (today) liquid reddish golden light bouncing off the powerful surf.  And as the days grow longer as summer draws near and El Nino casts his spell, those cooling, refreshing afternoon and early evening swims to escape the heat will become much more popular!

Water temp: 18.5 degrees

air temp: 18.2 degrees at 6:30 - nearly parity!  

conditions: powerful surf, a honking nor'easter, confused, unsettled, very strong rip, perhaps mother nature is similarly getting used to the impact of the time change?   Quite a few swimmers didn't even bother today, or walked over to the shelly...

vibe: incredibly quiet at the beach, perhaps we are all still naviguessing the latest edition of daylight saving?

A few fun facts about daylight saving:

• The correct term is "daylight saving" not "daylight savings"
• The origin of Daylight Saving is said to date back to 1895, when a British born New Zealand entomologist named George Hudson proposed the idea so he could hunt bugs after work during the summer!  
• In Australia, first observed in 1916, during world war 1; and again in world war 2.
• In 1967, Tasmania (yes, really!) was the first Australian state to observe daylight saving on a more permanent basis
• All other states/territories (except WA and NT) followed in 1971 although QLD abandoned it in 1972
• In 1992 a referendum was held in QLD to reintroduce daylight saving however it was unsuccessful (54%  against).    Several referendums have been held in WA to introduce daylight saving however each time have been unsuccessful. 
• Other reasons for introducing daylight saving over the years and around the world include taking advantage of longer daylight hours (saving electricity), increasing consumer activity (spending) and tourism opportunities over a longer day. 
• Approx. 40% of countries currently observe daylight Saving which impacts over 1 billion people (and countless animals, sea life and birds)

What is everyone up to now daylight saving is upon us?   

Petra, Luke and Des opted for a run today - they are looking forward to enjoying more "ocean time" each day (they will have a post run dip!).   Its Mermaid Jo's birthday today (happy birthday Jo!) however cakes have been deferred to Friday and combined celebration for her and mermaid Sarah's birthday -  these three will definitely have earned their cake, and able to eat it too!  

Sally and Ian on the Wednesday welcome desk - enthusiastically welcoming all the swimmers with a smile - despite the conditions: they are looking forward to sundowners!   

Debbie is looking forward to more gardening time (she drives from Galston to swim!) and Georgina is looking forward to swimming time after work!  They were undecided as to whether to have a dip or a walk to shelly..

Chad and Mitch - attempted to ride the rip however mother nature had other ideas - they are looking forward to afternoon kite surfing sessions - great conditions this morning for kite surfing! 

Danny - excitedly entered the water at 5:50 with his dawn hunter buddies Sam and Jane, however they decided to swim in the "white water" close to shore to the pipe.  Danny is looking forward to swimming with lights again in the dark mornings!

Annie - "tea bagged" today - she is still getting used to daylight saving and wishes it was all year around!

Shanny - described her attempt to swim through the rip as [insert word rhyming with "bit" and starting with "sh"  this is a family blog after all] - Shanny is looking forward to post work swims in the gorgeous evening light!

Buddy is looking forward to post work swims too - he isnt sure about the "evening walks" bit though! 

As always, stay safe, be kind, look out for and after each other and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jocelyn

 

 

Wednesday 13th September - Kindness is catching and birthday bonus!

Wednesday 13th September and the theme for todays blog is inspired by our B&B birthday mer-friends - our newest "sexagenerian" - the one and only David "DC" Collins (aka “super man” or “rock star” as he loves rocks and cant seem to stay away from them), and Brazilian-aussie, beautiful Tatiana Trevisan!    The Mermaids greeted DC and Tati with a special decorative accessory as they exited the water - then leaping into the air with unbridled joy and celebration!   A whole lot of kindness in this photo!  

Both our birthday swimmers and countless members of the B&B community exude kindness and generosity, either through support for each other, and supporting various causes and charities financially or personal time or donation of resources, including volunteer surf patrol at our beautiful piece of paradise.   Kindness is definitely catching with these two!    Infectious smiles, positivity, and ALWAYS supporting others.  

 And....All those highly sought after badges, which will be ceremoniously awarded on Sunday (see details below) - raise money for the Royal Far West!  So, those who shivered sans neoprene throughout winter to earn that coveted WWW badge also displayed kindness to others in enduring the frosty windswept mornings and glacial winter water wonderland!  

today mother nature was very kind - an increase in water temperature!   

water temperature:  16.7 degrees (and we LOVE the art work thank you guy!)

air temperature: 7.6 degrees at 7am 

conditions:  smoky, smooth-ish, slight swell

vibe:  hump day happiness

cake celebrations:  Mandatory! included today a Brazilian traditional birthday cake kindly made by Tati's sister Pri, nutty slice kindly made by Lainey and decadent double chocolate cheesecake kindly made by Paul!  The smiles of happiness and joy - what a way to start the day!  

DC volunteers his time supporting the "tour de cure"  -  bravely transforming from Swimmer to MAMIL to guide and support new riders to achieve their goals and raise much needed funds for cancer research.     A few of the B&B community have joined the rides - "Aussie Kate", Sue B, Grant M and others - not to mention  the B&B community support in donating to their fundraisers and fuelling their motivation to complete the long rides!  happy birthday DC, pictured here with Des, who is always one of the first to help others in need!

Roger, Mark & Andrew drinkwater - "different KIND of men" (of the door)... all three generously give their time to many causes - notably for Drinks (x2) careflight and mental health causes, and you will all be familiar with Roger's artwork supporting many causes! 

David, Anne and Sandy - David and Sandy drove Anne's new car from Melbourne - very kind of them!  Anne didnt swim today and treated David and Sandy to breakfast at the Shelly Beach boat house!

Susie was kindly minding Walter and napoleon who was a bit out of sorts today (despite looking cute in his "Pyjamas"!)

 

Nicci and fi - always looking out for others and live by the motto "if you can be anything, be kind"

Natasha and Mel - both give their time to volunteer to many causes.   You may see Natasha at the Addi Road food bank! 

lainey - kindness in a package - ALWAYS giving time for others, her infectious smile brightening up our days,  supporting many many causes, kindly showing anyone swimming where the cool creatures hide out AND ensuring we are all well versed in the - ahem - biology and amorous behaviours of Port Jackson sharks and cuttlefish !

Sir Basil - what can we say?   its said that canines are the best buddies - unconditional love given and received.  

As always, stay kind, spread kindness (its catching!), look out for each other and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jocelyn

PS -  finally - the time has come to collect your hard earned winter badges This Sunday (and support Royal Far West!)!!!  (although there's a case for swimming through Spring without neoprene (SWW?   SWoN?), the water really hasn't warmed up yet).... details below!

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 17th September, 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 will be accepted at this event). $5 will be donated to RFW for each badge collected at this event, 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.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/2023-winter-badge-ceremony.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 23rd August - 8 more days of winter & performance enhancements!

Wednesday 23rd August, 8 more days to achieve winter swimming badges!  

water temp:  16.2

air temp: 8.2 degrees at 7am 

conditions: flat & clear 

vibe: excited to see 2 grey nurse sharks at the bower ! And more !  And for one more week of winter ! 

8 days left (plus today) to secure winter badges!   will we see a steady stream of neoprene entering the water?      For cold water fanatics, do not fear, the benefits of cold water swimming will be with us for a few months yet.    According to the Bureau of meteorology, the water temperature is forecast to remain on the cool side (sub 20) until perhaps November, however mother nature seems to throw curve balls so we really dont know!    

another beneift of neoprene is being able to stay in the water longer to enjoy the myriad of magical sea life in the Bay.   Last weekend a few B&B crew completed a freedive course with Freediving central.    For anyone interested in non-scuba exploration, the course (level 1) is informative and insightful and the breathwork skills are also useful for insomniacs - i can attest to the benefits!   A goal for pretty much all of us was to be able to free-dive to the motor bike!    A number of the B&B community are avid free divers and their photo captures of our marine sanctuary tell so many stories...

A fun fact about free diving - did you know about a scandal involving performance enhancing drugs in a professional freedive competition (google it for an interesting commentary)?    Scroll down to the end of the blog to find out, aside from Valium, what one of the said "performance enhancing" drug was!  you may be surprised (and a little puzzled).

so, on that theme... todays swimmers were asked about their "performance enhancing" go-to "fuel" (as opposed to performance enhancing neoprene aka cheat shorts!).  

Nicci, amanda & Debbie - cold water & safety of a neoprene swim cap!  Although Nicci doesn’t need any - enhancements - before a swim! 

Fiona & Georgina - having an arm that works & “grass” - meaning the joy of the green sea grass

Some of the drinks express - Kerry, Susie, Andre & jimmy are fuelled by coffee  & the possibility of seeing grey nurse sharks (like today) although I question if anyone in the drinks express needs any sort of motivation as they seem to fuel from (friendly) competition with each other !

Super swimmer Danny is fuelled by gels 

 

mel completed 20 swims without a wetsuit today and has certainly earned her WWW badge  - well done mel!   Fuelled by a sense of achievement & accomplishment every day (including braving last weekends coldest day!)

mermaids and Manmaids fuelled by friendship & & coffee & cake after swimming & the occasional competition (no names mentioned - you know who you are ha ha )

buddy is fuelled with the thought of a new ACL - good luck buddy !  (sorry about the rotated photo - couldn't get it to load properly!)

as always, be kind, look out for and after each other, stay safe and have a wonderful wednesday!

Jocelyn

Announcement number 1: 

one of the performance enhancing substances in question was... drum roll.... viagra!  go figure!  

Announcement number 2:

2023 Winter Badge Ceremony – Sunday 17^th September at 8 am

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 17^th September, 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 will be accepted at this event). $5 will be donated to RFW for each badge collected at this event, 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.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/2023-winter-badge-ceremony.html

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 2nd August - The El Nino effect - Summer in winter - wild winter swimming & "getting high" in the aussie alps!

Todays blog is brought to you from Thredbo, where I am skiing for a few days.    Did you know that Thredbo is also a destination for "wild swimming"? and, at altitude one can truly say that they "get high" from swimming!    Last year a marvel of brave mermaids squealed with delight as they sampled the icy cold thredbo snowmaking dam and Thredbo River...  in Thredbo these feats are still the talk of the town and we "*may*" have started a trend, of sorts.....    I understand that Falls Creek also arranges an event in early winter to raise money for charity by dunking in their lake!  The Aussie alps are full of opportunities for wild swimming - please don’t swim alone & make sure you’re prepared ! 

Photo of the Thredbo River

Hot off the press:  A HUGE thank you to everyone for supporting the petition to help our beloved cuttlefish, which was tabled in the NSW Parliament yesterday (link in case you havent yet, https://www.change.org/p/taramoriarty-ban-giant-cuttlefish-spearing-in-coastal-nsw!) - a great start and hopefully momentum will be unstoppable!  

Back in Manly El Nino continues to work with mother nature to bring sublime swimming conditions: (thank you lainey for the photos !) 

water temp: 16.4

air temp: 15.4 - heatwave ! 

conditions: calm with a few bumps 

vibe: happy 

c

Sadly, El Nino is bringing summer weather to Thredbo this year.    Whilst the snow recedes revealing the beauty of the  snowgums, it also reveals an icy beast..  softening in the warming winter sun to form slushys even bigger than 7-11!   Notwithstanding, a few days in the mountains work wonders for head clearing... 

If wild swimming isnt your thing, Thredbo also has a world class leisure centre, with what the locals claim as the "worlds slowest pool", water slide and a ninja warrior type obstacle course.    it is not unusual to see Olympians and other world class athletes completing "altitude training blocks" at Thredbo (1,365m in the village). I havent swum with anyone famous - there are 2 days to  go, however!  

Winter wild swimming is enthusuastically supported around the world.

If you havent seen the movie "hold your breath", I recommend it. Free diver Johanna Nordblad attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath (Netflix).

Then there is the "ice mile" - a one mile swim in water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius or less wearing just a standard costume, goggles and one swim hat.   I believe some of the B&B community have completed or attempted or training for this amazing feat!     If you feel like its your thing, to find out more check out the website as it does recommend a doctors advice!  https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/the-ice-mile/

In iceland swimming in freezing water is called "beserking" (in 2017 I tried it, with the bribe of peppermint schnapps!) involving dunking (head under) in a stream, clothed (in contrast to the natural ultra hot springs!) - here's a picture of my friends Andrea, Paul and I in may 2017 dressed as "wonder woman", having earned the status of "Beserker" which apparently is for life. 

This is Andrea and I (dressed in wonder woman costumes, because, why not?) running towards the stream, in order to "dunk" in!

In Argentina, you can swim around the Perito Moreno glacier, in August (an organised event) where the water is between 1-2 degrees.  dont get stuck on the ice! 

Of course there is the polar plunge - in Antarctica for the South and Svalbard (or Northern Canada or Alaska) in the North.    have plunged in both and i can report that its pretty darn cold!   Literally takes your breath away!   A shot of vodka afterwards is most welcome (and a super hot shower!)

I hope you are all enjoying summer in winter, as always stay warm, be kind to each other, look after and out for each other and have a wonderful wednesday! 

Jocelyn

Announcement - in case you missed the announcement on social media:

New BnB budgies have arrived. To celebrate BnB members are being offered a 20% discount, in- store only for 2 weeks. (after 2 weeks the discount will revert to 10%)To receive this discount you must show your BNB pink cap when purchasing.

They look fantastic thanks to Georgina Hart's amazing design & generosity in donating her design to BnB, once more. You can find her amazing art at Georgina Hart art-online or at her gallery in Seaforth.

The swim suits should be available in store and online in two weeks in men’s, ladies thin strap one piece and ladies sport two piece.

In spring we will be able to do a pre-order batch if any ladies would like the thick strap design or if anyone would like towels. Dates for this pre-order will be announced nearer the time.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Wednesday 12th July - Infusing the golden winter morning light: fuelling "happy hormones" - Endorphins, seratonin & Dopamine

Wednesday 12th July - another perfect winters day with the chill of the air slowly warming as the golden sunlight rises out of the ocean.    AND its week 7 for the Winter Swim badges  - will more neoprene make an appearance, I wonder?   

I came across this poem (by "anonymous") which I feel describes the winter mornings we have been blessed with for several weeks & fuelling calmness through warming, healing, golden light (seratonin), energised by the freshness of the air and water on our neoprene-less skin (endorphins) and motivated by the winter swimming badge challenges, especially winter without wetsuit! (dopamine):

"Day’s sweetest moments are at dawn;
Refreshed by his long sleep, the Light
Kisses the languid lips of Night,
Ere she can rise and hasten on …"

This mornings conditions, again, perfection:

Water temp:15.7 degrees

air temp: 4.1 degrees at 7am (brrrrr) 

conditions: flat, calm, perfect

vibe:  happiness & pure salty joy!

The Bold and Beautiful community represents swimmers and ocean lovers from coffee dippers to elite record holders.   Their swimming journeys all started with a "seed" or, possibly more appropriately, a drop of water.    Fuelled & energised by the endorphins the cold water generates, calmed by seratonin generated by exercise, healing golden sunlight and connecting with nature, and dopamine having completed the swim, dip, etc and one swim closer to a winter badge!

Sometimes the drop of water quickly turns into a puddle, a stream and an ocean as swimmers increase distance, or time in water, or face fears of waves, currents, rips ... and sometimes the journey is slower, taking time to infuse vitamin sea and vitamin D, wonder at natures beauty and the ever changing ocean and all she brings to us.

This morning Annette completed her first B&B swim having met WOW Claire on Lady Elliot Island during a free diving course. Here is Luke manning the Welcome desk, helping Annette log in & present her with the coveted pink cap!... pre swim...

...And afterwards, on a high from the endorphins from the cold water & golden energy of the sun, calmed by seratonin and motivated by the dopamine of completing her first swim, sharing the "sauna wall" with Jo, Louise & Clare!  I think Annette will be back!

Bruce was excited to lead the "Lets go"! 

Di and Amanda are on a time schedule and hope to see a few creatures, looking for seratonin as a calm way to start their day 

Fi & WOWs are looking forward to their endorphin rush and hope to see a repeat of yesterdays display of nature - port jackson sharks & cuttlefish intimately getting to know each other!

Davina is hoping to be energised to help her through another big day at work - seratonin for calmness & endorphins to energise her day

 

Lisa, Petra, Tania, Lyndall, Luke, Georgie & David fuelling serotonin , warming up after their endorphin explosion  into the golden light - and did you know that patting a dog is also a seratonin generator as well as sunlight?   

Boris the labrador made sure EVERYONE knew that :)

“Unidentified” (for the purposes of this blog) B&B swimmer, energised and calm,  found a perfect place for his morning meeting.... 

Wishing you calmness and positive energy to get through the day & week.  Its Kind July so stay kind, look out for one another and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jocelyn

 

Reminder:  Xmas in July party & fundraiser!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 21st June - Celebrating the "Jelly Grande Departe" and what to do with a mystery box of Jellies?

Wednesday 21st June - solstice is tomorrow!   get ready!    We are also celebrating the departure of the jellies!

Wonderful Wednesday brought one of the coldest mornings this year with the mercury dropping to below zero!  The water, however was delightfully tropical in comparison at 16.3 degrees! 

water temp:  16.3

air temp at 7:00 MINUS 1.4 degrees

conditions - Lake Manly continues, clear, calm and it seems like the jellies have commenced their "grande departe" to continue their "tour de ocean" elsewhere!

with all the joviality about jellies....  this week has been like a Masterchef mystery box of jellies.  I had no idea the "comb jelly" family had so many varieties!    many photos have been posted with the correct scientific names (thanks Lainey & others who have posted correct names below photos!!),  However, did you know that some have bioluminescent properties?   If you are an early bird, and head to the bower before dawn you may be lucky to see the beauty of the jellies!

Although most of the jellies are graceful and gross blobs of goo, some jimbles clearly decided it was a masquerade party & infiltrated the "Slaps" (I think perhaps "SALP" was a mis-spelling?)  judging by all the stings on various parts of our wetsuit-less bodies (for those of us brave or stupid enough to continue the WWW quest!)

The jellies may have gone however the memories will last a lifetime....  so could we have made use of the jellies?   Like the masterchef mystery box challenges, or the Iron chef creativity challenges (who remembers Iron Chef?)?

Gemma, Vikki and Clare - Gemma and Vikki met Clare at Lady Eliott Island last week whilst undertaking a free diving course in 23 degree water!  today was  the first cabbage tree bay Bold & beautiful swim for Gemma and Vikki - and I am so glad they experienced paradise today!   They feel the best use of the jellies was to practice boxing, using them as punching bags (please dont tell greenpeace!)

Fiona and Jan - decided that jellyfish would make useful implants, Fi noted that she absolutely needs them!

Kirsty, Dave and our fabulous artist Georgina - think jellyfish would be useful as floatation in a warm bath,  in a salad or as turtle treats!

Lainey suggested that Jellies are used as Christmas lights, taking advantage of their bioluminescent properties.  Kate saw a cuttlefish nervously venturing out into the Bay to ensure there were no dolphins,  however a real life "dolphin" Leanne was in the bay training on the boards and agreed that jellies would make great implants!  Kate didn't know if cuttlefish like eating jellies, perhaps its the other way around?

Jill, Ruth (breakaway Drinks express, as they swim at 7! - they have yet to determine a more creative name although a few were bounced around today!), Drinks and Brendan all wonder why jellies were ever on this planet!

Mer people (davina, Simone, kath, sue, ian, sally, Kate, Petra, Chris & rob) resembling a line of rugged up king penguins keeping warm after another WWW swim :  for Sue, Chris and Rob the very thought of swimming sans wetsuit is enough to shudder, and that was before cold water immersion and the endorphin release!   They feel that the jellies would make lovely warm bubble tea, or be used as a weapon.  Chance the labrador wonders why he cant eat them!  

Some final words directed at all swimmers who are slowly getting through WWW or who are thinking about it - as the mercury drops it is sooo tempting to 1) stay coccooned in our doonas, or 2) stay out of the water or 3) wear a wetsuit - my encouragement is to keep at it!   3 years ago most the mer-people were swimming in the warmest wetsuits Orca sold (in my case the 3.8 enduro, thermal booties, thermal gloves and a thermal cap).   We were inspired by our Mer-friends who swam the entire year without wrenching on (and off) a wetsuit - the key is to keep at it - think of the endorphins, the joy,  the euphoria, and, ALL the other benefits of swimming in cold water, including the infusing magnesium naturally from the ocean every single swim, for those who like me have trouble relaxing and sleeping, it helps release stress, relax your muscles, promote deep sleep and, if you are spiritually minded, apparently it cleanses your aura!

Stay warm, stay kind, look out for and after each other and have a WONDERFUL Wednesday, and for those joining the solstice swim, hoping the jellies have ALL exited the bay !  

Jocelyn

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 31st May - Memorable may: Magic or madness?

Today is the last day of May - a memorable month of magic and madness. 

Magical magnificent swimming conditions thanks to magnanimous mother nature showing her midas touch with golden sunrises and like a magnified magnet, mesmerizing and manoeuvring us down the ramp into rays of liquid gold and our beautiful playground:  meditative, flat, calm, clear as a bell with LOTS of fish, cuttlefish and maddening jimbles to keep us on our toes (and fingers).   

Mother nature also delivered May madness with majestic swells, the biggest swells surfed recorded off Sydney on the dark side....   And whilst Sydney experienced mind blowing swell, I was in Portugal for a short visit to attend a family wedding, including a momentary visit to mystical Nazareh, home of the biggest wave recorded ever surfed = 115 feet or thereabouts (and the waiter at our port tasting was there to witness it!).   Of course the day I visited the conditions were magnificent for swimming and my gumby level of board skills, but melancholy for surfers.  

Today is also the day before the biggest decision of this winter - to winter without wetsuit or to keep the neoprene - and cheat shorts count as neoprene - sorry not sorry :) .. details at the end of the blog (so you must read through ha ha)..

Water temp:  17.7 degrees

air temp at 7am 8.4 degrees

conditions: merry and magnificent - soooo many fish sighted today!  

Vibe:  initial trepidation at stripping off woolly jumpers and ugg boots and entering the relative warmth of the water...

Magic:  Happy birthday blogger & magnificent photographer Caroline!

Magic: Natasha returning after a few weeks healing after a nasty foot injury!   So good to see you back swimming again and will be once again inspiring us all swimming without neoprene all winter!! 

Magic: Mermaids and manmaids infusing liquid golden energy

magic:  Kate & Sally warm up with magic hot water after their neoprene-assisted swim - they will not be removing the neoprene for winter!  

Magic and madness:  Nat (about to embark on a magnificent overseas adventure - we will miss you!), Merilee - won her age group for the brutal Balmoral burn last weekend in a mind blowing time of 2 min 35 seconds!; and Amanda who is a magic stalwart of the WOWs in so many adventurous ways!  and of course magical Bindi..

 Madness and magic adventure swims:  Manmaids Chris, Luke and Mermaid Tania swam from Avalon to Whale Beach on Sunday - they are regulars for "adventure swims" and for Chris and Luke, completed their mission to swim the Northern Beaches coastline .. (except for around North head - that would be madness!) - thankfully they all made it on sunday and apparently it was magic (wearing shark banz of course so the sharks stayed magically away!) - Chris and tania are non-negotiable neoprene, Luke must know that cheat shorts = neoprene ha ha...

magic: Liz and cathy - cathy has started "The swim set" - (https://theswimset.com.au/) a female led start up making wetsuits specifically for women.   Liz regularly swims sans wetsuit in the much colder waters of Balmoral beach!

Magic and madness:  Susanne (off to London), Shelly (returned from London) and Melissa rugged up - Susanne is joining our own Di Shaffer and others for the annual Henley Classic swim on 25th June - a 2.1km swim on the river Thames in the magic calm of dawn before the madness of the magnificent and famous Henley Royal Regatta - held since 1839 and considered one of the most prestigious events on the British social calendar, and of course pimms & champagne ...   swimmers in the rowing fraternity will be pleased to know that Australian rowing crews have, in the past, earned quite a bit of silverware at this regatta (I have been once - its certainly an experience!)

I hope you have all had a magnificent May with miracles of magic to counter the madness.. have a wonderful Wednesday, stay safe, stay kind, look out for and after each other!

See you in Joyous, Jolly, jovial, June - and you will feel jubilant as the temperature drops and you jive and jibe into the water and infuse ALL the benefits of cold water swimming!

Jocelyn

Announcement: 

Winter swimming

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). Start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify. If you don’t know how to log your swims, contact Ian ([email protected])

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three more sleeps.... Thursday 20th April

Reminder:
2 important events coming up. Hoping you can join us at both.

1. The Badges have arrived.
   This coming Sunday 23rd April our summer badge ceremony will be held at 8am at Royal Far West. Enter via the gate on the S Steyne opposite the beach. Please let us know if you are coming for catering purposes. All details on the BnB website or our FB page.
2. Anzac Day:
   Tuesday 25th April. There will be a short ceremony beachside led by Bruce Baird. Assemble on the beach just before 7am.

This week has been a bit challenging and fun in the water with a southerly surge, high tides, strong currents, rips and a few stingers but things are looking up for swims across Cabbage Tree Bay for the weekend. Today the rip was still strong but the water had calmed down a lot across the Bay - our area largely protected from the southerlies. Swimmers mixed it up and swam to their own strengths either from Manly, halfway or from Shelly Beach and some like ...... and me enjoyed the view and a walk.

 Ewan, Simon and Suzie looking forward to their Manly swim

Ian and Peter checking out the conditions

Warm in today :)

Early swimmers taking the plunge

Julie and  Vanessa chatting to Ian about the rips near the point

LSA catches up with Amelia, Sarah, Josh and Rachel a fun loving bunch calling themselves

(the Mild and Mediocre crew)

7am crew take off from Shelly on their return to Manly

** A shout out to those who might like to blog occasionally or on a regular day/fortnight we would love to have you aboard.

Thursdays or some weekends are up for grabs. Help to fill in on other days most welcome. Contact Deanna Waters, Ian any morning or

myself-Pauline Forster via the BnB FB page.

Looking forward to a good swim tomorrow. 

HRH-Pauline