HOFFS Go Clubbin"

Sunday - April 10, Forster.

The HOFFs were well represented at the Club to Club swim held in Forster on Sunday. Present were...Warren, Robyn, Courtney, Steve and Liz (oh yeah, and me Kate!!).

For this HOFF, it was the first swim with no 'escape route'. Swims with 'Escape routes' are always reassuring - its nice to think, if I get tired, I'll just swim to the shore! NO such option for most of the Club to Club Swim!

The Club to Club swim is a near 4km swim from Cape Hawke SLSC to Forster Main Beach SLSC. The first part of the swim is along the white sand of One Mile beach and then its out around the headland for the long haul along the cliff faces, past Pebbly Beach out around a smaller headland to the waiting sausage sandwich at Main Beach.

The entry and exit to the swim were ideal; there was no big surf or shore dump to contend with. However, the swim along the cliffs meant a slog into a NE rolling swell with a bit of wind chop. Buoys were big, and well placed, but I'll be blowed if I could site them well as the rolling swell meant that they, along with the swimmers only 10m away disappeared behinds walls of water. Water safety was abundant with numerous paddlers, a reported 3 ducks and 7 jet skis (don't you love the smell of petrol fumes in the middle of a swim), so I think all swimmers felt pretty secure.

It was a long swim for all HOFFs except for Warren Smith HOFF who managed to win his age group in a speedy time. Special mention to 'The Platt HOFFs', with Courtney completing this swim in fine form - her second ever ocean swim and only on a couple of months of training, and Robyn 'I take my camera with me everywhere' HOFF completing her second camera laden swim (the first being Sydney Harbour). It's the first time I've watched someone finishing reaching down into their togs and pulling out a camera to shoot the finish line from 'the other side'!

HOFFs had approached this swim with trepidation....ringing in their ears were the words of WojoBungo HOFF..... 'Beware the things in the deep with sharp pointy teeth'......To WojoBungo we reply....TOUGHEN UP!!!! J

Photo's courtesy of Robyn Platt (aka camera girl HOFF) and Tom (Honorary HOFF and chief bag minder)