Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Professor Charles Watson (center) from ‘The Grey Ghosts‘ team penned this poem called ‘From Dingo Flour to Thompson Bay’ about the inaugural 20 km and 25 km Hotel Rottnest Port to Pub Swim in Perth, Australia.
In the Rottnest Channel, two courses were set up. The 20 km course was open to solos, duos, and teams of four and six from Leighton Beach outside the Fremantle Surf Lifesaving Club to Hotel Rottnest. The 25 km marathon swim was open to qualified soloists.
From Dingo Flour to Thompson Bay – Our Port to Pub Swim 2016
It was a master mariner
And Kingsley was his name
He took the team from Leighton Beach
Navigation was his game
Our David dived in from the beach
Neath the shadow of Dingo Flour
It was a very long swim to reach the boat
But he swam with purpose and power
Charles jumped in to carry on
Followed by Ruth and Trish
Then Mark and Robo took their turn
Among the waves and fish
And so it was each half an hour
Each swam their own rotation
Then struggling to get dry and warm
And bring back skin sensation
Water water everywhere
And all the towels were wet
Water water everywhere
Mixed with suncream, food, and sweat
Hour after hour, hour after hour
They kept up the forward motion
Straining to see the Rottnest shore
Across the restless ocean
The paddlers played a vital role
Pip kept the team on track
Sharpie held the line across the brine
In spite of aching lower back
The tugger at the stern was Tim
He rescued them without fail
Some were light and easily beached
But for some it was like landing a whale
When the Rottnest pub hove into view
Each gave a silent cheer
Only a final quarter mile
Before the pint of beer
The Port to Pub to Thompson Bay
Looks like nothing on the map
But the team swam twenty thousand yards
And they do deserve a clap!
Photography courtesy of Freestyle Photography.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association