More Level 3 swims

A blustery northerly came up on the second day of Level 3, making my bike ride around to Freyberg Beach a less relaxing experience. Although the traffic was light in comparison with normal times, there were some roadworks to negotiate, superintended by a couple of friendly stop-go men. The stop-go men gallantly signalled the waiting three cyclists to set off ahead of the cars but this meant we had to go flat out from just past Balaena Bay to past Pt. Jerningham, with a growing convoy of vehicular traffic behind. I always get the feeling that a frustrated motorist trapped behind a bike will go postal and run me down, so I pedalled like fury to get around the corner.  Adding the northerly into this equation also added an extra level of exertion. 

Once at the beach I prepared to broach the chop. A few other swimmers were doing the same, and we greeted each other heartily from afar. I decided that the lighthouse might be a stretch in the conditions, so contented myself with a few laps of the rafts and fountain, totalling about 2km. After finishing, I pedalled back to Hataitai Beach to have a swim with Eliza. The northerly blew me along the road and I was there far too early, so rode on to Cobham Drive and back.

When Eliza arrived we went into the sea and did some swimming between the moored boats, and enjoyed some socially-distanced conversation as well. Talking to somebody face-to-face, a friend no less, after such a long time felt a little weird and slightly delinquent, but also elating.  After 40 minutes of swimming and talking the sun had definitely gone behind the Hataitai hill and it was time to get out. The damp towel/damp clothes combination certainly felt a little clammy (the changing rooms and toilets were still locked) in the breeze, so I zoomed home cold but full of contentment at not only having swum but having swum with a friend.