Team African Double Dutch we have succeeded!!
About 6 weeks ago I received a request if I knew anyone who wanted to swim The South Head Roughwater swim know by the locals as the Bondi to Watson bay swim. I did not hesitate long to say "I want to do it". The rest is history and we formed a team of 3 swimmers : 2 Duchies and 1 Zimbabwe. Our team name: African Double Dutch :-) Below you can see the 10 KM race course. Angela van Boxtel and myself entered our boat into Rose bay. While Mike Ioannou was our starter from Bondi beach. Every team needs to bring there own boat and kayak and paddler to keep you safe at all times. Thanks to Dan and Greg who did a fab job steering us trough that huge swell. Our paddler Dom was amazing. He kept us on track and guided us home to Watson. The first hour all swimmers need to complete 20 minutes each. After that you can rotate as you like. Straight away we were all so impressed how clear the water was. Some parts were 30 metres deep and wow what a view we had from the top of the water. Wall to wall deep blue ocean surrounded you. A very calming feeling. When Mike reached the first tagging point it was organised chaos with all the boats trying to get a good position. Angela got pretty sick on the rough ride through the Harbour heads were big swell roamed. Thank god when she went into the water she felt a lot better. We then decided to do 40 min to 1 hour stints. Were it was great to wait and tag your fellow swimmer. We also had a great support crew on land (Tara, Kate, Shirley) who we spotted at several points. Our boat the pudding had a Scottish flag which was easy to spot for them. They had amazing birds eye view shots from high up the cliffs. My last stint started at the red and white light house at the entry of the harbour heads. The water changed dramatic from very clear to murky and de temp dropped by 3 degrees. The current was flowing outwards to the ocean as well. But then in the left corner of my eyes when I was breathing I saw the finish : Watsons bay. At this stage Angela and Mike had joined me for the last bit into Watsons bay. We finished after 3 hours 39 min of swimming. It was crowed with cheering people who were anxious to see if there loved ones made in one piece. We even had a little run into the finish. It was an unforgettable experience where "little people take on the big ocean". The feeling afterwards was joyous and we finished with a celebration beer afterwards. I am already looking forward to next years Bondi to Watsons Challenge !
Team African Double Dutch we have succeeded!!
0 Comments
We offer also swim fit lessons where the emphasis is more on fitness and less on technical swimming. Ocean swimming is a complete workout and can burn up to 200 calories per 30 minutes. It also is great for your blood circulation and the salt water has a great effect on your skin. Most importantly it is great for the soul!
A warm welcome to Jaap and Kim to MB-Freestyle. Jaap will join our growing group in the eastern suburb and Kim in Manly. If you like to get fit in the ocean please contact me. Help with healthy menu planning is also available. What are you waiting for? After the 100 years of ANZAC celebrations around the northern beaches yesterday it was time for a Sunday morning ocean race again. Today we were in South Curl Curl. This 2 km swim goes along the shoreline and ends up at Freshwater Beach. Conditions were good and water temperature was warmer than the air temperature at 20.9 C. It was a cloudy morning with light rain. Still plenty of swimmers showed up even with a slight hangover from ANZAC day. There are still a handful of ocean races left in the 2014-15 season. Come on and join in this great sport. Today we travelled to the Eastern suburb of Coogee Bay. This is a big swim around wedding cake island. Over 800 swimmers had registered. The conditions were good. I am pleased with the results : 12 in age category and 127 overall. The more you swim these races the more confident you become. Looking forward to Curl Curl in couple of weeks.
It was a beautiful autumn morning in Manly beach. The North Steyne Surf Life Saving Club organized it's annual ocean swim. The conditions were perfect and the ocean was calm with a few waves at entry point. Visibility was great and I saw a few good size flathead fish on the sandy bottom.
The race was pretty straight forward in a square shape bit of current at the end. Results: 6th in age category and 27th overall. Next swim will be in Coogee Bay eastern suburbs. Great morning session with Greg and Michael. Today we focused on technique of kicking, arms and breathing. Getting the correct swimming techniques learned is essential to grow your swimming skills. Technique will bring your further with less effort.
I would also like to welcome Kristin, Peter and Michael to MB-Freestyle. Great to see you taking the step to become confident ocean swimmer. This Sunday morning I participated in the Ocean Challenge in beautiful Coalcliff and Stanwell area. The conditions where tough and there were 234 swimmers brave enough to go through the big swells and choppy water.
It was a great mental test to swim in these rough conditions.......but still so much fun. Next week is another race in Manly! Come and join in... We were in for a beautiful morning. Today was the day Greg was going to achieve his first mile (1.67 km) swim. I told him it would only get easier the further in we go. He even said he had more in the tank......well done mate!! If you like to achieve your own swimming goals please contact me.
Mb-freestyle hosted its first swim session in the Eastern suburbs. Red leaf pool on the harbour side in Bellevue Hill.
What a gorgeous location and great protected harbour pool. At 7.00 am we started we an intense swim workout. Improving stroke, endurance and power. Greg & Michael did very well maybe a bit exhausted at the end but hey no pain no gain. If you would like improve your swimming skills and like to do it in Redleaf pool please contact me. I had a great swim with Mike Ioannou at Manly Beach. Mike has just finished the Rottnest challenge in 6h34m. Really thrilled to hear his story about endurance and that mighty distance of 19.2 km from Perth to Rottnest.
Mike shared some great insight how to train for an event like this and what are some of the training pitfalls. |
AuthorMark Bemer CategoriesArchives
August 2016
|