Sunday, February 21, 2010

Little Half Moon Bays... Classics in the making...

Every now and again, a swim comes along that deserves the description as a "classic". It's an appelation given out all too readily, and too often claimed by organisers without any justification whatsoever. Some even call themselves a "challenge", when they are not remotely that, either. Sometimes, but, it's deserved. the Malabar-Little Bay Challenge is one such swim. Yes, it's certainly a challenge. And, in time, it will grow to a classic.

This swim didn't attract the swelling numbers of other recent swims. But this swim was not a dinky paddle into and out of a sheltered beach. The surging growth in the sport of ocean swimming is in the 1km events in NSW. Hardly surprising. That's the kind of event that new swimmers will find palatable, not too intimidating. For those new swimmers, Malabar-Little Bay (Long Bay-Little Bay) is daunting, intimidating, we expect.

This swim offered something to most swimmers: a long, flat, straight stretch at the start, appealing to pool swimmers, a rolling, turbulent middle, when the swells picked us up and thrust us forwards, after rolling us pitching pell mell sideways as we rounded the point, and a gentler finish, squeezing us through a relatively narrow gap over reefy bottom, taking care to avoid the surf crashing onto the rock platform at Little Bay at the end.

Whew! What a good swim. And how good to be able to roll around the point to the clever, levitous, yet professional commentary of Mike Westdorp and HG Nelson. Give us Roy and HG over Eddie and Mick any day.

In Port Phillip Bay, Aquagirl says they changed the course at Half Moon Bay (Cerberus). It was a tough swim, she says.

But what did you think? Click the comments link below to tell all...

24 comments:

  1. As Os.c so aptly described , this swim was a very "honest swim" and not for the novice swimmer, thus it would have been totally OK for me not to do this swim, BUT for the near perfect conditions, sun, flat water (well at 8.30am at least) and water temp of 23+. I just had to swim it. And it was spectacular, the well spaced out waves at the start ensured more clear water than I have experienced in a long time. The awesome swell out past the headland was like a roller coaster..one airswing followed by two gulps of water, pure joy!! The finish a dream. All up a fab day in the ocean. One area of improvement for next year: more bouys to set sight on and maybe the board people could point the direction, it was a bit hard to spot the markers in the big swell.

    thanx to all involved

    C

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  2. This was a tough swim. It was a true open water experience. The swell was bouncing off the point and making every breathing stoke an effort.

    I think this was the best organised ocean swim out of the 10 I have done. The logistics of the entry beach being different to the exit beach was managed seamlessly. Travelling by bus from the registration point (Little Bay)to the entry beach (Malabar) carrying our bag which was then ferried back to Little Bay seemed odd but it worked. The shade trees at Malabar were very welcome while waiting for the later waves.

    The sausage sizzler's efficiency meant only a brief wait in the queue. Since most people at both beaches seemed to be involved in the swim it had a nice atmosphere. More swimmers should try the swim but be aware it is more strenuous than most, even on a mild day. Usual complaint about the buoys... too few and too far apart. Otherwise outstanding.

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  3. Can't agree more.

    Arrived to collect my cap, tag and goody bag with minimal fuss. On the bus for a pleasant ride to malabar to be greeted with 9.2/10 conditions (apparently) along with the dulcet tones of Mr HG Neslon (who needs Keneally)

    Apart from losing an ear plug in warm up, first leg of swim was a perfect start for the not insignificant swell that greeted us/me just before the first right hand turn (Was further out than it looked)

    Lots of friendly sea life to see on the way in, whilst trying to avoid swimming into the rocks on either side. The pink marker on the cliff was a big help as the dog leg on the way in seemed simple to navigate looking from land, but was difficult to judge with the rolling swells.

    Finished off with some fantastic fruit and possibly the worst tasting sports drink ever...it must be good for you if it tastes that bad?

    And all this for $30!!

    Only things that come to mind are giving the goody bag at the end and a bit better signage for parking. Once this swim takes off, that street will turn into a log jam...



    Cheers


    Tom Baker

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  4. I should also say, big ups to the two lads with hoses to wash everyones feet at the top of the stairs...what service!

    TB

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  5. I agree - the Malabar swim is a real jewel. Hard to see it not being one of the highlights once people know more. Too many of the swims are over-protected, cutting out the adventure of it all. Not this one.
    Re the course, thought the first leg was too long, although not much they could have done about it given there was a big rock wall in the way. The end phase was spectacular

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  6. I loved this swim. The organisation was superb, but the organisers still managed to create the feeling that everything about this event was pleasant and understated. A welcome change from the hype of other overstated swims this year.

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  7. Malabar-Little Bay was great. I loved the long straight at the start; 1.3km by my reckoning before you've met the first turning buoy; ie you've had to cover about half the course before making a turn. This gives you the chance to settle in amongst swimmers of your own pace; waves were well separated, so no real log jams. A nice challenge out in the open water around the headland - peering into the deep abyss, being tossed around by the rolling swell, with the sun reflecting down on those plankton thingies, schools of bait fish, swimming underneath and the occasional tickling from jelly fish.. The run into Little Bay is a treat, although I learnt not to make a b-line for the finish line. I thought this swim had a real sense of community about it - I think it's a treat to go in a swim with so many smiling, helpful volunteers, obviously driven by the charitable cause that the swim was planned for. Well done Murray & co.

    John B

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  8. Malabar-Little Bay was an excellent swim! Great weather, challenging course and very well organised...probably the best of all ocean swims. Thank you Murray Rose, well done. The fact this one is all for charity also gives it more meaning and solid community feel.

    Destination swims are the best and this one in particualr is up there. Calm before the storm...long straight in pool like waters, before the exposed ocean pushes you round, continue along the point for what seems like an eternity and then swimming into a beatiful little bay.

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  9. A great swim and true test for swimmers of all ages. Either more buoys or more (active) safety personnel might be an idea. In the swell it was very hard to see the distant buoys and unfortunately the swimmer I was following turned out to be not following anyone. We ended up about 200m east of one of the coastal buoys before a member of safety came to redirect us. And, of course, the second buoy was lying flat in the water!
    Otherwise very well organised and the professional commentary was more entertaining than the usual (no doubt) well-meaning amateurs.

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  10. There was a lot that was brilliant about this swim - but one important thing was missing, alas.
    The course was a gem. The day was perfect. Organization outstanding.
    Didn't get to see all the buoys but I knew I was still on track when I passed Paul E and his camera, and after all as long as there was some sort of continent on your right things couldn't be too badly awry. Battling the current between the last two cans was a nice new twist.
    But compared with last year there was a glaring omission.
    I can sum it up in three words.

    Wot? No salps?

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  11. Best ocean swim ever! A real ocean swim - straight out to sea, thoughts of the film Gattaca came to mind. Rounding the orange bouys with fun gentle roller coaster surf I got disoriented as I watched the cliffs and then I looked up and saw a pink strip ahead and realised I was heading directly into Little Bay. Continuing further, the golden gate appeared - the two yellow marker bouys to guide swimmers safely to the beach. Great sense of achievement and fruit never tasted so delicious.

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  12. Could not agree more with the comments above, Well done to Murray Rose in staging an event that showcased every thing that's good about ocean swimming.

    Over time this swim will indeed become a classic and i'm very happy to have been part of the first full running of this event. It's a top addition to the longer distance events over a interesting course and its good to have a south side challenger to The Big Swim. I reckon in 'meaty chop' this swim could be an epic! Shame the numbers seemed a little light, but the whole atmosphere surrounding the day was great. Nice vibe in the water too as getting around the cans and finding a bit of space to relax and roll along was a breeze.

    Big shout out to HG too, always fantastic to hear him on the beach - I was chuckling most of the way around re his comments on a "no stop Central to Malabar tram line"....genius

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  13. Hey Alun, I wouldn't have minded a bit of genetic engineering to help me spot the bloody conical buoys after the right-hand turn.

    I found the swim tough going and I'm wimpy enough to admit it. The waves heaved like a drunk on Manly Corso, so I couldn't get any sort of rhythm happening.

    And I hate swallowing salt water (the sewage outlet might be 3.6 km out to sea, but I bet there's some backwash).

    The organisers were gorgeous, the atmosphere was fantastic thanks to HG Nelson and the other bloke (love the word 'levitous'), the water was beautiful and I did see a school of enormous fish as I gargled the Tasman.

    OK, maybe it wasn't that bad after all.

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  14. Yeah I did a bit of a double-take when I saw that huge school of fish (yellowtail?) off the headland at about the half-way mark.
    I looked down and realised that I had joined a shoal of one hundred thousand fish, with me being the most fattest and juiciest creature in the school. Then I looked up and saw I had wandered off course and was swimming my own course about 50m from the nearest swimmer.
    I quickly adjusted course and zig-zagged back to the safety of the pack.

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  15. I've only done the Palm/Whale swim once and I thought this was just as arduous although the swim home was a joy - helped in by the current between the rocks, able to enjoy the marine life because the hardest part of the swim was behind me. I could only see one other swimmer while I was rounding the headland, tossed in the swell and not sure where I was, except I knew I was a long, long way from shore and it was very, very deep. This got me moving - shoulders & arms sore today. After I finished, I felt I had achieved something. I loved this long swim and will definitely be back next year.
    (Agree about HG - I usually get a bit anxious prior to a swim but a few laughs fixed that.)

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  16. Yes! What a great swim indeed?

    The course can certainly be compared to such great journey swims as the time honoured Palmy to Whalo Big Swim, Foster's Club2Club or the relative newcomer of similar vintage to yesterday's Long Bay to Little Bay event, The Tama2Cloey.

    But in terms of organisational excellence, The Malabar event wins, as HG would put it "pants down with daylight in second place".

    However I too found it a bit hard to spot the distant bouys, even with my new fangled View prescription goggles; but not impossible due to the wise choice of colours. So I must join the chorus: "get the shape of the bouys right please!"

    On the subject of nomencalture, I feel compelled to have my two blob's worth as well. The labels "classic" and "challenge", whilst entirely appropriate (particularly the latter) to describe yesterday's event, are far to hackneyed. HG reckoned yestdy that it should be called "The Long Bay to Little Bay Fantastic.... get up in the morning and say: I'm gonna swim The Fantastic today." Truly a great line of thinking.

    But as I've stated many a time, I reckon a few turf terms should be employed, to give the impression that there's somethin more than a little kudos ridin on the result. Some examples are:

    The Farm Cove Stakes (Sydney Harbour)

    The Port Hunter Weight-for-age Handicap (particularly if it gets into the Hahn Series -Newcastle Harbour)

    The John Fairfax and Sons Cole Plate

    and wait for it...

    The Stockland - Rainbow Club of Austalia Malabar Cup.

    The Malabar Cup! Get workin on the silverware folks, it may be ocean swimming's first perpetual trophy.

    Remember you heard it from me first,

    Swim with yer head, not under it,

    Davo.

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  17. Guys any thoughts on this swim being more like 3km+ than 2.7km?

    Also where are the results posted?

    Thanks

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  18. I’d also like to say that I really enjoyed the swim yesterday – a more challenging distance than most other swims and also challenging conditions once you left the calmness of Long Bay.

    I actually like the buoys fairly far apart: it makes the swim more of a challenge and helps spread the field. Half-way through the long stretch from the start to the 2nd yellow buoy and I was practically swimming on my own between two separate packs. It’s great to be able to swim in your own rhythm without having to battle other swimmers doing their own thing right next to you. I also really enjoyed swimming into Little Bay and watching the rocks, sand and little fish cruise by on the bottom. It’s quite different to swimming in through a break... you suddenly hit the calm water inside the bay and you’ve got your own race to the finish line happening against whomever has been swimming next to you the rest of the way. Tama2Cloey offers the same kind of thing with a whole grandstand feel from around the Cloey pool.

    Some minor gripes about the buoys: the 2nd yellow cylindrical buoy was lying down on the water (case for big round buoys?), and the red conical buoys were the same/similar colour to some of the swim caps and the vests of the water safety guys on skis/boards.

    Otherwise, all the right ingredients in a great event: reasonable entry fee, fuss free & helpful registration, a well-communicated & clear course & starting waves, easy buses across to the start, bags delivered back to the finish in groups, lotsa fruit & drinks at the finish, sausage sizzle, all manned by friendly volunteers. So, a big thanks to everyone involved.

    All up, it’s another swim I’ve gotta add to my annual must-do list, and despite the fact that it's nice not battling a large field, it’d be great for the swim and organisers to be rewarded with a bigger turnout next year – closer to the numbers achieved by Bondi to Bronte and Palm to Whale. I'll be spruiking.

    Rob Salamon

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  19. Yes! What a great swim indeed?

    The course can certainly be compared to such great journey swims as the time honoured Palmy to Whalo Big Swim, Foster's Club2Club or the relative newcomer of similar vintage to yesterday's Long Bay to Little Bay event, The Tama2Cloey.

    But in terms of organisational excellence, The Malabar event wins, as HG would put it "pants down with daylight in second place".

    However I too found it a bit hard to spot the distant bouys, even with my new fangled View prescription goggles; but not impossible due to the wise choice of colours. So I must join the chorus: "get the shape of the bouys right please!"

    On the subject of nomencalture, I feel compelled to have my two blob's worth as well. The labels "classic" and "challenge", whilst entirely appropriate (particularly the latter) to describe yesterday's event, are far too hackneyed. HG reckoned yestdy that it should be called "The Long Bay to Little Bay Fantastic.... get up in the morning and say: I'm gonna swim The Fantastic today." Truly a great line of thinking.

    But as I've stated many a time, I reckon a few turf terms should be employed, to give the impression that there's somethin more than a little kudos ridin on the result. Some examples are:

    The Farm Cove Stakes (Sydney Harbour)

    The Port Hunter Weight-for-age Handicap (particularly if it gets into the Hahn Series -Newcastle Harbour)

    The John Fairfax and Sons Cole Plate

    and wait for it...

    The Stockland - Rainbow Club of Austalia Malabar Cup.

    The Malabar Cup! Get workin on the silverware folks, it may be ocean swimming's first perpetual trophy.

    Remember you heard it from me first,

    Swim with yer head, not under it,

    Davo.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Loved the swim, good work by all involved...
    I thought it felt like 3kms+ though, glancing at the clock as I stumbled through the finish I seem to be at least 5 mins slower than I was at Palmy this year...And I felt like I swam alot better in this one..

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  21. Loved the swim.I think it will boom in the years to come as the word spreads.Could be interesting heading into a southerly chop.That will test us all.Happy, helpful faces everywhere. Very well run.H G what a legend, Did any other 45 - 49 males find their official time about 48 sec slower than their own stop watch times?

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  22. A gentle message to all of you out there who are becoming impatient for the results...
    As a matter of principle, we post results as soon as we get them. No amount of hassling from impatient swimmers will get them up there sooner than we can do it. No amount of brow-beating, of urging, of demanding, of applied pressure will achieve your ends. In some things in life, one needs to trust one's fellow person. This is one such case. Sometimes, it strikes us that we should adopt the policy of an office in which we work where people likewise would hassle for things... every time we're asked, or hassled, we stop work for ten minutes.
    But we don't do that. Just trust us to do the best we can. We have day jobs, too, you know.
    That said, there have been issues with the Little Bay results, largely to do with the fact that a number of swimmers appear to have started in the wrong waves. The timers have been attempting to get the results as accurate as they can before delivering them to us for posting. We're with them on that, and so should you...

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  23. Loved the swim, with the long, are-we-there-yet run out to the first turning buoy, then totally different conditions down the coast and the final challenge of the tricky navigation through the gates into the finish. Well organised, friendly volunteers, bewdiful morning ! Though I would be worried if a Palm-to-Whale size crowd (as suggested above) tried to swim into Little Bay in anything less than the ideal conditions we had.

    And re the question asbout timing for M45-49 - I'd love to help but some bluecapped, boofhead, breaststroker kicked my watch clean off my wrist somewhere off the turn into Little Bay - Not happy, Jan ! Maybe we can start another subtext on the best, cheap watches for oceans swims a la the goggles one ?

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  24. Hey Mr os.c that's a fine Youtube video you have embedded in the Liitle Bay race report.
    I was admiring the underwater technique of that bloke with the red cap and dark goggles near the end of the video.
    I counted a stroke rate of almost 60 strokes per minute, he must have been sprinting with the finish line in sight!

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