Open Your Eyes!

The middle buoy at the Mook was definitely moved just BEFORE the start of the race, I saw it with my own eyes; and rightly so for the abovementioned reasons. It happened just after receiving our last briefing and blind Freddie could see it being done with a rubber duckie. I pointed it out to a bloke right beside me, remarking that the course was now virtually a straight line between northern and southern headlands. He in turn pointed it out to some one else, and within a coupla minutes a coupla ladies told the man with the loud hailer, who had his back turned to the action while he was adderessing us. He in turn responded by telling everone who would listen that this was the case, and even stated the worsening reefbreak reasoning.
I reckon that swimmers should keep their wits about them while still on the beach and take notice of stuff like this. It ain't rocket science.

It's commonsense that one wouldn't wanna swim too far into the bay anyway; not only because of the worsening beach and reef break, but also beacause you are swimming further than you have to, and have to fight the swell a little harder, more head on and standing taller in the shallower water, to get back out to the final mark.

Such navigational tactics are one of the few advantages that a slow but strong, portly middle aged swimmer such as myself has to remain in the slightest bit competitive. I should've kept me mouth shut on the day and even more of youz would've wandered off like Brown's cows into the bay.

So to read the rest of yuz all whinging about it really get's my goat. Get over it, it's OCEAN swimming, warts and all, and it's part of the challenge. Isn't that why we we're in it?
If ya don't like ocean swimming, stick to so called "open water" swimming which pretty well just means there's no roof on it. The water might be a bit muddy sometimes and there may be a bit of a current or wind chop, but the buoys will be a lot easier to see, there'll be heaps more of em, and they won't move around, or be moved round half as much. I hear FINA do a nice line in it! (Shameless dodgy pun fully fully intended yet again)

David Love.