DPA (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) story about the Bold and Beautiful by Sid Astbury

Sydney (dpa) - The rest of the breakfast crowd at the Bluewater café this chilly Sunday morning in Sydney are puzzling over the boisterousness of those at the trestle tables at the back.

A clue to the wide grins is the wet hair, the salty tang and the shivering: these are members of the Bold and the Beautiful and have just completed a 1.5-kilometre dawn swim in numbingly cold water from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach and back.

The club has been going since 2008 when a few friends anxious at the prospect of being alone in the Pacific Ocean prevailed on experienced swimming instructor Julie Isbill to shepherd them on an early morning dip.

Over 3,000 people have since filled out the B&B pack. Three have been on enough swims to clock up 1,000 kilometres.

There are newbies almost every day for the 7.00 am start outside Manly surf lifesaving club.

"It's just stayed exactly as it was the day it started," said Jenny Menzies.

Beyond registering and having your photo taken for the B&B album, there are no other formalities. There is no cost, no timing, no results, no starting gun. There are no rules about wetsuits, snorkels, flippers or whether you take a direct line or wander.

The tradition has grown up of breakfasting together afterwards.

Some, like Ian Forster, turn up most days. Indeed, Forster has swum every single day this southern hemisphere winter, 92 consecutive days, and without a wetsuit too.

"Every day is different," said Menzies. "You see a different fish or a different weed. Or the sand will be shaped slightly differently. I've never tired of doing it. I'll swim until the day I die."

Mortality - or, at least, remaining mortal - is on the minds of some swimmers.

Kari Baynes, a first-timer in August, swam with pool-swimming chum Lindy Woodrow, a veteran of lots of competitive ocean swims.

"I've a fear of sharks and surf," Baynes admitted. "I thought that if I do it with an experienced group, with a large number of people, I'd feel much safer. I like the fact that I felt people around me all the time."

Sharks are spotted off all Sydney beaches. Some have shark nets to deter attacks and some do not. The crossing to Shelley Beach is unprotected but while there are frequent sightings of really big fish, there have been no incidents.

In winter the ocean is calmer than in summer. Manly is a surfing beach and there can be big surf, big waves, currents and rips.

"You don't want to be swimming off the coast of Sydney on your own," Woodrow said. "Kari enjoyed it. I swam with her. She swam with other people. She's desensitizing herself to the fear of large ocean life like sharks and big surf."

Baynes, who plans to go on to competitive ocean swimming, was delighted to be in what some have said is Sydney's premiere nursery for ocean swimmers.

"That's how it felt: in a nursery," she said. "I don't mind looking at a bit of sea life, but not the sea life with the big teeth. I swam close to people. My theory is to be in the middle.

"Navigating the surf, the waves, that's going to be my next challenge."

Menzies was brought up on Sydney's northern beaches. The ocean does not scare her. What gets her out of bed for the B&B swims is the camaraderie.

"You get up, you get down there and you know you're going to see a friendly face," she said. "Doesn't it make you feel good to be alive! There's something about it that gets into every cell of your body. You can be exhausted but when you come out you feel fantastic."

Every day of the year there is a swim. Some can be really memorable. One Tuesday in July last year the group of 48 who braved the cold and the rain got to swim with a 15-metre southern right whale.

The gentle giant was so inquisitive it came close enough to some swimmers they could hear it breathe, even touch it.

Back in the Bluewater café that day the group on the trestles at the back were likely noisier, more euphoric, more boisterous and less shivery than usual.

## Internet - [Bold and the Beautiful](http://dpaq.de/H1yL1) - [Video of playful whale](http://dpaq.de/78rrQ) - [Images of playful whale](http://dpaq.de/ANEQn) - [Shelly Beach](http://dpaq.de/qCBMN)

Sid Astbury

Australia correspondent
dpa ●●● English Services GmbH

The not so Bold and Beautiful

Today saw a few firsts for me. The first open water swim since my swimming haircut, the first of the  Sydney season without a wetsuit, the first in a bikini and the first frisson of surf with the Bold and Beautiful. The haircut is brilliant, no need for large swim hats, precariously balanced goggles and no need to wrestle with tangled rats’ tails aprez swim. The water today was a refreshing 19 degrees. The two piece stayed in place. But the surf … I hang my head in shame!  There was no boldness about this B&B swimmer today. Once I clapped eyes on the big wave sets coming in I wimped out and joined the walk of shame to the ocean steps conveniently located beyond the break. I had a relaxed and pleasurable, if foreshortened, swim. So even though I was not a bold swimmer I was a happy one with no broken bones.  A new approach to the ocean is emerging I think. I wish all ocean swims had stair options!

After the swim we had our customary Bluewater brekkie tainted by a smidgeon of guilt at not having completed the full mileage. To assuage this guilt I persuaded husband Sid to take me to Clovelly where, with the millions, I plied up and down the breaker-free inlet a few times. I got a tan mark where the new two-piece sits and returned home happy with my topped-up mileage.

Swimming the Grand Canyon: What larks!

Late September saw a posse of Wett Ones on a Strel Swimming tour to Lake Powell in the US state of Arizona. Lake Powell is younger than this writer, the result of damming the Colorado River to create a 658-square-kilometre aquatic paradise in the Grand Canyon. Lake Powell defines the border between Utah and Arizona – or, as Americans say, the state line.

Before the trip I was a bit anxious; Would I  be able to keep up? Would my wonky shoulder last the trip? Was the swimming going to be good enough to justify flying to the other side of the world? Would we all get on?

Wett Ones had swimsuits made in hues inspired by the red earth and blue sky of Arizona. Squabbling over the designs – colours, cuts, sizes – didn’t bode well for us getting along on the holiday itself.

No worries! The experience was wonderful, far beyond my expectations. I kept up and my shoulder held out. I made new friends and strengthened old friendships. We all got on like a log cabin on fire.  

The holiday was arranged by Borut Strel. We were lucky enough to have his dad, Martin, with us too. Martin is known as the River Man, having swum the entire length of the Amazon. After that, splashing about in Lake Powell is like having a bath.

Our group numbered 12: seven Wettones (Lindy, Kari, Scott, Matt, Rowan, Nori and Nick), a couple from Canada (John and Francis) and from San Francisco, Mariam and Mohammad. Rounding out the group was Patty, an industrial-strength open-water swimmer from Galveston, Texas.

The tour lasted fou r days with three days swimming. We went out each day on one of two speedboats, one captained by Rusty, who has plied the placid waterway for most of his life and almost all of its life. We buddied up so we never swam alone. We were watched over on our 2-kilometres dips by Bonny on her paddle board and the two boats. Back on the boat and off to swim in another awesomely beautiful spot.  Borut’s pasta-and-salad lunches were perfect. We swam in canyons, through rocky mazes and into caves. We took thousands of photos of each other and the scenery.

 The water was clear and the lake deserted. After Aprez-swimming was a shower at the Holiday Inn hotel and then eating and drinking and having fun. Ranked highly were the Mojitos and the Japanese Chardonnay. The best dessert was the Yum Yum Bombs (Deep friend tempura Oreos with  cream and chocolate sauce). Then it was back to upload our experiences on Facebook

On the last day we had a bit of drama as the National Park was closed due to US Government shut-down. We snuck in anyway, avoiding the rangers, and swam 4 kilometres worth of quiet snaky canyons close to the marina. (As some wag said about the US government: Had Obama tried turning it off and turning it on again? That sometimes works.)

 

                        The Wetties: (L to R) Nori, Matt, Lindy, Rowan, Nick, Kari and Scott

http://www.strel-swimming.com/

 

 

 

 

Diana Nyad: Inspiration to dream

On Tuesday, 3 September, Diana Nyad completed her Xtrme Dream, a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. This was her fifth attempt. She is 64. When she got out of the water after 53 hours she had three things to say about her Xtreme Dream:

Never give up. You are never too old to realise your dream. Swimming is not a solitary sport but a team effort.

Inspirational stuff that many swimmers will relate to.  I certainly can.

I followed Diana’s progress in 2012 during her fourth attempt and shed a few tears when she had to abandon. On her fifth attempt I followed her progress again, checking twitter and her webpage every hour, sending her good luck thoughts across the webosphere. Her success affected me greatly and tears of happiness were shed this time. That evening we cracked open a bottle of champagne to celebrate her victory.

The event evoked so much emotion in me and in others worldwide. Why is this?  Her success represents triumph over adversity. It refutes the proposition that our capacities inevitably decline of age. And we want to experience the euphoria that such a great achievement must bring.

So, the dream. I want a goal, I want to overcome a challenge and I want that euphoria that comes from success. Like Diana (and Bob Dylan) I want to ‘feel forever young.’

But I think my dream might be extreme with a small x. I have thought about doable dreams but unlike Diana I have a couple of constraints. First, I am not a champion swimmer and second I can’t squander all our superannuation on my dream. So, no costly boat escorted English Channel or Rottnest swims for me.

I’m still looking but I think an open-water marathon (10 km) fits the bill. I’ll do this next year in the UK.  I’m thinking the Dart 10K looks as though it has my dream ticket on it.  But every dream needs preparation so my next little dream is a 5-km swim. It may seem small potatoes but I haven’t done a 5-km open water swim yet. I see the Berry Rickards, Penrith, has a 5km event coming up. Modest, but my dream has begun, Thank you Diana!

 

Eight and Proud – LoL8

Lane eight, the slowest lane?  Yes, I’m afraid so. The casual lane? Not! At Wett Ones Master’s Swimming the Ladies of Lane Eight (LoL8) are keen and more competitive than you might imagine.

But, first, an explanation: LoL8 is a misnomer because it is not exclusively female. We have several honorary ladies. Sadly (for the girls) the honoraries tend to be the fastest.

Josephine, Kari and Lindy compete for speed in sets. Who will be first to be a Serious Swimmer of Lane Seven (SSLS)?  Lindy, who has been with the squad for four years? The mega-effort and mega-fit Josephine, who has been with the squad for three years? Or super-keen Kari who joined eighteen months ago.

Then there’s Cecily, who has been with Wett Ones for 14 years and has the most elegant swimming style. Of the honoraries, there is Gordy the speedy youngster who would be a SSLS if he didn’t take so many holidays in Scotland or wreck his style with running; Matt, the Tama Tosser, who just needs to tweak his backstroke before qualifying for the Magnificent Seven; Michael who is a Bold and Beautiful swimmer with Bluewater-sustained endurance; Selwyn, who attends  sporadically until the ocean swims come around; and then  there is much-loved Kevin who has been out of the pool for several weeks because of illness. Everyone misses Big Kev.

The LoL8 each have their own swimming battle. Josephine is addressing the intricacies of butterfly with vengeance.  Lindy works very hard to develop and engage her core. She also tries to remember to  avoid sighting on the end of the pool (well it’s good in the ocean),  Kevin wrestles with tumble turns, Kari changes her stroke with every piece of advice and Matt is working on speeding up his backstroke.

The competition does not rest with swimming.  Kari and Lindy vie for swimming outfits, loud suits with matching goggles and hats.   Cec dons the racier of the Funkita suits and Gordy has a groovy collection of Funkytrunks. LoL8 have a weakness for Funkita and Funky Trunks.

Casual we are not. We keep to the time repeats, try to do as we are told by the coaches and have a high attendance record. We may aspire to join the SSLS and admit we will never become  Heroes of Lane Six but we are very proud to be the Ladies (and gentlemen) of Lane Eight.

The Bold and the Beautiful

The Bold and the Beautiful (From Splash-e August, 2013)

The Bold and the Beautiful is an informal ocean swimming squad in Manly. They meet at the south end of Manly Beach every day at 7am to swim around to Shelly Beach and back again. The distance is 1.5 kms. The squad includes swimmers of all abilities. Some swim in wet suits, some with flippers. Some swim to Shelley Beach and walk back while some walk to Shelley  Beach and swim back.  The squad attracts around 150 swimmers.

It’s a friendly and relaxed group that welcomes newcomers. The swim is magnificent.  The marine life in Fairy Bower Bay is gorgeous. Occasionally the squad is accompanied by dolphins. Once a whale joined the lucky 49 swimmers

Newcomers can just turn up a little before 7am outside Manly SLSC. They then register their details and have their photo taken. They are then presented with a B & B pink swimming hat which needs to be worn each swim. There is no water safety with the group. There is no timing. There are no results. There is no water or fruit at the end. After the swim many go to Bluewater Café, one of their sponsors, for a coffee or breakfast.

Swimmers can earn a Cold and Beautiful badge for winter swimming if they complete 20 swims over the 13-week winter season.   During the summer the challenges are 6-km swims and 10-km return swims to Freshwater Beach and Curl Curl.

http://www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/

 

Great rock baths in Sydney: Wylies Baths, Coogee

Wylies Baths is a 50-yard (45-metre) pool built into the rocks at the southern end of Coogee Beach. Built in 1907 by Henry Alexander Wylie, a champion distance and underwater swimmer, it was renovated 20 years ago. Wylies kept its traditional character after the refurbishment, but gained hot showers, spacious decks and a café.  

The pool is alternately drained and topped up by the tides, ensuring clean, clear water. There are fish too. Sadly, a short time ago the long-term resident octopus died.  

The waves break over the pool at high tide. And when the surf is up, swimming can be very challenging. It’s best to check the website, which is updated every morning, about the temperature and condition of the water. You may get a warning about stingers. There are lifeguards on duty.  

The café serves excellent coffee and the view of Coogee Bay from the deck is gorgeous. The pool is open 365 days a year although on weekends it sometimes closes early because of wedding parties. During the summer the pool is open 7am to 7pm and in the winter 7am to 5pm. Entry is

$4.50 for adults and $2.00 for children and pensioners. Remember a 20 cent coin for a hot shower. Parking is available and the bus routes 313, 314, 353, 370, 372, 373 and 374 will take you to Coogee.

http://www.wylies.com.au/