The weather promised the first dip for ages and although the tide was low, Joan, Emma, Ollie, Hildi & Pete arrived full of hope only to discover a scene of utter devastation. This was no longer our beach, strange dead creatures from 1000 fathoms littered the shore, some had arranged themselves into fantastic and macabre still life on the groyne. What was initially taken for spume at the water's edge revealed itself to be fresh chalky rock outcrops. Mud and seaweed masked the entrance to the water and entrance was made with some trepidation. Joan & Ollie quickly reported that the winter beach was too difficult an access route so all decamped to the "Big Beach". Here, we could at least get in a few metres and get the shoulders under in a semblance of swimming. This lasted until Pete trod on something which moved. Not only did it move but he felt it sliding up his right leg. Girlish yelping was permitted but Ollie manfully bent down and retrieved... a section of clinker from what was probably a 1930s Antiguan fishing vessel (Ollie's interpretation). It bore rusty pointy fangs so Ollie threw it back to attack another unwary swimmer.
Ollie also spotted an albino saltwater anaconda half washed up. The boys grabbed the head and hauled it up the beach, Ollie guessed it to weigh 100kilos. Both thought about taking it home in order to grace the garden but even coiled, it would fit in neither car. We left it where it lay, its tail twitching in the surf. The final oddity was revealed as Pete returned to the hut only to find that the sea had swallowed up another pair of his underpants...The beach has changed and felt a little odd, a line on the groyne indicates that we have lost around a metre of shingle and all of the sand. It'll be a while before we can once more call the beach "home"
Dippers: Joan, Ollie, Emma, Hildi, Pete
Air and sea temp: 7 degrees
Sea: Mysterious and no longer ours
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