As improbable as it is that we're still able to swim from Klode this late in the season even more amazing is that swimming without a wetsuit is even a consideration.
The warmer / clearer water experienced Monday morning beyond the second sand bar had found its way to shore Monday evening. With the crystal clear water rolling onto shore and a water temp around 65 who could say 'no' to jumping in for a quick swim without being inundated with having to put on a wetsuit. Certainly not me. :)
The water conditions Monday evening turned out to be quite hospitable...as long as you kept moving. Monday's night cap swim adventure lasted for a little more than 20 minutes and included a trip up to the garage from north beach and then a round trip tour of Klode between the north and south beaches.
The air was crisp (48) and the sand cold but Tuesday morning presented Nahi, The Patriarch and I with the same question faced on Monday morning. Log a short swim without a wetsuit...or put on the wetsuits and swim long? With the glowing sun just about to peak over the horizon and a slightly rippled glass like lake surface we couldn't resist the temptation to go long again. So we pulled on the wetsuits and journeyed once again up to 3 piers....this time, the northern most pier of 3 piers. In the end the adventure lasted nearly an hour and covered approximately 1.8 miles.
Pressed for time, we resisted the temptation to jump back in the lake to log a swim without our wetsuits. Both The Patriarch and I plan to return this evening to log this swim. 5:30 at Klode is the plan. Anyone care to join us?
Tomorrow morning Nahi, The Patriarch and I will also be at it again at 6:30am. It'll be a landmark swim...October 1st...need I say more?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Magic Number is Two
A cool and dreary morning was brightened by a stunning crimson sunrise over the lake. It only lasted a few minutes before the sun hid behind the low cloud deck, but it inspired us to do a much longer swim than we've done in some time.
The water temp is in the low 60's, meaning the choice was a shorter swim without wetsuits or a longer one with wetsuits. We chose the later. We made it to "three piers" and back, about 1.75 miles. We moved at a good clip in the one foot rollers, and both of us were plenty tired and hungry by the time we finished. It's going to be a problem staying awake at work today.
Our plan was to attempt a shorter non-wetsuit swim after work, but I forgot I have a retirement party to attend, so I can't go. But the Cap'n is still game, so if you're interested in a swim tonight, give him a call, or shoot him an email, or post a comment on this blog.
Our magic number is now 2. If we can swim two more days, we've swum continously in five months (June-Oct).
Next swim possibly tonight (contact the Cap'n)
Definitely tommorrow (Tuesday) morning 6:30AM at Klode
The water temp is in the low 60's, meaning the choice was a shorter swim without wetsuits or a longer one with wetsuits. We chose the later. We made it to "three piers" and back, about 1.75 miles. We moved at a good clip in the one foot rollers, and both of us were plenty tired and hungry by the time we finished. It's going to be a problem staying awake at work today.
Our plan was to attempt a shorter non-wetsuit swim after work, but I forgot I have a retirement party to attend, so I can't go. But the Cap'n is still game, so if you're interested in a swim tonight, give him a call, or shoot him an email, or post a comment on this blog.
Our magic number is now 2. If we can swim two more days, we've swum continously in five months (June-Oct).
Next swim possibly tonight (contact the Cap'n)
Definitely tommorrow (Tuesday) morning 6:30AM at Klode
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Dos Locos Does it yet again...
Despite yesterday's outstanding swim conditions The Patriarch and I were cautiously optimistic about the prospects of being able to swim today. The lake temp websites both indicated that icy cold water had moved in from the north. Determined to continue our streak of swim adventures into October we came prepared with our wetsuits just in case.
As we strolled down to the Klode beach this morning the skies were grey and the wind was blowing steadily from the northeast at 10-15mph. The result was a steady dose of 1-4ft waves. Certainly the conditions were nothing we hadn't swam in before...the only question that remained would be could we tolerate the water temperature.
Surprisingly, as we dipped our toes in the water we did not experience the jolt of icy cold rejection that we were preparing ourselves for. Yes, the water was noticeably colder than yesterday...perhaps somewhere in the low 60's...but now instead of setting our sights on just getting a swim in our minds began to debate the prospects of logging a swim without wetsuits.
Sarcastically I half mused to The Patriarch...'Golly gee, you'd have to be nuts to swim today without a wetsuit...' And that's when it happened. With a half crazed look in one eye and bit of a nervous twitch in the other The Patriarch almost instantaneously replied...'Why that we are!!'
....and at that we were off...leaving our wetsuits behind we cautiously entered the water remembering all to well our prior adventure where the Lady of the Lake knocked us both on our asses as we carelessly plunged into water. The water out to the second and what appears to be an up and coming third sand bar was dark with sand. Just beyond though, the clear blue water could be seen. Encouraging us to press on the sun began to break through the clouds as if to give us the approval to proceed.
Swimming from north beach we had to swim hard just to reach the garage. The waves were rolling and fun but the swift current and rolling seas from the northeast made you earn every inch of progress forward! The cold water was a bit numbing on the feet, fingers and face but at this point nothing was going to deter Dos Locos from this rare opportunity to log a no wetsuit swim...especially with the calendar reading September 28th. The trip up to the garage took nearly 10 minutes. The trip back took a little less then 3.
Tomorrow we plan to do it again. 6:30am at Klode...and perhaps at 4:30 if the conditions in the morning don't allow us to swim. Just 3 more days until October 1st....we can do it! :)
-Capt'n
As we strolled down to the Klode beach this morning the skies were grey and the wind was blowing steadily from the northeast at 10-15mph. The result was a steady dose of 1-4ft waves. Certainly the conditions were nothing we hadn't swam in before...the only question that remained would be could we tolerate the water temperature.
Surprisingly, as we dipped our toes in the water we did not experience the jolt of icy cold rejection that we were preparing ourselves for. Yes, the water was noticeably colder than yesterday...perhaps somewhere in the low 60's...but now instead of setting our sights on just getting a swim in our minds began to debate the prospects of logging a swim without wetsuits.
Sarcastically I half mused to The Patriarch...'Golly gee, you'd have to be nuts to swim today without a wetsuit...' And that's when it happened. With a half crazed look in one eye and bit of a nervous twitch in the other The Patriarch almost instantaneously replied...'Why that we are!!'
....and at that we were off...leaving our wetsuits behind we cautiously entered the water remembering all to well our prior adventure where the Lady of the Lake knocked us both on our asses as we carelessly plunged into water. The water out to the second and what appears to be an up and coming third sand bar was dark with sand. Just beyond though, the clear blue water could be seen. Encouraging us to press on the sun began to break through the clouds as if to give us the approval to proceed.
Swimming from north beach we had to swim hard just to reach the garage. The waves were rolling and fun but the swift current and rolling seas from the northeast made you earn every inch of progress forward! The cold water was a bit numbing on the feet, fingers and face but at this point nothing was going to deter Dos Locos from this rare opportunity to log a no wetsuit swim...especially with the calendar reading September 28th. The trip up to the garage took nearly 10 minutes. The trip back took a little less then 3.
Tomorrow we plan to do it again. 6:30am at Klode...and perhaps at 4:30 if the conditions in the morning don't allow us to swim. Just 3 more days until October 1st....we can do it! :)
-Capt'n
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Exceptional Conditions!
The water conditions were absolutely Fan-tastic Saturday afternoon....especially when you take into consideration the date. The calendar may say it's nearly October but the exceptional swimming conditions would make you think its the end of August.
Today's swim was nearly a carbon copy of last Saturday's. The air temp was a tad bit cooler...upper 70's vs mid-80's...and water temps slightly cooler...upper 60's vs the plus side of 70. Still more than comfortable for logging a long swim without a wetsuit....and a picture perfect day to be on the beach and in the water.
As was the case yesterday the water clarity was pristine. The sandy lake bottom could be easily seen in 15-20ft of water while the color sported a Caribbean like hue.
Today's swim adventure took The Patriarch and I from north beach south down to the sewer pipe and back and included a little sight seeing / treasure hunting along the way. Both on the way out and on the way back we stopped to explore the sunken cannon. With the exceptional water clarity the distinguishing characteristics of the cannon could be easily seen. Nearby we also found other ancient artifacts that have become partially submerged in the lake bottom.
Elapsed time for today's swim was approximately 50 minutes...although to be honest it felt more like 25-30. Visually it appeared as if there was a current moving from south to north but the swim in both directions felt effortless and swift. Perhaps from the excitement of today's treasure hunt?
Sunday's plan is to swim at 10:30am from Klode. Come on out if you can!
-Capt'n
Today's swim was nearly a carbon copy of last Saturday's. The air temp was a tad bit cooler...upper 70's vs mid-80's...and water temps slightly cooler...upper 60's vs the plus side of 70. Still more than comfortable for logging a long swim without a wetsuit....and a picture perfect day to be on the beach and in the water.
As was the case yesterday the water clarity was pristine. The sandy lake bottom could be easily seen in 15-20ft of water while the color sported a Caribbean like hue.
Today's swim adventure took The Patriarch and I from north beach south down to the sewer pipe and back and included a little sight seeing / treasure hunting along the way. Both on the way out and on the way back we stopped to explore the sunken cannon. With the exceptional water clarity the distinguishing characteristics of the cannon could be easily seen. Nearby we also found other ancient artifacts that have become partially submerged in the lake bottom.
Elapsed time for today's swim was approximately 50 minutes...although to be honest it felt more like 25-30. Visually it appeared as if there was a current moving from south to north but the swim in both directions felt effortless and swift. Perhaps from the excitement of today's treasure hunt?
Sunday's plan is to swim at 10:30am from Klode. Come on out if you can!
-Capt'n
Friday, September 26, 2008
Keeping Our Streak Alive!
Yesterday morning we feared that the swim season might be over. The water at Klode was literally ice cold, we did not attempt to swim, even with wetsuits.
But not willing to give up without a fight, we planned to try again in the afternoon. Figuring that the water might be warmer behind the breakwall we ventured to Pirates Cove (a.k.a. Bay View beach). The water was a lot warmer there, comfortable without a wetsuit, however it was so choked with weeds that we only did a short swim, 20 minutes or so.
But the Cap'n still wasn't willing to give up, so he stopped at Klode on the way home where he ran into James. Remarkably enough the water had warmed considerably since the morning and he and James managed a non-wetsuit swim.
This morning it was still warm enough to swim at Klode, but we spent considerable time debating whether or not to swim with wetsuits. We did some of both. Cap'n, Nahi, and me swam to the rockpile with our wetsuits on, then we returned to the beach, took them off and swam to the garage and back. It was a gorgeous day to swim, the water as clear as glass, gentle rollers, a beautiful sunrise over the lake.
So our streak is still alive! Aside from ironman weekend, one or the other of us has swum every day since June 24th, many days more than once. And since July 28th at least one of those daily swims was without a wetsuit. I don't know the exact count, but both Cap'n and me are well over 100 swims each this season. This far exceeds any previous year.
Hopefully we're not done yet! We hope to go to October 1st, five more days.
Next swims:
Tonight (Friday) 4:30PM Klode
Tomorrow (Saturday) Noon Klode
Last chance! We are certainly down to our last few days. Every swim could be our last of the season.
But not willing to give up without a fight, we planned to try again in the afternoon. Figuring that the water might be warmer behind the breakwall we ventured to Pirates Cove (a.k.a. Bay View beach). The water was a lot warmer there, comfortable without a wetsuit, however it was so choked with weeds that we only did a short swim, 20 minutes or so.
But the Cap'n still wasn't willing to give up, so he stopped at Klode on the way home where he ran into James. Remarkably enough the water had warmed considerably since the morning and he and James managed a non-wetsuit swim.
This morning it was still warm enough to swim at Klode, but we spent considerable time debating whether or not to swim with wetsuits. We did some of both. Cap'n, Nahi, and me swam to the rockpile with our wetsuits on, then we returned to the beach, took them off and swam to the garage and back. It was a gorgeous day to swim, the water as clear as glass, gentle rollers, a beautiful sunrise over the lake.
So our streak is still alive! Aside from ironman weekend, one or the other of us has swum every day since June 24th, many days more than once. And since July 28th at least one of those daily swims was without a wetsuit. I don't know the exact count, but both Cap'n and me are well over 100 swims each this season. This far exceeds any previous year.
Hopefully we're not done yet! We hope to go to October 1st, five more days.
Next swims:
Tonight (Friday) 4:30PM Klode
Tomorrow (Saturday) Noon Klode
Last chance! We are certainly down to our last few days. Every swim could be our last of the season.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Mystery Solved
At Tuesday evening's swim with the Fine Wench and Sir James a common question arose that was curiously presented during the morning swim with Michael and The Patriarch. "Was the warm water coming or going"? While the water temp Tuesday evening was a bit of a shock to the system at first, the three of us were still able to log a 10 minute swim between north and south beaches without a wetsuit.
Sadly, The Patriarch and I found the answer to that question on Wednesday morning...the warm water was GONE. With the assistance of a wetsuit and a bit of insanity The Patriarch and I were able to log a 30 minute swim this morning. Frozen hands, feet and a numb face resulted from the endeavor...the water clarity and amazing sunrise made the adventure worthwhile.
We plan to take the plunge again Thursday morning at 6:30am....hopefully the current polar like conditions will have passed by then. But if the endeavor requires a bit of determination we'll certainly be up for the challenge!
Sadly, The Patriarch and I found the answer to that question on Wednesday morning...the warm water was GONE. With the assistance of a wetsuit and a bit of insanity The Patriarch and I were able to log a 30 minute swim this morning. Frozen hands, feet and a numb face resulted from the endeavor...the water clarity and amazing sunrise made the adventure worthwhile.
We plan to take the plunge again Thursday morning at 6:30am....hopefully the current polar like conditions will have passed by then. But if the endeavor requires a bit of determination we'll certainly be up for the challenge!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Quick Update
Water conditions remained cool Monday evening and supported a 30 minute swim without wetsuits for James, The Patriarch and I. Waves were 1-2ft from the south which made for choppy conditions. Water clarity was exceptional.
Water conditions Tuesday morning were mixed but still supported a 25 minute swim without wetsuits for Mike, The Patriarch and I. Waves remained from the south in the 1-2ft range which again made for choppy conditions. The water inside of the sand bars was stirred up but beyond the 2nd sand bar the clarity was superb. Oddly, in the areas where the water was stirred up the water temp was quite cool...almost uncomfortably cool without a wetsuit...while the areas of exceptional water clarity were considerably warmer. Does this mean the warm water is coming...or going?
There is a group swim planned for 5:45pm Tuesday evening.
Hope to see you there!
-Capt'n
Water conditions Tuesday morning were mixed but still supported a 25 minute swim without wetsuits for Mike, The Patriarch and I. Waves remained from the south in the 1-2ft range which again made for choppy conditions. The water inside of the sand bars was stirred up but beyond the 2nd sand bar the clarity was superb. Oddly, in the areas where the water was stirred up the water temp was quite cool...almost uncomfortably cool without a wetsuit...while the areas of exceptional water clarity were considerably warmer. Does this mean the warm water is coming...or going?
There is a group swim planned for 5:45pm Tuesday evening.
Hope to see you there!
-Capt'n
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