The end buoys had been moved back to the 100 yard mark ready for Saturday's Christmas morning dress rehursal. We had with a tad fewer spectators and two comfortable races rather than the festive bumping and boring no-holds-barred of one off Peter Pan race.
Jamie Lauder, of the second race, was recorded as two seconds faster against his handicap than the winner of the first race, Mike Barron.
Jamie Lauder performed best against his handicap over the two races
(photo: Norman Jones)
Louis's daughter Bunny paid her annual visit to the club to present the magnificent trophy
Rob welcomed Bunny Schendler and told tales of Louis
Bunny is no stranger to all-the-year-round outdoor bathing. She and daughter Olive (who could not join us on Saturday) inherited his love of cold water swimming. They both swim at the Kenwood ponds which are closer to their north london home than the Serpentine.
Louis, late 1990s
Louis joined the club in the 1960s and was a regular midweek and weekend swimmer. A psychologist by profession it was always joked that the club members of that era provided him with many very interesting case studies.
Louis lived locally and most early mornings would walk across Kensington Gardens with Eric Carter on their way to the lake chatting and putting the world to rights. Louis would stroll along in a baggy, roll neck jumper, with his trunks rolled up in a towel tucked under his arm. Louis was so committed to his patients that he continually put off necessary heart surgery. Sadly, when he finally went into hospital he died on the operating table. The beautiful trophy is a fitting way for the club to remember such a beautiful man.
The first of the two races underway
(photo: Norman Jones)
Chris Hatcher had the "honour" of being "scratch swimmer" for the first race
(photo: Norman Jones)
Poppy sat out the race she won last year
Some feeble excuse relating to a broken bone. (photo: Norman Jones)
A tight finish, by a neck?
(photo: Norman Jones)
The 100 yard mark
(photo: Norman Jones)
Second of the 100 yard races gets going
Busy morning
All eyes on the finish
10 pairs of eyes better than one?
Time for a quick chat before swimming back
Quite amenable conditions: water 12.2c, air 12c.
Rob introduced Bunny to those that did not know her
(photo: Norman Jones)
Rob told of Louis' time with the club, from the 1960s through to 2000
One of the Serpentine's more amusing tales concerns two pairs of trousers, twice.
As recorded by Alan Titmuss, "one morning, after his swim and in a bit of a rush, Bill Phipps arrived at the car park only to find he had lost his keys, what is more, somebody had pinched his wallet! Who would do that? Nobody, he had got the wrong trousers, they were Louis's!"
This "wrong trousers" tradition was revived just a few years ago by two current club members, James Norton and Vincent Couffon. This similar "case of the wrong trousers" resulted in James turning up at Vincent's office reception saying that Mr Couffon had his trousers, and could he please have them back. All very confusing, though in "Serpentine SC land" quite par for the course.
Nothing new under the sun, nor within the Serpentine Swimming Club.
All eyes and ears were on President Rob and his speech
(photo: Norman Jones)
Winner Jamie, with eyes on the crowd
Mike Barron, second place by a mere two seconds
Transparency and fair play in evidence by Mr Barron and the Handicap Team (photo: Norman Jones)
(report compiled by Brian Thomas)