Two kilometers along the waves of the North Sea - Zeemijl van Bloemendaal 2023
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
In early August, another sail to the nautical mile in the North Sea took place. This year the competition was held for the 65th time. And the Bluemandal rescue team - the main organizer - celebrates its centenary this year.
The uniqueness of this competition lies in the complete unpredictability of weather conditions. B last year there was calm and very warm water, more like jellyfish soup. What will nature cook for us this time?
The weather on the start day was excellent - without rain, sunny, warm (about 19 degrees), but a pretty strong wind.
I have breakfast and pack my things. This time I start in a long triathlon wetsuit:
Having stretched eight kilometers on a bicycle to Bloemendaal aan Zee, I go to check-in. The flags sway strongly, but the excitement at sea does not look very serious. It’s good. The people begin to gather at a rescue base:
I get a starting package. This time they put a lot of everything useful:
I throw a few words with my friends, change clothes. The wind is blowing from Zandworth, so we will start from there. Rescuers take out and fix the marking buoys:
At half past one we go down to the beach and move towards the start. There are two categories of participants - a full mile and half a mile. To the place to go about an earth mile, 1600 meters. That in the water with swimming and swimming will just give the desired sea mile, 1800 meters.
The weather is good, so there are a lot of vacationers on the beach. Kaiters ride, surfers walk with boards, some try to take a wave. It always seemed silly to me - can there really be waves of sufficient height in our places?
We got to the place of launch. The last sips of water, I put the bag in the rescue trailer, which will go to the finish line. I put on the top of the wetsuit, wash my glasses, slowly go into the water. The temperature feels comfortable (for devices, too, 20 degrees).
Rescuers lower another boat that will lead us to the first buoy. He, as I understand it, was a little blown away by the waves. Indeed, from a closer distance, the waves no longer seem like a simple ripple:
And a boat bouncing on them is good proof of this:
Something really fun awaits us.
And now the start is given and (first the participants in the competitive category, and then everyone else) we run into the water. Well, how do we get in. Trying. Several tens of meters are shallow, so you have to go, at the time of the impact of another wave, substituting her back or diving through her so that she does not take it back. Waves are high and buoys are not visible. We have to focus on other people, plus a rescue boat sometimes appears in front of the left. In theory, from somewhere from there you need to start sailing to the right, towards Bloomendal.
Finally sailed to the first buoy. We turn. The wave comes from the sea and a little from behind, which helps to swim a lot. But you have to make sure that it does not blow very much to the shore. And the waves are pretty big. Not such that they simply stick into the mouth and interfere with breathing. And those who raise you to a high height. And somewhere below you see the hands of other swimmers. No, still surfing in the North Sea is not such a hopeless idea.
After a few hundred meters you get used to the monotonous pace of the sea, adjust to the rhythm of the wave, up, down, up, down. Periodically look at the next buoy and take a little to the left to swim around it from the right side.
This time I did not follow the time at all, just enjoyed the process. No vile jellyfish, thoughts about the thermophilic sharks, crush.
But the last buoy appeared, it’s time to taxi to the shore. Other participants begin to appear in the water. Trying to speed up a bit. But it turns out not very - a strong pitching. A couple of times he threw a wave at others. Well, what can I do, element. I try to focus on the finish gate on the shore. It seems to be starting to demolish a little further. I take to the right. Five to ten combs, stick your head out, peer. Approaching? Not really. Course adjustment. More scallops. So someone flew into me on the wave. We continue to row. After a few very long minutes, sand is under my feet - I get up and run to the finish line. And there is, demolished fifty meters.
Time on the watch - 35 minutes, distance - 2188 meters. Well, yes, you never know how long a nautical mile will be this time.
At the finish I hand over the chip, I get a medal. Feed with soup:
I take things from the trailer, change clothes and join the audience:
A couple of people were brought from sea adventures on a rescue boat. They look tired, but happy. Someone was thrown to the finish line by car - carried away seventy meters away.
After the arrival of the last participant, the award began. The prizes were awarded by the burgomaster of Bloomendal. Results, of course, fire. In second place was some young guy, looking about fifteen to sixteen years old. As I understand it, he is the champion of the Netherlands in junior in some category there. So, he was more than four minutes behind the winner. Winner time - 16 minutes 21 seconds. Record for more than sixty years of this start. That’s what it means to be able to navigate in the water. Well, swim. For his merits, the hero was awarded an office chair :-)
My (much more modest) results:
- time - 34:33
- in the competitive category among men - 66th of 77
- in the competitive category among men and women - 79th of 94
- among all men and women who started a full mile - 97th of 193
As they say, growth prospects are endless.
Traditionally, an article came out in a local newspaper with a story about this swim:
The next Zeemijl van Bloemendaal will take place on August 11, 2024. Put in the calendar. I hope it will be as high as this year.
After using photographs of authorship of Bart Boerkamp, Machteld Stilting, Haarlems Dagblad newspapers and burgomaster Elbert Roest, published on Facebook. Thank you very much for that.
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