Hello everyone.
For the last 3 days Jim and I (Pam) have been totally caught up in the 2007 Vanuatu Ocean Swim. The swim itself takes place on the Saturday morning but is preceded by welcome cocktails, swim clinics and a carbo loading dinner and followed by a post swim breakfast with local entertainment and a formal awards dinner. I enjoyed catching up with 6 of my Byron Bay mates who had flown over specially for the event. I reckon that around 90% of the 200 competitors were Aussies. All this socialising almost overshadows the event itself – The Ocean swim which takes place at high tide early on the Saturday morning.
There are two swims, a 3.2 km swim right round Iririki Island and a 1.5 km swim from Iririki across the harbour, through the anchored yachts to the craft market and back. The conditions were perfect, warm, calm, clear water only slightly spoiled by sea lice. The previous crew Cathie and the next crew Nicky and Lee would certainly have entered the 3.2 km swim but the 1.5 km swim was all I could manage. Jim’s infected coral cut has not healed so he is having to keep his leg dry, thus foiling his dream of attempting the 1.5 km swim – but he has certainly made the most of the social program. There are two ways of expressing my result. One way is to say I came in last but the other is to say that I was incredibly chuffed to receive a splendid medal for coming in 3rd in the 60 – 69 year women (the only other entrant in that category wore fins and knew she would be disqualified). It was fun to swim along leisuredly (which is all I ever do even if notionally racing) with a couple of Francophone Nivans in a kayak accompanying me shouting “courage” (pronounced the French way).
There are some wonderful moments when out on the water. Yesterday late afternoon we were sitting in the cockpit with a couple of the visiting swimmers and suddenly a whole school of sizeable fish jumped out of the water only a few metres away from us, it was just magic. We waited and waited to see them jump again but they didn’t until early this morning when I was swabbing the deck down and lo and behold it happened again.
This morning Jim has gone off in the inflatable with a klaxon to start an informal catamaran race between some of the swimmers he met at the social events. It is meant to be informal but I wonder – most of the swimmers here are seriously competitive.
We are still keeping up maintenance tasks aboard. Today we have the anchor chain snaked around the deck while we check that the coloured markers at every 25 ft are all in place. I knew that the white one was missing. It is important when we anchor to put out the correct length of chain (scope) for the depth and conditions. So when we anchor Jim will tell me “let out the chain to the blue marker”. I am getting better at anchoring but it is not at all easy to see these little markers as the chain is running out fast.
The latest report on the bottom cleaning issue is that Jim hopes to find out tomorrow, Monday, whether or not he can get the job done later in Santo. If so that will be much more convenient than having it done here.
The latest on the parcel of boat gear from the USA is that it has arrived in Vanuatu. Jim reckons it will be in his hands tomorrow but I am not so optimistic and reckon Tuesday. We will just have to wait and see who is right.
Well, I think Pam has summed up the last few days of activities quite nicely. It’s been great fun meeting and making new friends with all the Byronites, other Auzzies and New Zealanders in preparation for having friends already in place when I and INTENTION get to their respective places of abode.
Jim & Pam