Sea Swimming Blog #39

Day 78 Sea Swimming.

#39 of the blog.

After a brief moment of indecision I ended up back at St Aubin this morning (and then went back down the beach to take some photos of the waves and surfers in action at St Ouen in the afternoon).

We were forecast south westerly winds so it had crossed my mind that it’d be better out east this morning but, after putting a shout out to the Salty Sea PUPS WhatsApp group, Will told me that he, and another friend Pete, were heading my way so it was back into what is fast becoming my routine and ritual.

I wasn’t due to see them ‘til 9:30am so I had a bit of time to say hello and take a few pics of the Bluebells (no Beau’s today)… the swell at the normal entry point was a bit hairy and with the tide still on the rise they opted for a quick dip in the harbour side… making sure they were well away from any boats (there weren’t any on the move at that time).

Lynda’s mad dog joined the action, swimming and barking away… not exactly the subtle, ninja approach they were hoping for but they were only a few minutes so no harm was done… and I got a few funny photos out of it as well.

I put the camera away and walked round to the Yacht Club where I’d be meeting Will and Pete.

We had a quick chat making sure we were all happy with the prospect of getting in & out in the choppy conditions and decided that we were good to go.

We got in and all swam out to the first white buoy, Wilson - it was pretty choppy but thankfully Pete had bought the sunshine (as he always seems to do) so it was good fun… a little bit of adrenaline from being bashed by the waves and a healthy dose of vitamin c from the sun above.

After a quick double check of the conditions i.e. how ‘swelly’/choppy is this? I decided that Gracie was reachable so gave the boys a heads up that I was heading out further and set off…

Swimming in these type of conditions isn’t for everyone but I enjoy the challenge - I’m not an idiot (not completely anyway) - so I wouldn’t take on something that was too much for me.

Head down and powering on, up the swell, down the other side, straight through some chop and so on, it’s all about staying calm and keeping your breathing under control.

I reached Gracie, said my usual '‘hello”, then headed back… this time assisted by the incoming tide.

As we got out I noticed Jenny was there, like a mother hen, keeping a watchful eye… I’ve noticed she always waits to make sure I’ve made it back which is always appreciated and she even decided to turn the tables and take a few photos of us as we got out and made our way up the slip.

Having got dry and dressed, Will, Pete and myself then went and got a coffee then had a chat and a walk along the pier.

We bumped into a kayaker named Kevin who I know and who had seen us getting ready to go in for our swim.

“I wondered where you were off to!” he said to me, referring to my swim out to Gracie…

“There’s a buoy out there I like to touch” I replied (in the moment totally oblivious to how that sounds out loud)

… there was an awkward moment of silence before Will and Pete laughed and thankfully no damage was done.

… and obviously, everyone knows Gracie is a girl anyway.

“He who laughs last

doesn’t get the joke”

- Charles de Gaulle