Pacific Jules

Wednesday 8 January - oh where oh where did the bluebottles go?

Bluebottles - the "blue peril", "little f&ckers" whatever we call them seem to have taken themselves on another adventure aftetr wreaking havoc on the weekend, together with their sharky friends.  So, where do they come from, and where do they go?  The answer, my friend, is actually blowing in the wind!

Speaking of wind, it has swung south, meaning the bluebottles have drifted away to  - who cares?  However the southerly also brought brilliant (albeit moody) conditions to our piece of paradise for those who infused vitamin Sea this morning.

water temp:

air temp:

conditions: Sublime, moody

vibe: all smiles

Many of you may have seen the post on the B&B and in newsfeeds for yet another study on Bluebottles, to assist in predicting when their blue armies may make an appearance (and the life guards and life savers can be prepared for an influx of a variety of pained expressions!) - c.40,000 of them actually recorded this last year!  

Here is the article in case you are interested:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-25/bluebottles-prediction-nsw-beaches-what-to-do-if-stung/104758648

a few type 2 fun facts about bluebottles that you may not have known but which may explain the varying degreees of pain.

• bluebottles are from the Jellyfish family (siphonophores) and a bluebottle is actually a "metropolis" (actaully the scientific term is colony but its really a thriving "smart" city!) of four kinds of individuals in the "zooid" family
• the zooids support each other and are interdependent
• the pretty blue "bubble" (the pneumatophore) supports the colony
• the pretty long thin tentacales (which can be metres long) detect and capture "food" which include larval fish and small crustaceans and mollusks - as the pretty blue bubble floats on the surface, the long blue tentacles silently descend, thereby capturing said food (and the odd arm and leg and foot and face and other human body parts)
• there are also digestive and reproductive zooids - all co dependent on one another for survival (what if we could separate them???)
• Bluebottles are prevalent pretty much all of Australia except less so in the top end, perhaps the crocs eat them? or the Irukanji (the most deadly marine stinger) kills them?  
• The Bluebottle also belongs to the phylum Cnidaria, which includes corals and sea anemones (i cannot think of a bigger contrast - all are beautiful however the bluebottle is also a beast!

Interestingly, the "floats" are like sails on a yacht and are angled towards the right or left, to maximise downwind efficiency (for sailors, this is like VMG or velocity made good - perhaps a new sail design in the making?). This is a clever evolution to ensure that only 50% of the bluebottles can be stranded on shore, leaving the remaining to wreak havoc somewhere else.  That said, it is hypothesized by scientists that the pneumatophore can alter the "shape" of the float or sail (and therefore direction) by a bit of muscular contraction - kind of like trimming the sails on a yacht.

That all said, a few general observations have been frequently shared on social media and the B&B pages to help you identify days when its safer to swim harbour side (within the shark net of course!):

• Bluebottles tend to be blown into Sydney beaches by North Easterly breezes, and exacerbated if the swell is also from the North East
• The Nor Easters are prevalent in summer however increasingly also bringing the blue peril in spring

Treatment:

Straight from "Beachsafe" (https://beachsafe.org.au/surf-safety/bluebottle).  As there are no public hot showers on Manly beach, the lifeguards will often announce a recommendation to run the sting area under cold water or applying cold packs or ice. There are several cold water showers along Manly Beach.  IF you can access hot water (noting no public hot water facilities on manly beach) then run hot water over the sting, as hot as you can manage.  If you believe you are having or will have a reaction, seek medical attention ASAP.   

Hopefully the study mentioned above will, by next summer, be able to assist in predicting when Bluebottle armies are likely to arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not so lousy

It's Thursday and I forgot I was blogging. While I took some nice video footage (which will be on the B&B FB page) I didn't take any photos.

Fortunately Edwina did. A beautiful Shovelnose ray.

 

Here she is again before the main event (you don't want to know but lets say the child was being prolific today)

Later swimmers

And barista extraordinaire, Vitor

 

What am I listening to? This is Shonen Knife, a Japanese 3 piece female band that has been around for a looooong time. They are kind of the love children of 60s girl groups and The Ramones (they are big fans). They will be in Australia soon. Here they are performing Scattergun with CJ Ramone

Wet, cool and clear

Light winds and a moderate southerly swell with a shortish period brings relative water clarity which makes swimmers, divers, snorkellers, photographers and beginner surfers happy.

Lots to see under water but first here's some swimmers coming in as I was going out (late again but wha hey I'm semi retired)

I spent quite a bit of time watching this cormorant hunting for a feed.

The usual suspects

And last but not least

 

What am I listening to? This is very early Skyhooks from a concert at the Sydney Opera House in 1974. This is one of the 6 songs from their first album, Living in the Seventies that was banned from radio airplay. Enjoy.

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 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

 

 

 

 

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 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 25th January - Burns night (day) - Oidhche na Taigeise, and fundraising for MND

Wednesday 25th January - and its Burns night (day) when Scottish all over the world celebrate Scotland's much loved Poet, Robert ("Rabbie") Burns.  Not to be confused with our very own manmaid Rob Burns!

Burns wrote about nature, and the sea is a key theme in many of his poems so its fitting that we celebrate him today with a swim.  On my part, i didn't appreciate poetry of any sort when forced to study it at school ( I loathed it and didnt see the point), however I have since found a new appreciation and one of my favourites from Mr Burns is "My Bonnie Bel".

Today we were fortunate to have Barry Gray from "Pipers of Distinction" (https://www.pipersofdistinction.com/ if you are interested in a piper at your next function!) piping the swimmers into the water.    Thank you Barry for supporting the Bold & Beautiful and for your beautiful piping!

We also had Alan Mitchell bravely swim with us today in Scottish Flag speedo's and a tartan bonnet raising money to support those suffering from and research into a treatment for the debilitating Motor Neurone Disease, which progressively damages the nervous system, eventually leading to paralysis.    Awareness has improved over the years, however, as yet, no cure.  MND has touched our community so any funds raised are welcome. 

Alan has joined a global fitness challenge, "Doddie aid" named after a Scottish Rugby international Doddie Weir, diagnosed in 2017 and recently passed away.  Alan's fundraising page, as part of a "Scots in Australia" team should you wish to support to find a cure, is

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alan-mitchell22?fbclid=IwAR1xCzgNYXgDzeXBcVwnvIfXJXUCV0M9elVbrITzgYukgGICm_BFGj-e35g

https://www.justgiving.com/team/scotsinoz

 

You might have seen Mike Tindall in the UK taking a dunk in his Australian Budget Smugglers in an English pond, all in the name of finding a cure for MND! - https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20230103160838/mike-tindall-braves-dip-budgy-smugglers-doddie-aid/

And we were privileged to receive a message of support from none other than the Scottish Rugby team captain and Doodie aid founder Rob Wainwright!   A shout out from the Isle of Coll in Scotland, where the water temperature hovers around 7 degrees - winter without wetsuit would indeed be a challenge (by comparison, todays water temp a balmy 22.7 degrees!)! 

Message here (hope it plays Ok!)

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Management getting into the Scottish spirit!

Traditional celebrations for Burns night should you wish to take note today or for the future, include:

• Piping guests into your celebration (today, our swim)
• Addressing the Haggis whilst reciting Robert Burns poem of the same name (for those not in the know, haggis is a type of black pudding - because I am squeamish I shall not recite the ingredients, suggest you consult good old Google for that one!) - as a child of Scottish heritage, I was exposed - so to speak - to Haggis; suffice to say I will not be partaking.   
• supper of Scotch broth, cock-a-leekie soup or Cullen skink, haggis & Cranachan for dessert (kind of like an Eton Mess - so I would definitely love it)
• singing (including Auld Lang Syne), dancing and poetry
• The ‘toast to the lassies’ - not really PC these days; men make fun of the women, and women reply similarly making fun of the men. 
• a whisky toast (some of us may have partaken this morning!) Slàinte Mhath!  whilst our own Rob Burns recited his namesakes poem "scotch drink"

A few other fun things perhaps you may not have known about Robert "Rabbie" Burns:

• he inspired American writer John Steinbeck (through his poem "To a mouse") and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (through his song "A red, red rose"
• he was fond of supernatural stories, and wanted to move to Jamaica! 
• he was known as a "ladies’ man" - at 15 he wrote his first song, ‘O Once I Lov’d (A Bonnie Lass)’ to impress a girl called Nellie. Three years later he took dance classes to impress another lass. He fathered 12 children with four different lasses during his lifetime, including nine to his wife Jean.   He died at 37 a few days before his last child was born :(

and as for our own Rob Burns?   common traits shared with his namesake are limited to a love of whisky & the ocean, and here are a few more fun facts!:

• Fave Burns poem ‘Macphersons farewell'
• Have been swimming since I was 8 years old…. I broke my shoulder and my orthopaedic surgeon recommended swimming as a remedial exercise until I finished growing…. My father interpreted that as being Full Time Training which lead to 9 times per week (edit: and it shows with his constant quest to "win" the race back to the point every day!)
• Most interesting place I have swam is the Nanda Blue Hole in Vanuatu - the water was so clear and the viability limitless…. It was like swimming in lead crystal
• I never thought I could live in Sydney but I think I could spend the rest of my life in Manly

Apparently there is a Scottish swim group, the "Scottish turtles" who are fans of Burns' poetry, especially "up in the morning early" so its fitting that the Turtle was spotted today between the point and the Shed!

I hope you all enjoyed being piped into the water and reciting a few poems & celebrating Burns day!

Have a wonderful Wednesday - stay safe, stay kind, look out for one another!

Jocelyn

PS - remember 7am Australia day swim tomorrow and the 2022 Swimmer of the year will be announced! And, importantly the cake stall to raise money for lifeline!  

 

Wednesday 23rd November - Irish Eyes, Lots of "Aye's"

Wednesday 23rd November - is it the luck of the Irish and the return to the fold of Irish mermaid Ciara Gaffney that Mother Nature brought us (almost) fabulous swimming conditions today?    Even the Palmie surf boat chose our beautiful bay to train in the golden morning light ! 

The tumult of the last few days has disappeared (but for how long?).  The westerly onslaught has kept the ocean flat, the wind is now but a whisper, the weed seems to be making its way back out to sea and the "coastal upwelling" has cooled down the water, bringing back ALL the cold water benefits (and lots of neoprene!).

Water temp: 16.5 degrees

air temp: "felt like" 6.7 degrees at 6am

conditions: Flat, almost perfect, bit murky

vibe: generally happy - lots of smiles on wonderful wednesday!

Coastal upwelling is why we have been seeing a return to "winter swimming" water temperatures and the return of neoprene en masse the last few days.....  as strong gusty westerly & south westerly winds literally straight across the Bite from Antarctica push the warmer surface water out to sea, and cooler deeper water happily takes its place.  

Lots of "Aye's" this week:  Sue Marrinan 7000 km (wow!), Manmaid Rob and Pri said "Aye do", and the Irish eyes of mermaid Ciara Gaffney (below with mermaids!) returned to the fold.

 

Given we have water temperatures more akin to Ireland than manly at the moment, I thought Ciara could give the BB swimmers an insight as to what its like to swim in Ireland!!  

Ciara started sea swimming at 17 in Tramore (meaning "big beach") in county waterford (yes, THAT crystal), in South East Ireland.   The water temperature hovers around a balmy 14-19 degrees in summer, and 8-10 degrees in winter.  So, Ciara felt right at home when she started swimming with Bold & Beautiful in 2020 with the Mermaids and Manmaids and the Lunchtime swimmers.   She felt the same fear as most of us on our first time swimming in the open Aussie ocean, and she also felt the warm camaraderie, encouragement, friendship and embrace of the B&B community and learned to channel her fear into awe and wonder.    

Last year, Ciara returned to Ireland.  However, her love for swimming remained and she found places to swim, buddies to swim with and some awesome events like the Great Fjord swim in Galway, the 40 foot in Dublin, Salthill in Galway, Bray in Wicklow, Vico in Dalkey (for U2 fans - near Bono's house!) and the Aran Islands (yep Aran of THOSE knitted jumpers). 

Ciara describes Irish sea swimming as a "daily free wim hof" experience (and no sharks!  ask her about the time she swam so fast back to shore after a beach announcement in manly!).  Despite the water being so much colder, necessitating a wetsuit, under that wetsuit Ciara always proudly wears her B&B swimmers or other Budgy Smugglers as a reminder of magical Manly  and the friends & camaraderie of the B&B she misses, and we miss her too!  if you are travelling to Ireland and in need of a swimming adventure Ciara will be a wealth of information! 

The Great Fjord swim in Galway, Ireland is 9/9/2023 if you are interested!  Linky thing here:  https://gaelforceevents.com/en/the-great-fjord-swim-info - from Ironman (3.9km) to an enticer 750m there is something for everyone!   Thats an "Aye" from me one day!

And, lastly, today, Chance Aye'd off coffee as usual......

  

As always - stay safe as the dreaded "virus which cannot be named" once again infiltrates our beautiful city, stay sane, look out for each other, be kind and have a wonderful Wednesday! 

Jocelyn

now for the public service announcements:

Christmas Party

The B&B Christmas Party is now fully booked. If you would like to put your name on the waitlist, can you please contact Ian ([email protected]). Similarly, if you have booked tickets that you can no longer use, can you also contact Ian. Thank you.

 

Budgie Smuggler Random Swimmer of the Month

The Budgie Smuggler Swimmer of the Month for October is Marianne Gould. Marianne will receive a voucher for a new pair of Budgy Smugglers from the Budgy Smuggler shop. To be in the running for Swimmer of the Month, all you have to do is log your swims. The winner is selected randomly from all those who have swum at least once during the month. The more times you swim the more chances you have to win the prize. So start logging now. If you don't know how, just email Ian, [email protected].