Reach4theshore’s Weblog

Swimming Cook Strait: an adventurous journal.

The sleeping dog

Recently, the pet I house inside my head turned in his sleep. A gentle turn. A shake of the leg, a twitch of the head – just enough to remind me he was there. I’m told the”leash” is holding, no seizures yet, no cause to panic.
Consequently, I’m not panicking. I am however not without worry. In fact, I think for the first time I’m the only honest descriptor of what I’m actually feeling is “fear”.
It’s an interesting place to be, a half-way house of sorts. I won’t stop long, there’s not a very positive vibe going on.

October 11, 2009 - Posted by Esther | Swimming | | 2 Comments

2 Comments »

  1. Hi Esther
    I came across your blog while looking at Vanuatu ocean swim sites. Love the idyllic pics I’ve seen on various web sites but what’s with the leg ulcer. I see that your current goal is to swim Cook Strait in 2011 so hows that going. Are you a Kiwi? That’s a massive swim, up there with the English Channel and would be a huge achievement.
    I’m 67, a proud Kiwi now living in Aussie, working full time to fund my travels. I swam Masters with the Tauranga Durham Light group mid 80’s to mid 90’s but am not very swimfit right now.
    What are the Vanuatu swims like – rough water, jellyfish, sharks or other nasties that give you leg ulcers. I love the concept of the Port Vila Materbathers.
    It’s OK to read all the travel agents sales chat but I am an independent traveller/backpacker and would love some feedback from people with first hand info.
    Good luck with your training for the nasty Cook Strait swim.
    I haven’t read your entire blog but I think maybe you have epilepsy and your October post shows your fear that it isn’t quite going as well as you would hope.
    Well Esther, hope the positive vibe is winning and you are on the up side of the halfway house.
    Christmas greeting to you, funny who you meet on the internet.

    Comment by Jill Edwards | December 23, 2009 | Reply

    • Merry Christmas Jill! Thanks for your kind words.
      I’m definately back on the up-swing now and looking forward to February 2011 – the swim is booked now, we’re just waiting on confirmation for the date.
      I do most of my swim training with the Canterbury Tri Club – which ensures that I’m pushed to my limits practically every session. Great fun though.

      Vanuatu is a beautiful place to visit – but don’t expect a tropical resort. Since achieving independence from France in the nineties (?) the nation has struggled to maintain their infrastructure. Essentially, Vanuatu is a developping country – as long as you’re not expecting Honolulu or Club Med you’ll probably love it.

      The locals tend to operate on a rather relaxed perception of time (although some tour operators are more punctual than others). I found the ‘island time’ approach quite frustrating in terms of the organisation of the Pacific Swims (nobody seeming to know when/where registration would be, when the various lead-up events were scheduled etc). However, once everything was sorted out, the people are so friendly, that any frustration is fast forgotten.

      We will go back and do another Pacific Swim – although we’ll probably skip the Port Vila swim and go straight to Espiritu Santos (you can fly direct from Brisbane). Santos is absolutely fabulous. Great beaches, snorkelling (divings fantastic if you’re into that), walks and just a beautiful place to chill out. The water was wonderfully warm – the Aore Island swim is challenging, but not overly difficult. There are plenty of safety crew in the water (Ni-Vanuatu in outrigger canoes & ex-pat locals in kayaks/support boats) to keep all the swimmers on track. As for nasties in the water – I’m not aware of any wildlife & I tend not to dwell to much on the microbes and other bugs. I did see three stingray pass below me (several metres) at one point during the race, but they weren’t interested in anything at surface level.

      The ulcer was just a bit of bad luck – a poorly treated scratch and yeow crickey. Wouldn’t have thought such a nasty sore could develop from a tiny nick. I’ve got a sizeable scar on my shin now – which is turning out to be quite the conversation starter at the beach and at bbq’s. As a traveller I guess you’ll agree that it’s these odd little glitches that happen on holidays that we sometimes learn the most from.

      Thank you again for your support. Happy New Year,
      Esther

      Comment by Esther | December 23, 2009 | Reply


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