Polar Bear Swim 2011

Here are some numbers to ponder:

2008:  3 swimmers - 10 spectators (windy and cold)
2009:  4 swimmers - 6 spectators (warm and cloudy)
2010:  5 swimmers - 10 spectators  (sideways rain and hail)
2011:  7 swimmers - dozens of spectators (cold and clear)

This year I did the most intensive organizing I could muster by sending out an email 24 hours before the event. It's a testament to the subscribership of Bill Smith's cultural email list that we had dozens of people show up to watch 7 of us brave the chilly waters at Grassy Pt.

Paul demonstrates appropriate water
entry technique while Pat looks on in
bewilderment.

The hardest of the hardcores

...and they're off.

It's worth noting that almost 20% of the fire department went for a swim today. Hearty individuals, we are. I love this tradition. Emerging from the freezing water I feel as invigorated and alive as any time during the year.

:
Hornby Island Polar Bear Swim 2011 from Julian Laffin on Vimeo.

Next year I'm shooting for a dozen swimmers, hundreds of spectators, a huge fire and hot chocolate. It's going to be an event, folks.