Trent Koch, Challenger Financial Services, pics from CBA Boat 3
Preparing for the swim on the grassy knoll at Blues Point around 6:45am
A tranquil Sydney Harbour approaching seven bells
Neil Cooke, Lang O'Rourke and Trent Koch, Challenger Financial Services, after the briefing when bonding for the job at hand doesn't go astray. If you've got a difficult task ahead of you, you might as well smile about it.
Trent and Tom Kirby, CBA, prior to aboarding CBA Boat 3.
The swimmers in the blue caps were swimming the entire 11km course. Mindful of the purge of Blue Bottles from the Heads around 8km to Manly Beach, those dozen or so swimmers who swam the entire course, and who were covered in stings at the end, earned our total respect.
Above 'n below, Trent about to enter the water.
Trent is greeted by the smiling face of his Navigator/Paddler, Phil Carmont, CBA.
Trent swimming twds the lead-off swimmers under the Harbour Bridge.
At the start under murky skies with virtually zero visibility below the surface.
Trent up close and personal with Phil, Paddler for CBA Boat 3.
Trent completing another interval.
Our swimmer is on RHS and behind of Phil our paddler. That big steel juggernaut behind was travelling in the opposite direction at a merry pace. None of us argued the toss, as to which vessel had right of way.
Jonathan, from Freehills, preparing for another swim interval.
Jonathan entering the water to tag-up with Lily.
Lily, from Freehills, drying out after another interval in the briny.
One of James Packer's toys, from another angle.
Alison and Jonathan completing the customary High Five.
Tom, Commonwealth Bank, contemplating, "How am I going to get that little strap around my noggin without squashing it?"
All the competitors had to swim to the LHS of the above patrol boat, cause the permit to swim from the Bridge to Manly is predicated upon the premise that we "stay out of the channel" where the big ferries go. Approaching Marker Boat 2, CBA Boat 3 was merrily steering twds Manly in slightly deeper water. At the last minute we (our boat and our swimmer) had to veer leftish so as to not incur the wrath of our good friends, Coastal Patrol.
Boat 1 crew seemingly all at ease.
Phil tags up with Trent to complete another swim interval.
Approaching Sydney Head where we started to spot ever multiplying swarms of Blueys.
Back on dry dock at Manly Wharf with the job all done, albeit we had to ship at least 2km from Sydney heads to about 700m from Manly Wharf where it was all back in for a team swim to the beach.
This pic had a funny caption. Chris Milcz, CBA Project Finance, had beckoned Phil, who was down the back in a pic taken a second earlier, to come to the front for another picture, and to "get down in front". Phil took Chris seriously by spreadeagling his crusty old torso across the unsuspecting sand, But soon incurred remonstrations from all present to get-up and stop looking an old fool. Whereupon Phil did, but not before the above pic was snapped.
A happy snap post swim back at the Manly Wharf Hotel.