freeline-94 - Flipbook - Page 182
GREG SADLER
was heading back to the sw i ms , h av i ng e mp t i e d an o t he r b u c ke t
o f tigers and boilies onto t he s p o t s , wh en Rus s h o ll e re d o u t i n
h i s broadest Brummie acce n t , “ G ro g , yow ’ ve g o t c o m p a n a a a a ! ”
W ith that , I swung around to s e e a b lo o dy g re a t swan t h at h a d
a p peared from around the b a ck o f t he i s la n d a n d wa s h e a d i n g
s t raight for me. It was m ov i ng a t s o m e sp e e d a n d l oo ke d
e n ormous as I was treadin g wa te r a n d l o o k i n g d i re c tly a c ro s s
a t it on the same level. I s t aye d c al m (i s h ) a n d c on t i n u e d my
s l ow swim to the bank, at th e s a m e ti m e a t te m p t i n g to i g n o re
t h e Brummie’s piss-taking g i b es a nd c o mm e n t ary. By n ow, o u r
fe athered friend had co nt i n u ed to q u i c kly c atc h u p w i t h m e ,
a n d when it was getting to o c lo s e fo r c o m fo r t , Ru s s ’ s n ex t
p i ece of genius advice was d e live re d to me be t we e n h i s f i t s o f
hysteria, “Grog, put the buc ke t o n ya ‘ ed ! ” T h e swa n wa s n ow
d e ad level with me, and t h e o n ly t hi n g t ha t s to p p e d i t f ro m
g e tting any closer were t he l i n es t h at we re o u t f ro m Ru s s ’ s
ro ds. At this point , I really b ega n to sh i t mys e l f ! I j u s t d u mp ed
t h e bucket and went for it , sw i mm i n g t he f i na l 2 0 ya rd s a s fa s t
a s I could, and, like the tru e g e n t h e i s , Ru s s h elp e d h a u l me
o u t of the margins as I plo ugh ed s t ra i gh t t h ro u gh th e n e a re s t
re ed bed in an attempt to ex i t t h e wa te r as q u i c k ly a s p o s s i b l e .
Much hilarity was to fo l low, l arg e ly at my ex p en s e , b u t i t
was all part of a memorable fe w d ays s p e n t w i t h a go o d f ri e n d ,
a t my favorite place. We s h are d e i gh t t ake s be t we e n u s w i t h
Ru ss landing Little Ockley, th e le g e n da r y li n e a r. I ma n a g ed t wo
m i rrors weighing 19.1 0lb a n d 2 0 . 0 8 l b b u t a l l i n a l l, I t h i nk th e
e mpty beer cans weighed m uc h m o re . T hi s p rove d to be my
l a st ever summer sessio n o n th e s t ra i gh t b a n k . I ’ d h a d m o re
t h an my fair share of cap t u re s a n d I’ d fo u n d a me t ho d th a t
worked; it did take a little e f fo r t , b u t as I wa s t rave l l i n g a fa i r
FREELINE 72