Darker and darker are the mornings now but at least this is the slide to Christmas with celebratory swims, songs and vittels to gladden the heart.Just a trio this morning with Emma & Joan still glowing from bootcamp and Pete wrapped up against the 6 degree chill in the air. With bike parked and table arranged for the ladies' bits & pieces, Pete retired to the luxury of the new shag pile in order to disrobe.
With the tide out, all were contemplating a stony painful walk to the sea and then little to reward the freezing shoulders until at least 50m out. It was at this point that Joan announced that the sea this morning was "evil". The plot thickened as she failed to elaborate and then sprinted off into the inky blackness in search of who knew what.
Once reached, the usual painful feet followed and the gradual numbing of all areas northward. The timer was on and six minutes into the swim, Pete could feel the rosy glow. Joan had now made friends with the sea again and Emma was emitting her usual groans as the initial pain subsided and the endorphins kicked in. The sea was a degree warmer than land with no discernable wind today. With the tide out, widths were not legal but that didn't stop Pete from throwing in a sneaky one. For a width to be counted, the groynes must be swimmable to. Emma however dropped a bombshell and reported that she and Richard had completed two widths of the BIG BEACH at the weekend! By common consent a big beach width is worth two smaller ones thus propelling Emma into an early lead with 6 playing 4 for Pete and 2 for Ollie - Come one Hildi!
A lovely warm shower for some with Emma refusing offers - my, that woman is hardy. Confirmation that all can attend the Swim Song on the 22nd with a few extras coming along too. After careful thought it was decided to turn the Dip & Dash into a Dash & Dip for practical & safety reasons - to be confirmed with the other competitors.
Swimmers: Joan, Emma, Pete
In 7:06
Out: 7:16
Air temp 6 degrees
Sea temp 7 degrees
Sea: "Pure evil"
