It has been some time since our last post – but we now have time to catchup.

At the moment we are back in Australia – Julie has a job at Curtin University and I am working for one of the last wooden boat shipwrights in Perth – Aaron Woodall (but more about that in another post).

On Saturday I was lucky enough to be a part of the 20th Rottnest Channel Swim – one of the world’s toughest open ocean swimming events. The swim is 19km from Cottesloe Beach to Thompson Bay, Rottnest Island.

Competitors can enter either solo, as a duo team or a team of 4 – and the categories are divided into all sorts of age groups – all sent off in different start waves from the beach early in the morning.

There were about 2500 competitors and 1500 support craft (each competitor or team needs a support paddler and boat). I was support paddler for Julie’s sister, her boyfriend, Julie’s nephew and Julie’s other sister’s boyfriend – a real family affair.

The race proceeds relatively sensibly until Perth’s famous sea breeze, the Freo Doctor, howls in. All of a sudden the whole fleet bunches up, with swimmers, kayaks and boats (some over 50′) going in all directions. To make any forward westerly progress everyone must battle south-westerly into the breeze. Many do the the first 1/2 of the race in a 1/3 of their total time. Our swimmers finished in just under 8 hours – an excellent effort.

The solo swimmers are presented with a special number plate which you see on cars around town – and they thoroughly deserve it – to complete crossing alone is inspirational. And it has been known for some to turn around and swim all the way back to Cottesloe!

Popularity: 1%