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!!
Team African Double Dutch we have succeeded!!
