Glistening Dave's pano is a little different this week. See his travelogue below right, beneath the James Squire puff, to see why. This week, Dave is allowing the creative juices to run free through his nervous system. And we're the lucky ones ...
The view from Bald Hill, for which one aims on the way way from Coalcliff to Stanwell Park ... and what more beautiful part of Stray'a can there be? Well, there are plenty of beautiful parts, but this place is right up there...
Meanwhile, back at North Steyne ...
... another swim was getting under way ...
... two swims, in fact.
 What a truly spectacular place this is. The Mediterranean bridge snaking down toward the Table of Knowledge at North Wollongong, the lifesavers in the duckies laying the course, the very edge of the Illawarra Escarpment. It takes one's breath away. Several of them.
Dave wasn't at Stanwell Park, so we had to do our own pano. A reverse pano. But down south, there's plenty of pano to get. What a stunning place this is. If you call yourself an ocean swimmer, and you haven't done Stanwell Park, then you're only joking.
Spectacular backdrop, indeed, at Coalcliff, on the way to Stanwell Park. Breathe to the right, and you'll miss it.
And into the fray ...
... into the fray ...
Sheesh! Dave. We throw away our pics when they turn out like this. Maybe we should hold onto them.
Sometimes, it all works out.
Jordan Stockdale had his pitcher taken, by Dave, at Freshie, with his little one, and went straight out afterwards and bought him his first pair of goggles. Then he wrote to us, told us about it, and ordered a pair of Darth Vaders for himself. We delivererd a carton of James Squire to Jordan's door as his prize for winning the James Squire Award, and he presented us with two bottles of woin. What a nice chap! Thank you, Jordan, and we want the world to know what a nice bloke you are.
Howard Robey (right, seen here with Shivers Macartney), has a cobber in the UK who looks at this website regularly to check that Howard has come out of the water safely. At least, that was Howard's excuse for why he asked us to run his pitcher. Anyway, here he is, safely back on dry land once again.
We knew it was a race, but was that the prize?
Dave comes down from his high. But are they Maui Jim's?
Enjoying the free Hahn Super Dry at Stanwell Park: three guzzlers, Terry McGee, Cyril Baldock (in full training for the World Masters Open Water this month in Perth), and Betty Ann Barnett, a regular visitor from Hawaii ...which leads us to...
Our travel packages to Hawaii this August-September cater to the discerning, more mature ocean swimmer. Indeed, to anyone who wants to stay comfortably at swim HQ, have their transfers covered, and enjoy life in one of the world's most fun destinations. Maui Channel and Waikiki Roughwater ... Click here for info ...
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The Grand Dame of the Sea: Dame Sybil, Miss Finland, back in the water again after recovering from a perforated eardrum suffered during Bronze Medallion training. Good to have you back, you old Duck! (That's how Sybil referred to herself the first time we met her.)
What lies beneath: we've been trying to get a pic of what lies beneath in Cabbage Tree Bay for years, and here, Mrs Sparkle gets it the first time she ventures into the place with a camera. Well done, yourself, Speckles.
Indeed, what lies beneath include some very weird creatures, indeed.
Da boyss.
 The Stanwell Park swim was one of the first outings for the new oceanswims.com Super Booeys -- 2.1 metres tall, and marking the course very well, indeed. Not to mention leaving their mark on the surrounding world.
 An artist at work: Fifi la Stupenda. What did the artist see? What do you see? We probably all see something different.
Some of these pics, the ones that embarrass Fifi la Stupenda, were taken by fellow artist Jane Gillings. Gee, we have a lot of artists in ocean swimming! Jane's field is making art from used materials, much like the reverse garbage we hear about on primary school spectaculars. She's very good at it, indeed. Jane was included in Sculpture by the Sea and, very shortly, we understand, Jane will have her own exhibition on somewhere in Sydney's inner city. We'll keep you posted. All this art stuff tells you something about the nature of ocean swimmers. We're still working it out what it is, mind you.
Must hurry, must hurry, to get up the beach to get my free Hahn Super Dry ...
The Helensburgh Stanwell Park boys did a sterling job in dispensing the free Hahn Super Dry to the mob: it's one thing that's sure to get them lined up uncomplaining. Thank you, Hahn Super Dry.
This is the other thing we'll run up the beach for any time: a tree load of Mrs Sparkle's cupcakes, especiaklly made for Tacoma Jim's birthday lunch after North Steyne.
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The James Squire Bleedback
Send us your Bleedback on The Rock to Rock Swim, or on anything else on which you'd like to vent your spleen ... so long as it's related to ocean and open water swimming. Loosely related, anyway. Maybe someone who has something to do with the feedback swims, or swam once upon a time. Or maybe they know someone who swims. Or they might live near a beach. The Bleedback section is for swimmers to raise issues and make constructive comments about ocean swimming matters.
Our winner this week? Michael Pegum, who had a whinge about Freshwater but added a mightily constructive sting in his tale about how he's using his ocean swimming season to raise funds, through everydayhero, for The Shepherd Centre. Contact us (click here), Michael, and we'll be delighted to arrange for a carton of James Squire to be pointed in your direction.
Click here to read Michael's Bleedback
The best Bleedback email each week wins a case of James Squire beer, courtesy of Malt Shovel Brewery.
Read Bleedback already received.
The annual, season-ending oceanswims.com organoleptic evaluation at the James Squire Malt Shovel Brewery in Camperdown will be held on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
All Bleedback winners and their "partners" are entitled to attend, plus others who wish to make up the numbers. So email us (click here) and we'll put your name down. Don't leave it too late, because space strictly is limited.
We'll award the prizes for the Hahn Super Dry Fine Ocean Swimmers Series and the Fine Ocean Swimmers Tallies 2007/08 at the Malt Shovel night. |
Good pics by Glistening Dave, Mrs Sparkle (who snapped the shark that we've been trying to snap for years) Tacoma Jim, Jane Gillings and oceanswims.com.
RESULTS
BLEEDBACK
Glistening Dave's trip to Canberra ...
... a travelogue from a humble man ... on a lightning visit to the national capital to collect his portrait, a finalist in the National Portrait Competition at the Old Parliament House, which we remember as "the office", many years ago ...
When we heard of Dave's planned trip, we accused him of being ego-driven. It cut him to the quick. He gave us the finger. Feigned indignation ...
We didn't mean it, Dave. It was banter ... but read Dave's travelogue for yourself. Paul Theroux? Jan Morris? ... you be the judge ... And click the image below to see Dave's portrait in all its glory ...he's a very clever lad, is our Dave...
Now, read on to see how Dave consigned his ego to the boot ...
Gidday,
Traveled to Canberra today, to collect my <it's just ego>.
lighting the stairs to old parliament house, to be greeted by 2
beautiful young girlies, I was ushered to the portrait gallery, and
there amongst many other carefully wrapped egos, was my small and
tightly bundled, in bubble-wrap-with-a-label..........I was allowed
collected and sign for my ego!
Aaahh, how happy is a man in life, to collect his ego, securely bound
in bubble-wrap!
With my ego under my arm, and a smile on my face, I descend the
stairs, back, past security, who smiled at my ego, to the car, and
lifting the boot, I slid my ego in carefully to rest in the back.
I knew the trip to Sydney now would be safe for my myself and my ego,
barring a disaster with a head-on with a semi.
The Canberra sun shone, the sky was blue, the air had an autumn
crispness that caressed the skin, and my ego was safe in bubble-wrap!
Next stop, the National Gallery, a Turner to Monet exhibition which I
hurried through, to spend as much time in the book shop, aaaahhh art
and photography books, never enough.
Which has inspired me to send in the (accompanying) pics, not sure how you
will respond, nor your devoted readers, but hope you see fit to put
them up ...
Cheers.
Dave
The ubiquitous Smithy -- a gentleman is always amongst friends.
What does a red-blooded Aussie bloke do when he's offered a free grog? If you're Ron Massaar, you sip it tenderly. Thank you, Hahn Super Dry!
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