Convent To Main Beach Ocean Swim, Yamba, Sunday, December 30, 2007
Big seas at New Year
Venue switch, but the swells roll through

Yamba’s Main Beach is the sort of beach you can bring your entire family to. A small, intimate and very friendly place where the locals, blow ins (like me) and tourists can watch their babies crawl on the sands, the young children charging in on their surf mats or for the older folks catch a lovely 1-2 foot wave in the warm waters close the exit of the Clarence River. Around the corner from Main Beach is Convent Beach, so named as it used to have a Convent on the hillside above the small tidal beach (at high tide there is no sand). Now the reason for the protracted introduction is that the Convent to Main Beach swim (about 1km) is a brilliant short swim from one picturesque place to another. Warm water, glorious location, post-swim BBQ and Gold Medals (supplied in full and light strength) all available under the clubhouse after the race. In recent years, with the growth of the sport, the surf club included a 2km swim that travels out to the Break Wall across to the point off Convent Beach, into Convent and back into Main. Two swims, a Steak sandwich and a beer/lemonade in Yamba! How much better could it get??

Now, I hope they send you some photos because I am lost for words to describe the conditions. The only word that comes to mind was “scary, really scary”. I like it to be a bit rough because it gives the ocean swimming journeymen/women a bit of chance against the pool swimmers/squad trainers. Not that I have anything against the squad members, but being passed like I’m standing still by all and sundry in calm conditions kind of dents the old ego. It is nice to see those not so in tune with the conditions stop and look around, start slowly as a big set stops the pack and slow down coming in.

Now where was I ahh yes “scary, really scary”. It would have taken more than a convent full of nuns to save anyone (with prayer) that tried to swim from Convent to Main Beach. So, luckily for Yamba Surf Club, plan B was executed. Whiting Beach is located behind the Break Wall in the River (named for obvious reasons served with a side of chips -- yum). How good is that? Very few other swims would have had this good a plan B. Except for one small loophole. Umm.. I forgot to get my cap and number from back at the Surf Club (aaarrrrgggghhh…). Mad dash back over the hill with two small children in tow….

A simple yet foolproof plan B with two swims 750m and 2km in the estuary. One lap for the 750m and two for the 2km with the extra distance in the 2km made up with the final turn. Okie dokie swim out to buoy turn left and swim down the river to the 2nd buoy, 2nd buoy, 2nd buoy.... where is the 2nd buoy? There it is, nope there it goes… the massive surf and incoming Xmas king tides had moved the buoy and all the first peloton had got caught in the current and had an extra 200m added to their race. Ahhaaa journeymen 1, pool swimmers nil!! Back up to the middle buoy and in!! How good was that, maybe I got a place in all the confusion with the currents?

Now, one of the troubles with Ocean Swimming is you finish the race, get your time and feel great. You feel like you’ve had a great swim and finished with a respectable time. That is until you see the times that the winners do…. back to the black lines we go…… In the men’s, the local duo of Jacob Lollback and Hugh Dougherty fought a closely watched duel and from feedback from the spectators (I was just passing the first buoy at the time) it appears that the 5m beach sprint (yep only 5m dash) is what got Jacob across the line. More sprint work Hugh. In the girls’, the standout winner all day was Shannon Hulbert-Green (see below 2km analysis).

Now, for the uninitiated a hint for all non Ocean Swimmers. When you get to the beach and see all these people swimming out to the first buoy and you wonder why when there is going to be a lot of time in the water here’s a handy hint. They do it to get a high sight point so you don’t have to keep looking up all the time. So, in this case there was a channel marker for the second and fourth buoy making at least two of the legs easier and helped combat the current. Where was I, okay away we go…

Once again a lovely swim with the odd wave pushing up the channel to help confuse people on the up river leg and a couple of laps in the river. Hugh and Jacob pushed each other all the way again with Hugh Dougherty pipping Jacob on the line and (my apologies for not writing down his name) but some 42yr old bloke coming 3rd by a few seconds….. (it was David O’‘Brien, a frequent conributor to the oceanswims.com Feedback/Bleedback page, and the owner of the Bleedback back:os.c)

I was beaten by 6 odd minutes…. Jees….that isn’t right. Someone get that man a full time job… Shannon Hulbert-Green passed me on the upriver leg at about the 1.3km mark. For a minute there I thought it was Molly Schafer (you will see her regularly on the podia in Sydney) so I called a hello. I think I confused poor Shannon who stopped for a second. Sorry Shannon. Two other girls in 2nd and 3rd spots had a little trouble with the currents on the 2nd last leg (ha haaa journeymen 2, pool swimmers nil) but did you have to use me as a launching pad around the 2nd last buoy. How humiliating….. I was malachi crunched (if you haven’t seen Happy Days sorry for the 70s humor)…

After the 2km, was the Dash for Cash for the men and ladies. Jacob once against showed his sprint prowess and Shannon was just too strong. Once the races were finished it was back to the Clubhouse for an afternoon of presentations, BBQ, giveaways, prizes, lucky door prizes that included a couple of weeks in Yamba (lucky sods) and of course for the over 18s the odd refreshment.

Now I’m told by the rumor mill that the presentations continued well into the afternoon but this is only a rumour…. All I can say is that the Yamba swim is a worthwhile event to get to. It will be run no matter what and the locals are just fantastic. Even Cribby isn’t too bad once you’ve done a few laps in “stinky pool” at 6am. Just don’t take his lane. Thanks to everyone and see you next year.

Alex Prendergast

Pics by Jon Bunch,
Clarence Valley Review

RESULTS