Serpentine News 2006

Sally Kelly wins the 143^rd Annual Christmas Morning Race for the Peter Pan Cup. Andrew Deeley came a close second. 58/60 swimmers took part, temp 40^oF, starter Vice President Cyril Wood, Judge Rosie George 1st. Sally Kelly (off 1.25), 2nd. Andrew Deeley (1.35) 3rd. Cath Johnson (1.23), 4th.Mark Fabik(1.45), 5th. Alice Richardson (1.17). A popular winner Sally was the first lady to ever win the 'Peter Pan Cup'. The oldest competitor was Alan Lacy (83 years of age) who went at go, and the youngest was Alice Richardson at 14years old

This was the end of the Winter Series, and was won by Alan Nash. Results were: Nash 28pts,Titmuss 28pts, Fabik 27pts, Reid.J 26pts,Constance 26pts, Studd 25pts, Thomas 25pts. Alice won the Ladies Cup. Prizes were presented by Duff and Bob Kelly.

The water was 1^oF warmer than the previous week, but felt really quite comfortable. Two swans were watched whilst they swam around the lake mating. Click here to see the videos

This was the evening of the Serpentine Swimming Club Christmas Party. Fun was had by all and the usual etertainments were enjoyed as usual.

The water had only dropped to 44^oF but it had a little nip to it. A lucky bird had the pleasure of feasting on a dead crayfish, see the photo below. Sally Goble came down with friends to celebrate her birthday with a nice swim. Click here to see the videos

Serps member May Zhou who has now moved back to Beijing, and has mailed in photos of a swimming event. The first two photos are them playing Taiji to warm up. The drink at the end was Chinese Whisky.

The morning was rather grim and wet to start with, but brightened up after 8am. The water was 46^oF but felt quite pleasant. Alan Tittmus won convincingly in the final race, having bribed himself for a good mark! Cat was on camera duty for the final race and narrowly missed getting a photo of a pair of mating swans, and got the post-mating pecks which are below. Click here to see the videos

The water had gone up by one degree to 47^oF. It was a lovely clear morning. Three swimmers came down to try out the Serps: Duncan, Rowena and Theresa, they all did well, but Serps members were disappointed when Duncan didn't swim back to the start! Click here to see the videos

It was a far warmer morning than the previous week, but the water had gone down to 46^oC. Much fun was had by all. Click here to see the videos

After a week of bitterly cold weather the water had dropped to 48^oF, which had a certain bite to it compared to the previous week. There were 7 races, and a very large turn out. Suzie Dods, and American Channel Swimmer popped along for a swim and can be seen elegantly jumping in below! There was also a group of ourdoor swimmers starting a tour of London's open air bathing establishments with a swim in the Serps.

This was the first 55 yard race of the Winter Series. The water was a balmy 54^oF, and the air temperature was very mild. The nasty green algae has now well and truly disappeared. A number of the newer swimmers had not raced a 55 yard race before and were given rather generous handicaps. Rather foolishly two of them won their races by a large distance and actually swam their very best; silly Bridget and Sam (finishing in red hat below)! Alice, having watched Nick Adams subtly slowing down to avoid a win in the previous race, swam a far more controlled race with her 'gift' of a handicap, only just winning (finishing in blue hat below). The final race was well handicapped, click here to download the video of the finish. Andy Deeley had his first swim in the Serps after an ear infection, and came nowhere near the front.

Alice won the race for the Louis Schendler Bowl. Water 57^oF green scum gone, lovely swim. Even Bill Deeley with his usual complaints of not wanting to do the long distances did the return swim.

Mark Fabik decided to swim properly to win the series of races that count towards the Daily Telegraph Cup. The water was 58^oF and slightly green. Ashwin came along to present the prizes.

A lovely crisp morning with slightly nippy wind. The water was 58^oF and fairly clean. It was nice to see the Murphy's and Janie Saunders return to the Serps. The race was 220 yards, but most of the swimmers were in the changing room when the race started so most people missed their marks! Nick Adams spotted the silverware available and managed to get in on his mark and swim sufficiently quickly to win. Alan Nash was a close second. All very entertaining.

The water is still above 60^oF, and was 63^oF which was excellent for this time of the year. The race card stated that we would be swimming a 220 yard race, but it was decided that we would do 440 yards instead. Swimmers swam for the Sidney Stovold Cup, which was presented by his nephew. Haydon won, followed by Alan Fuller and Sakura Hingley. It was Ron Whittam's birthday. It was nice to see Ian Stuttard back from his work in the Middle East, sadly he wasn't swimming. The weather was wet and a bit grim.

This is our report from May Zhou who returned to China a few weeks ago, having been a Serps swimmer for a few years:

Dear all, This is my new swimming place in Beijing. It is the canal. You can go to Summer Palace from here by boat. Many swimmers swim all year. But it is much cold than the Serpentine in winter. Swimmers work together with fishing men. A fishing man was very excited this morning as he almost fished a big fish; his hook was on my swimsuit. Wish all of you be good. May. From Beijing

But big thanks to Cork masters who were very charming & friendly. The winner was a 15 year old from Dublin who swam 1700m in the cold (14 degrees) Sea in 23 min. We swam a revised course around the lea side of the Island & shore & into the estuary. Norman was the 1st serps in 28 min (gold medal winner for his age) , then Kevin (gold medal), Nick C & Neil - all in 31 min etc, Sally & jane in 35 min (Jane got silver medal), then me in 40 min (gold medal for my age - I was the only entrant in my age group), then Anne in 65 min- last one in, big clap of honour & lifeboat escort.

Drinks & buffet in pub afterwards. Lovely talk by Ned Dennison, also really introduced Kevin to us, amazing talk, Kevin then gave one back & spoke to young kids (8 years old & swam this summer around the Island!). More drinks followed by more drinks!

Serpentiners!

Many thanks for sending 12 of your best over to the Autodesk Sandycove Island Challenge 2006 - swim in Cork Ireland.

The weather was terrible but your crew turned up and were raring to go.

In the water you took two of the top prizes:

Anne McAlpine ..... most courageous swim in just over 65 minutes in very rough seas

Norman Jones.....the BEST swimmer out of 150+ (this is a special award based on a comparison of times to the age group world records) ***I always think of this as the Roberto Duran prize...the best pound for pound fighter in the world (for some years)***

The King was very charming and gave our youngest two swimmers (8 and 9) a rare photo opportunity. This didn't stop several other mature channel swimmers (guilty) going for a picture as well!

Jane was congratulated on her Windemere swim.

There were several other top performance at the BBQ (top five finishers, largest plate, etc.).

Your folks were also well represented with pints in the pub.

The only two negatives of the night were when Anne asked: "What cake?" It seems that the other 11 had eaten the ENTIRE chocolate cake we ordered specially for Serpentine for just after the swim with Coffee and Tea. To which Anne asked: "Where was my hot drink?" An odd physical thing though.....the 22 hands were shaking from the cold after the swim but once they got a SLAB of cake in their mitts - the shaking stopped. Not a crumb dropped.

We hope to see you back soon!

Ned (one of the organisers)

The Serps was once again very 'soupy' and swimmers' costumes came out with much green slime inside them; nice!! The water was a tropical 65^oF, which is excellent for this time of year. Alan Titmuss, with this in mind, increased the length of the race from 220 yards to 440 yards. Anthony Cleaver won. Yuriko popped in for a swim on her visit from Japan, and it was great to see her again. Gordon came down with Alan Lacy and was surprisingly making lots of noise. Nick Adams was criticised for his dragging Sakura Hingley for most of the distance, see photo below. The race was sponsored by Cyril and Yvonne Wood.

“The 5^th annual Thames River swim was held in Chiswick to coincide with the Richmond to Greenwich rowing race (350 boats of all types from 22 oars to Tongan Dragon boats). Some 35 swimmers (mostly wet-suited) took part in this c.1,000 metre race, including some hardy Serps swimmers, namely Andrew Alum, Mark Faure Walker, Jeremy and Robin Hunter. Overall winner was Andrew Alum in a record (for the course) time of 12m30s. Mark was 5^th. Special congratulations to Jeremy, albeit in a wetsuit, who was in his first competitive race since breaking his femur very badly 3 months ago.”

A rather charming green algae bloom has appeared in the Serps, and Simon Studd is in it by the steps in the photo below. The club Biathlon was well attended, and the competition was of a very high standard. Andrew Davis from the running club was the first to finish the 2 mile run, and was chased for the entire 880 yards by swimmer David L'Hostis, but held on to his lead and won by around one metre. The first girl home was Sakura Hingley. The water was 66^oF.

Serps swimmers Cat Johnson, Garry Duffield and Lynn Hawkins were joined by Jana Kusnik and James Lord to swim across the English Channel as a relay. They took 18 hours and 44 minutes and swam far further than most usual swims due to the strongest spring tides of the year! Their swim chart is below. Well done everyone.

Sexy's All Clothes Race, sponsored by John Sexton, was well attended and enjoyed by many spectators. Saundra was first home, but walked much of the race so was not allowed to win. Andy Deeley walked too much to be given a prize, even though he was second home. Albert was third home, but wasn't allowed to win the cup as he'd won it last year, so it ended up with Leslie Du Cane taking home the silverware.

Members welcomed Norman and Lorraine Jones back, and were pleased to congratulate him on his swim in France, a grueling 10 mile swim, which took around six hours; Well Done Norm.

Will Ferguson won the 3rd race that counts towards the Daily Telegraph Cup. Rule 17j was enacted due to 3 new-comers scooping the top three positions. New swimmer Alice can be seen diving in with Simon Studd, and came home first easily.

8 Serps swimmers, Deirdre, Cat, Neil, Nick, Laura, George, Sally and Jonathon entered the first Nancy Hearle Memorial Cup, a 3 mile swim from Gull Rock to Tatums beach, at Portscatho, Cornwall.

Nancy Hearly swum the distance about 50 years ago. A few had tried since, but all had succumed to the cold or the currents.

Contrary to all predictions it was a beautiful day with perfect conditions. Gull Rock loomed frighteningly distant on the horizon and the local coast guard delighted in reminding us of how many had tried and failed. The eight Serps plus an exual number of friends, strangers and locals motored out to the start in RIBs (Rubber Inflatable Boats) The water was pretty chilly and so no one dipped more than a few toes in before the starters horn at ten past 3.

The tide and currents made the first quater mile feel a lot longer and blew a few swimmers off course; there was at least a hundred yards from one side of the 'bunch' to the other. Luckily the friendly flotilla pointed us in the right direction.

The water was very clear and jelly fish were easily spotted, a few loose stings stung a little but none too severely. There were shoals of sand eels and a few wrasse and several other slightly scary creatures.

First out was Deirdre in an awsome 1hour 30 minutes, met on the beach by a large cheering crowd, amazed that such a spectacle of endurance and grace should be seen in their little village. Teas and towels appeared as if by magic.

The other Serps swimmers to reach the beach were, in order of arrival, Jonathon, Nick, George, Sally and Cat. Neil and Laura were narrowly beaten by the sea but rescued by yacht and motorboat for a glamorous ride home. Of special note, two very determined locals finished in a shivery 3 and a half hours!

This may be the first of many Nancy Hearle races if the organisers recover sufficiently.... CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

George Brutton came along to have a swim and presnt the prizes for his race. The water was 64^oF. It was also the last Sunday which Mei will be with us as she is returning to China, she will be missed, but we are sure that she will return for star-appearances from time to time.

The President's Race: 1st Andrew Burman, 2nd Jeff junior, 3rd Jeff senior, 4th Deirdre, 5th Jonathan

Aphrodite cup, presented by Haydon on his birthday, for the most elegant stroke was awarded to Yoko.Weather was poor.

Over a dozen Serpers went down to the Solent last Sunday to compete in the annual Calshot Bay Swim. It was a picturesque day, bright and breezy, with hundreds of boats on the water. However, the breeze was perhaps a little too strong for mere muscle-propelled bodies, as was the current from one end of the course. But the Serpers did us proud clocking up the winner, Andrew Allum, over 5km, the longest-in-the-water-and-the-second-oldest-by-only-a-month (Gordon Brodie 5km), the only breaststrokers (i.e. we wiped the board) inc Leslie's solid 5km, and better representation than any other club (nothing if not enthusiastic) - oh and we were definitely the loudest. Rapacious appetites were met with a tasty barbeque and the warm reception from those at the Solent Swimming Club was as fine as ever

The Jock Fee Cup was competed for with a 880 yard race. Peter Suanders presented the prizes. May Zhou won the handicapped race.

Anna Hillyer and Jess Avery competed in the Bournemouth Pier to Pier race which was organised to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Kevin Murphy swam the English Channel for the 34^th time in 15 hours and 41 minutes, and by doing so he has regained his title of King of the Channel. Everyone and the Serps congratulates him on this wonderful acheivement.

The annual Bridge to Bridge race was swam on a lovely morning. Some didn't realise that the race was going to start at 7:30am, and missed their marks. Alan Titmuss was the winner, well done.

Many congratulations to Jon Tomlinson and Laura Moffat who anounced their engagement after the race.

The water was a little smelly, but swimmers got in and raced the half mile event. Alice won.

Anne McAlpine won the Radford Mile Cup, closely followed by Andy Deeley and then Simon Studd. The water was 70^oF.

The water has got to a staggering 68^oF, which is a little too warm. The colour of the water has recently changed from its usual green to a nasty brown colour. The 880 yard race was won by David L'Hostis and Andre Deeley came second. Mansour had brought a long a lovely cake for Rose George's birthday.

Members of the Serps swam in the South London Swimming Club's Centenary Relay Championships. The first event was a 4 x 100 yard medley relay, followed by a 16 x 100 yard freestyle relay both done in teams of four.

The Paul Bridgeman Team Race was swam in wonderful conditions. The water was 59^oF but was most pleasant due to the cloudless sky and warm air temperature. The eventual winners who won the final after two rounds of heats were Wayne Ashpole, Pippa Durrant, Will Ferguson and John Reid. There was very little cheating and many swimmers basked in the water after the races, and some even did some more swimming!

Neil Price's dog Gretel was coaxed into the water after a tennis ball for quite sometime and amused her fans sufficiently. Happy Birthday was sung for Alan Nash. Members are forewarned that it is Auntie Rose's birthday next week! Also coming next week is a new competition to be run over 2 months: "Name That Belly" in which photos of members' bellies will be on a page with spaces on the form on which you can enter your guesses; there will be a prize for the winner.

There were two races competed in. The first was a 110 yard Veterans Race, and the second was a 440 yard race. Emi and Ron went ten seconds before their mark, but Ron managed not to come second by standing up 2m before the buoys and not finishing the race!

Swimmers competed in the 440 yard race for Ron The Con's Cup. The water had gone down a bit to 59^oC due to the rains of the week, but the clearer water was welcomed. There was a close finish to the race with Nick Adams narrowly beating Pippa Durrant and Sally Kelly. There was booze, cake and dreadful singing, accompanied by Bill Phipps on his bicycle pump for Alan Titmuss' 70th Birthday.

On a sad note, Club President and long time member of the Serpentine Swimming Club, Roy Wray passed away on Saturday 13^th May aged 78. There was a minute of silence for him, and a good number attended the funeral on Friday 19^th May. He was liked and respected by all, and the club has lost a real gentleman. He will be truly missed.

An air temperature of 58^oC and water temperature of 64^oC greeted the swimmers competing for the Bill Phipps Cup. Most importantly it was Alice's 14th Birthday on Thursday so Happy Birthday was sung, and cake made by Alice's granny was eaten by all. Nobody was happy with the winner being who it was, so to avoid unpleasant repercussions his face has been blanked out! Peter Saunders is now back swimming in the Serps. Ron the Con had just got back from his pilgrimage to the Malta sun, and looked a rather funny orange colour (see photo below).

The Serps has finally got over 60^oF! Yippeee. It was 62^oF and felt wonderfully comfortable, and as it was so warm Barney Miller has now started coming down to the lake. The race was won by Simon Studd.

Maev came all the way from her home in France to participate in, and to present the prizes for her race. The water was 55^oF, and many swimmers di