A day in the life of a Wannabe Swimming Goddess (WSG) and more

3:00am Saturday morning - awake! Humid, worried about waking up at 5am, and the swim ahead.
4:59am Saturday morning - text message from fellow WSG Kate (back up in case alarm didn't go off or slept through it)
5:00am - alarm does goes off
5:30am - meet fellow WSG in basement and head off
5:40am - pick up "Very Close to Being Swimming Goddess" (VCSG) Helen
6:30am - board flight, looking good for take off and no hold ups
8:10am - arrive Wellington, no dramas!
8:40am - 10:00 lots of pacing and toilet stops to get rid of nerves. Eat peanut butter sandwich, try not to puke. Oriental Bay looks stunning, much nicer than last year, meet up with other swimming buddies, try and get on camera. Friday's fog only really a problem for the Carters. Early flight on Friday morning, flew around Wlg a few times then back to Auckland. Eventually got down on a flight Friday evening. Also Richard Rice ended up jumping in his car and driving to Wlg.
10:55am - start was delayed, a few hiccupps no Scott (back in Auckland with Natasha and new baby!)
12:15pm approx - through the finish gantry - phew! Need a drink, powerade of course and there were some left.
12:20pm to 2:00pm - shower, coffee, chat, get hot in sun, hopeful for spot prizes, damn none of us got anything! Tried to get in camera shots again. Bad influence of VCSG!
2:00pm - taxi to airport
3:00pm - flight takes off
5:00pm ish - Get home unpack, catch up with hubby.
7:00pm - off to Chris and Jude's for dinner and wine tasting for their pending wedding. Fantastic dinner including white bait fritters. Wine - some good some average. Drank it all anyway!
9:30pm - Have Womens tennis final on, retire to the couch. Fall asleep on their couch.
11:00pm - head home. Determined to see the womens tennis final, have another go, fall asleep on our couch (shouldn't lay down...) see the final 2 points. Damn Serena won.
11:30pm - Deep sleep and dreams of more adventures.

What a day!

Points to note: (good and bad)
Everyone's times were better than last year, mine by 18 minutes. It was a shocker last year.
Kate's first in the Ocean Swim series and a very respectable time sneaking in ahead of me. We swam together for about 2/3rd of the swim and I flagged and couldn't keep up.
Fountain was working and it was lovely swimming around it and through the spray.
Helen and Jo not happy with the start. Not having Scott there made it more ill disciplined than usual.
Geoff Carter - on the podium in his age group for non wetsuit division
Helen 4th in her age group
Sarah Leys Bucherer - 3rd in the 60+ age group.
Caps were crappy again - I had cap issues even with a double up. Jo told them where they could stick their crappy cap and wore a decent latex one the same colour.
Prize giving was fairly rapid but none of us got spot prizes.

No one had a camera! BUT when the official photos come out we will be there as we were strategically placed behind the podium during prize giving. I think the photographer caught on because he moved from taking photos in front to taking them from behind!