Melbourne weather can be a challenging changing experience and this weekend just past confirmed that. For those hardy souls that braved Saturday morning, a raging sea (50 kph gusting winds and an air temperature cold enough to make a polar bear feel at home),
Sunday was a great relief. RBYC Icebergers arrived at Melbourne’s home of winter swimming at 7am on Sunday to find the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay waiting for the annual Iceberger Winter Swimming Festival
For some 25 years, this annual event has been built upon the classic Iceberger swim, which takes swimmers out to the green reef pole, back around the marina up the channel and home to the beach. The popularity of iceberging has seen the event grow to an in-water and on-land celebration of fun and friendship at the RBYC.
The classic event remains. The John Locco Winter Classic is now a 1.8 km swim around the marina down to the yellow pole, back down the channel to the John Dineen pole and back to the beach. This is complemented by two events: The newly named Ian Serpless Channel Trophy (1.3km around pole 4 at the attenuator and back) and the Triangle Short Course Trophy.(650m)
On land the Winter Classic Swim Festival has evolved to include a culinary showcase more familiar in, but no less welcome than, the CWA halls of Booligal, Balranald or Ballarat. It’s the great Iceberger Bake off. A long table in the Members’ Bar, overwhelmed with home made delights of all descriptions and varieties, awaited the swimmers on their return.
Conditions for the race were excellent. Water temperature a sub-tropical 9.8 degrees, the wind a zephyr from the north, clouds high, with the remnants of a full moon.
Following a safety briefing and on the stroke of 7.45am, 42 Icebergers entered the water on instructions from Keith Badger, and set out on their chosen course. Sir David Brooks was on hand, once again, and immortalized the morning’s activities.
First home were those completing the Triangle Short Course. This year’s winner David Waters (12.33) from Peter Maddison (12.57) and Bernie McNamara (13.12).
The Ian Serpless Channel Trophy field of 15 followed led in by Ingilby Dickson (23.01) Andrew Buchanan (26.50) Peter Botterill (26.45).
In all the great traditions the best was saved for last with the John Locco Winter Classic. A field of seven led in by Phil Harford (32.19), stepping up from his recent placing in the Olson Hooper summer handicap, to collect his share of Iceberger fame, with the victory in the event from Nick Desira (34.32), Vin Brown (35.40).
Brett Davis was awarded the Red Lantern for the longest time in the water at 44.20,
The bake off was inspired by the iceberger tradition of celebrating birthdays with a shared cake. Around twenty-five entries covering all varieties of deserts, puddings, cakes, slices, strudels and creations in the imagery of the Club, were presented to the judges. There was to be only one winner of the famous Beatrix Bakes book kindly donated from the shelves of The Grumpy Swimmer by Clifford Posner. Meaghan Botterill’s Classic Flourless Orange Cake, was judged the inaugural winner, with mentions in dispatches to Lou Lockwood and Fran Johnson.
Special thanks go to the RBYC for supporting the event with staff and the endless hot coffees, to Cath Hurley from the Committee who swam. Thank you Sue McCarthy for communications and the time keepers and clipboard controllers Janie Zacharin, Rupert Hugh-Jones, Natalie Sparkman.
Water safety was provided by a team that included Murray Cowdell in the rescue boat, assisted by Will Hugh-Jones and Tom Wallace. Jenny Vran on the paddle board and Terry Fox in the sea kayak. 42 icebergers out 42 icebergers back: job done.
Thank you to the Badgers and their beach team of Hayami, Kayoko and Andrea for the warming ginger honey drink and to Koja for the protein bars.
A final and heartfelt thank you to Keith Badger and Alistair Purvey who have run this event and given their time for more than a decade.
Before the embers of the fire (lit and tended by Russell Parrington) had dulled, Rupert Hugh-Jones and I turned our attention to planning for 2025. The swim of 2024 had already become a truly memorable event for everyone involved.
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Greg Wallace