Looking like a Blue Propalactic first thing Sunday!

When you haven't done an ocean swim for a while you forget many things out of the default list of things to do and remember. Unfortunately the most unavoidable one is that you're forced to wear swim caps for the
event. Mine, due to my 30-34 age group was a lovely pastel blue. The only thing I could think about while keeping nerves at bay on the start line was similarity of some comedy sketch where everyone is dressed as Propalactics! Luckily there are no photos (AFAIK) so you'll have to take my word for it.
As its name suggests ocean swiming is basically swimming in the ocean. But having not done this for a while, I forgot several of the important items for Ocean Swimming
1. prepare - i forgot Vasaline, which you need to stop under arm chaffage (sea is full of salt and sand, its like sand blasting your arm pits after 40mins in the water)
2. always look up - school boy error on a couple of ocassions this a.m., followed the person in front. Think my 1.8km turned into about 2.2 km!
3. always swim in the middle of the pack - 500 people, statistically you've got more chance of getting nibbled by a water based predator if you're on the outside. [mum, sorry, its safe as houses, there hasn't been a shark attck in Sydney for like 20 years]
Didn't do too bad, not sure precise time, it will be on the website at some point. But the buzz running up the sand to finish the race (even if you've got no chance of finishing in the top bracket) is great. Plus it means by lunch you really think you've done something with your day... allows me more time to sit in the hammock finishing the blog on the topic!