Monday, February 25, 2013
Big seas and a fast current
No swims in Sydney with heavy seas, but Pier to Perignon went ahead, as did Sandridge-Williamstown in Victoria, and Rottnest in the West, where we were. Two reports on oceanswims.com now on the Pier to Perignon, one of our fave swims, one of which is rather critical.
At Rottnest, conditions weren't ideal but they weren't terrible, either. But as usually applies, the days either side of the swim were close to perfect. Tweetybirds will file a report in due course.
Pity about Sydney, but what can you do when you swim in the ocean. Those who feel worst about this are the awgeenizing clubs themselves, who build up to their one day of the year only to have it snatched from their grasp. Be understanding, please: clubs have considerable expense in gettng to swim day, and that's why general practice is that there are no refunds in the case of cancellation.
Bondi is not cancelled, however: it's postponed, with the postponement date yet to be confirmed. Keep your eye on oceanswims.com for the new date.
Read our reports and tell us what you think...
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Not all swims where cancelled on the weekend. The Wollongong swim went ahead, with an altered course which allowed for premium safety of all swimmers.
ReplyDeleteI was one of those swimmers, the altered course in the harbour was "bumpy", with a large volume of water creating enough swell to allow for the beginner to feel comfortable with one circuit of the harbour, while the more accomplished swimmer was challenged by trying to improve their times with each circuit.
Congratulations to the event organisers for adapting to the challenging circumstances on the weekend, for keeping participants well informed, for the post event drinks fruit and award ceremony.
Also a big thank you to the 20 lifeguards who came to ensure our safety even though the conditions were far from optimal.
I will definitely participate again next year.
Ann Sullivan
Just read Kerry's write up of the Pier to Perignon. Disappointed to hear that people were "moved along" during the swim.
ReplyDeleteI had always assumed and hoped everyone would be allowed to swim for about 90mins before any intervention took place. Obviously water safety is paramount but it does sound a bit premature to interrupt someone's swim if they're not in trouble and well within the organisers stated cut-off time.
I also agree that the lack of fluids at the finish line is problematic. I accept that they can't have everything on the beach but some water would be much appreciated by the exhausted masses.
James Bennett
Minor grievance with pier to perignon is that the finish bouy is not out far enough along the pier, and apparrently it is optional despite the contrary instructions to swim around it. I understand that the P2P has an aspect and strategy to it that allows swimmers a choice whether to go wide, or along the shore etc. But it was disappointing when approaching the finish and spotting swimmers on the inside and having them covered, only to find they weren't exactly covered if they ignored the bouy and swam straight to the finish. After rounding the bouy at the start, you may as well swim to shore and run to the finish.
ReplyDeletePier to Perignon : It was a late start due to the tide at 1:15 in the arvo ,way too hot the sunshine . But with all that I did enjoy the swim with I think 833 other swimmers . The water was clear ,I didn't come across any wild life out there . A friend did a dolphin swam around her . All up I always enjoy this swim ,you need a some luck ,with the navigation ,you can swim way to close to shore or way too far out & have to make up the time . This year it was my 11 & I look forward to next years . Lots of Icebergers swam .
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