Got-up at 06.15 this morning to eat before going into town for the Auckland Harbour Crossing, the annual ocean swim event / race in Auckland which involves a 2.8km swim across the Waitemata Harbour form Bayswater to Viaduct Basin in Auckland City. 

In town its the usual scene with hundred of people in wet suits waiting nervously for their Ferry to Bayswater marina (the ferries leave at 07.45). Every now an again a spaced-out Saturday night reveller staggers passed on the way home after a long Saturday night out.

The conditions today are good with not too much ‘chop’ in the middle and not too much wind either. As  this is my fifth consecutive year of taking part in the event  I’m a bit of an old hand an nowhere near the bag go nerves I was before the 2007 event.

Again, the event is well attended with 1300 people taking part. This always makes for an interesting start and I have a particularly solid kick to the top of the head at this year’s event.

My navigation this years was reasonable, although I think I may have ‘gone a bit wide’ at the second buoy which added 100-200m to my route. I finished in 1hr 11mins (in the middle of the field) more or less the same as last year’s time.

At the head of the field Kane Radford and Cara Baker won the men and women’s races in 35mins and 38mins. Both are expected to qualify for the 2012 Olympic 10km open water swim in London.

I have to say that I absolutely love the event despite my average swimming ability. There is something about swimming from ‘A’ to ‘B’ in open water, the sensory deprivation and the way my mind seems to drift away while I am swimming is weird. And of course I love the physical exertion and sense of achievement. An awesome event in an awesome city.