As Joe writes, we've been Felixstowe sea swimming all our lives but I'd never swum this stretch. So with the water temp at 16C (61F), some September sun, a calm sea and a handy current in our favour, now was the time.
Joined by Alice, a former lifeguard friend and always ready with a pink swim hat, in we went.
Felixstowe's wooden Pier is a doomed landmark. Over 100 years old, it was once half a mile long, but like many piers was sealed off during WW2 and has never recovered. It's now sadly deserted, just over 1oom long and under demolition order.
The distance is about 1500m and took us 26 minutes. Crawl felt smoother than in a pool, with no comeback from our turbulence. Breathing on the seaward side, the sun shone shone silvery on the smooth water, with Alice making a classic swimmer's silhoette.
On a groyne sat one of the cormorants I've noticed for the first time this summer off Felixstowe. This must be a good sign: these big black birds seem like 'real' sea creatures with a proper fish-only diet - never seen one among the gulls at the dump at least. And in July we saw a seal bobbing along 10m offshore - so the Pier may be condemned, but it seems Felixstowe's natural seascape is doing OK.
We reached Bent Hill in 6 mins, the Spa in 10, and before we knew it were with our families at the Cobbolds Point 'lagoon'. This distinctly untropical arc of concrete blocks provides some shelter but can create some nasty currents on the outgoing tide, which Joe and Sean have been caught by on choppier days this summer. I could have stayed in longer, knowing there would be few more perfect swimming days to come this year, but it was time to wash off our brown goaties of North Sea scum and drink some sweet tea...
Joined by Alice, a former lifeguard friend and always ready with a pink swim hat, in we went.
Felixstowe's wooden Pier is a doomed landmark. Over 100 years old, it was once half a mile long, but like many piers was sealed off during WW2 and has never recovered. It's now sadly deserted, just over 1oom long and under demolition order.
The distance is about 1500m and took us 26 minutes. Crawl felt smoother than in a pool, with no comeback from our turbulence. Breathing on the seaward side, the sun shone shone silvery on the smooth water, with Alice making a classic swimmer's silhoette.
On a groyne sat one of the cormorants I've noticed for the first time this summer off Felixstowe. This must be a good sign: these big black birds seem like 'real' sea creatures with a proper fish-only diet - never seen one among the gulls at the dump at least. And in July we saw a seal bobbing along 10m offshore - so the Pier may be condemned, but it seems Felixstowe's natural seascape is doing OK.
We reached Bent Hill in 6 mins, the Spa in 10, and before we knew it were with our families at the Cobbolds Point 'lagoon'. This distinctly untropical arc of concrete blocks provides some shelter but can create some nasty currents on the outgoing tide, which Joe and Sean have been caught by on choppier days this summer. I could have stayed in longer, knowing there would be few more perfect swimming days to come this year, but it was time to wash off our brown goaties of North Sea scum and drink some sweet tea...
No comments:
Post a Comment