Sandy Beach: November 2016

Monday, November 28, 2016

Oatley baths in the era of black and white photos

Thanks to Michelle Corbin for sharing this photo of Oatley Baths from 1920s

In his younger days, Ray drew up the race schedule for the summer, setting a time for the Sunday races as dictated by the high tide. We arranged our summer Sundays around these race meetings, so Ray would be in trouble if he misread the tide charts. Perhaps he did - nothing has been documented, but this cartoon - with Ray's name superimposed into the caption - has something to say...

Swimmers in the sunlight

Ready for the swim around the baths (and yes, you can use flippers)

Taking to the air

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The relay swimming race sets the scene for this series of diving photos. As swimmers race to complete the final leg of the relay, they dive from the pontoon in the middle of the baths and fly out over the water.

A dive is a thing of beauty.

A dive is a commitment. There's no going back.

And diving has always been with us. Here's a Greek fresco dated 470BC: Diver, Paestum, Italy.

Diver, Paestum, Italy

Diver, Oatley Baths, Australia

Diver: Harold Belcher.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Oatley wins the 2016 Harold Belcher trophy


		The Harold Belcher trophy winners

Congratulations to our relay team, winners of the Harold Belcher trophy, lead by Emily, with help from Martin, Kim, Mal and Johnny K.

We were joined on our relay day by Cronulla and water polo swimmers - on land, as seen in pic below...

and in flight...

Around the baths race: early Sunday morning in November 2016

7.30am and we are ready to take on the river. (Pic: Nick Mullen)

On this fine summer morning, we gathered around the desk, putting our names down for races of the day, 50m, 100m, the relay and The Kilometre/Around the Baths.

The pontoon, which went missing for several months (as reported in previous posts on this blog), has now been reinstalled at the 50 metre mark from the starting point.

The repaired pontoon, held in place by strong hands.

To celebrate its return, the pontoon was given a slap-up welcome.


Swimmers doing the Kilometre Race started from the other end of the pool.

The Around the Baths race is just that: around the baths, and concludes by following the line of the pool net back to where we started. It is about a 750m swim.

Some of us prefer the added challenge of an extra 365m, and these swimmers walk to the other end of the pool for their starting position.

We call this race The Kilometre, tho this is a rough estimate and variables come into play. You might swim a zigzag route, as there are no lane lines on the bottom of the river. Then there are waves generated by passing jet skis and cabin cruisers. These waves come in sets of at least 10, and can be high swells over which you must swim, adding to the length of the race.

Or there are the sets of tiny waves, which slap you in the face when you turn to breath.

Which is the reason we swim in the river - to be one with nature.

But, I digress.

Those of us who settle for a mere Around the Baths, start at the southern end of the pool, and at the wave of a flag seen from both ends of the pool - we're off.

GO!


Photos taken on the ground (so to speak) of the Kilometre (pic: Nick Mullen)

And yes, the race is so long, you do feel you've traversed the curve of the earth. (Pic: Nick Mullen)


Around the marker buoy, and onward

Pic: Nick Mullen

At the end of the race, the timers meet us with their stop watches.

Tick tick tick... (Pic: Nick Mullen)

They tell us how long we took to swim from A to B, and the news is not always good.

The race is not won by the fastest swimmers, but by those who swim closest to their estimated time of arrival.

Before the swim, we had to estimate our times (in writing) and our aim was to do just that. No more. No less. It is the number to which we are held accountable.