Fractal Blog

As the year inexorably moves towards winter it is still possible to spend days out on (or in) the water. These yachts were in the middle of their Sunday afternoon race when our Manly ferry chomped right through the middle. We, of course, were on our way to yet another afternoon of watery activities.

As we have been improving steadily in our ability to manage a body board (measured by the diminishing amount of salt water swallowed each session), neither of us wanted to use the "cheap" board any more. The one we picked up from Gumtree. It has done its job, and very admirably too, but we have now both outgrown it. Since the availability of beer tokens has increased recently with the acceptance of a "proper job", we acquired a second bodyboard yesterday. Hence we needed to try it out immediately. Shame there was absolutely no surf. Fortunately we had our snorkelling gear with us as well (honestly, these days it takes a mule to carry all the equipment we ferry around each weekend). We were lucky enough to witness a very rare sight: A column of tightly-packed striped juvenile catfish. Apparently, they do that. We wished we'd had an underwater camera.

All weekend there was some kind of surf lifesaving competition going on, taking up the middle of the Manly Surf Beach. It largely involved fast ribs going out to sea, jumping the incoming surf (what little of it there was), going around a mark, then coming back in again. I spent some time trying to catch a rib in mid-air. It was noticeable that every single crew, and every single surfer, was wearing a long wetsuit. Having nearly caught hypothermia today I am beginning to see why. Is it normal to need two wetsuits...? The Obsessive Surfer, of course, claimed to be toasty warm in his spring suit.