Full Strawberry Moon Swim

 Full moon swim: Saturday 8:15 pm, (Strawberry full moon)

The forecast is for warm water, warm clear air, and smooth gentle moon waves. Full moon rises over the lake at 8:28 pm, with a sunset at 8:25 PM.  Swim on out and swim in/to the gravity feed pull sway of pulsating waves and shimmering rays. Strawberry swims forever. 

Fin-Fyn Goes Missing (or not)

Next Swims:
Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm 
Sat & Sun: noon and maybe 8am
Other unadvertised swims may occur, i.e. weekdays swim with Itch at 5pm.  Feel free to post yours (pre or post swim) in the comments

Last Swims: Friday 6am (and probably Thurs 5/6pm)
Air temp: 70-ish
Water temp: 64 per TTL
Waves:  Flat as glass
Clarity: very good
Beach Hazards:  STILL gobi stench, which mercifully seems to roll in only after the swim 
Kru:  Hollywood, Fin-Fyn, Lt MJ, Hurricane (? aka Cindy) Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Dragonfly, Mr. Anonymous, Gabby, Magic Mike

It was a big meet-up in the parking lot this morning.

Still avoiding the gobi graveyard at the south end of the beach, we set up camp towards the north.  

If only Diablo would dispatch their fishy corpses with the same speed that he did with the dead racoon.

We suited up and the speedy swimmers vanished into the distance. (Foreshadowing.)

The rest of us met up at the two cute chairs and headed back.

Unbeknownst to the pod of speedy swimmers, Fin had ditched them returned to Klode.  The rest of them worried all the way back, only to find her relaxing on the beach.

Happy to report our fatality-free streak continues.

Not much to report other than that today was another incredible day in the week of amazing flat-water swims.

Beginning....

more beginning....

End... no fatalities.

Happy Birthday Johnny

Next swims:  Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm, Sat & Sun noon (check blog for occasional other scheduled swims).

Conditions: recent water conditions and water temps at Klode have been early-season excellent (see below blog entries and comments).

Today is Johnny Weissmuller's Birthday. Born in 1904, he spent his formative years in Chicago, where he learned to swim in Lake Michigan. He went on to win swimming races throughout the Midwest (including an AAU national championship held in the Milwaukee River in 1922), and to become a two-time Olympian (Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928), and a five-time Olympic Gold Medal winner (swimming and water polo).  He then headed to Hollywood, and created the definitive Twentieth Century movie portrayal of Tarzan.  Weissmuller swims in all his Tarzan movies, most noteably, in the mostly-nude water ballet in the 1934 Tarzan and His Mate, with fellow-Olympic-gold-medal-winner Josephine McKim ("standing in" underwater for the actress Maureen O'Sullivan).  Click on this link, to watch Tarzan & Jane's proto-synchronized swim routine.  

Who amongst the Kru should recreate the Tarzan/Jane swim underwater ballet routine this evening?  Synchro & Diablo?  Cap'n & Zig?  Other nominations?  

You're Not the Boss of Me, and....... welcome Gabby

Next swims: 

Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm 

Sat & Sun 8am (maybe) and noon, 

Other unadvertised swims may occur, i.e. weekdays swim with Itch at 5pm.  Feel free to post yours (pre or post swim) in the comments

Last Swims: Thursday 6am (and probably Wednesday 5/6pm.

Air temp: 60-ish
Water temp: 63 per TTL

Waves:  Flat as glass
Clarity: pretty close to flawless

Beach Hazards:  gobi stench remains high, with related gull infestation, which drove us to the north beach
Kru:  Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Diablo (aka The Undertaker), and welcome Gabby

Today was the third day in a row of magically flat water, with a tiny increase in temperature.

TTL and I were suiting up on the north beach when new swimmer Gabby joined us.  Moments later The Undertaker emerged from the water.

It seems like every day we're a tiny bit more trusting of the lake, and cast off a few more layers of neoprene.  Today we wore sleeveless suits, no booties or gloves, and our pinky fingers did not go all wonky from the cold as they had done on Tuesday.  I call that progress.

We swam to the two cute chairs, briefly exited the water there to check out the mystery yellow thing.  Upon returning to Klode we swam a minor add-on loop around the south rockpile.  The yellow thing was a tub/bucket that we hypothesize is used to keep the beer chilled while the owners of the two cute chairs do their relaxing.

All in all, it was fabulous.

Reminder: Saturday June 10th 10AM shipwreck swim followed by the Shorewood Men's club chicken bbq. Atwater beach.  Don't worry, we'll keep reminding you.

Summer's Here, Get Yours While You Can

Captn's Log, Stardate, Wed., May 31st, 6 am (Chief Engineer Kahuna "Scotty" Pendleton Reporting)

Water Temp: 62ish

Air: Bright Sunshine, low mid 60's with calm winds

Waves:  Flat

Clarity: OK 

Kru: Dragonfly, Showgirl, Lt. MJ, TTL, Kahuna, a WH and a mystery swimmer.

Next Swims:  Weekdays, 6 am and 6 pm; weekends each day at noon.  All swims at Klode (check blog for occastional daily variations as to times and locations).

Twas a beautiful day at the beach this morning.  Note the standard summer morning swim start time is now 6 am (not 6:30 as it was last week).  

How wonderful it will be when we get the Klode Kru Beachclub & Cabana constructed, and we can watch the sunrise from the deck, or look out at the sunshine shimmering on the water from the hot tub tiki bar, as our dedicated staff rake and otherwise groom our beach for us.  Photos of the architect and the contractor discussing plans and the 3-D renderings of the Beachclub & Cabana are in the below post.  

We swam today from North Beach as the slightly dead fish smell from the accumulated dead gobies on the South Beach has not completely dissipated yet.

Speaking of stinky stuff: kudos, glory, praise and honor to Diablo. Last Saturday, like the rest of us, he noticed the stiff and rotting raccoon south of South Beach that was stinking to high heaven. The rest of us just grumbled and said somebody ought to do something about that. Diablo--Man God that he is--reached into his backpack and miraculously pulled out a shovel, and then went over, dug a hole, coaxed the carcass of the raccoon into the hole with a stick, and gave Mr. Racoon a suitable burial. Beach cleanliness award above and beyond the call of duty.  (I guess you have a lot of room in your swim bag for shovels, if you don't bring down a full wet suit and a lot of other gear that mere mortals believe they have to bring with them to swim in coolish water.) Thanks Diablo!

But enough about stinky stuff.  (I don’t want to scare off folks by the above who might imagine Lake Michigan Swimming is somehow a never ending horror of unpleasant sights and smells.)  

The water is fabulous.  The early morning and evening conditions are excellent, and should not be missed.  Summer is short, life is short.  Get your swims in while you can.     

Preview of things to come: 

• Friday, June 2, Birthday of Lake Michigan Swimmer, Olympian and Definitive Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller.

Jungle and swimming good for boy

Tarzan certainly knew how to start a day.  At the start of the second Johnny WWeissmuller Tarzan movie, Tarzan goes for a vigorous morning swim, then climbs back into his tree house, and practices his newly-expanded English vocabulary, with the lovely-and-alluring Jane:  

Tarzan:      Good morning, I love you. 

Jane:      Good morning, I love you. You never forget, do you, Tarzan? 

Tarzan:      Never forget... I love you. 

Jane:      Love who? 

Tarzan:      Love you. 

Jane:     Love who? 

Tarzan:      Love Jane. 

Jane:      Love... my... 

Tarzan:      Love ... my... wife. My wife!

(The above bit of stilted dialogue was required by the censors, after they saw mostly-naked Tarzan and Jane exchanging sweet nothings on their jungle master bed, so as to establish that somehow between the first and second movie, Jane and Tarzan got properly hitched.)  

• Saturday,  June 10, (10 am) Atwater Park & Beach, Shipwreck Pirate Swim, Followed by Beer and BBQ at the SMC Chx/Rib BBQ Picnic/Fundraiser.  (Kahuna is selling tixs.) 

Memorial Day Swim

Captains log First Officer Gumdrop Moondaug reporting. 

Crew: Handy Man Hank, Diablo, Dragonfly, Magic Mike, Kahuna, Peaches, Brick, Rosie, Itch, Moon Daug, Bubbles, Sandy, Wetaco, Forger.

Swim date: 5-29-23

Air: mid 70's

Water: 57-59

Waves: steady chop 1 footers

Clarity: Low

Pours of killepitsch: Many

On this Memorial day, we are sad to report we were missing Capt. As the day before, Captain made it down to the beach with a borrowed scooter (due to his still healing bionic enhancement procedure), we are left to speculate whether said device could withstand the strains of warp speed in his upcoming run. Upon inspection, scooter did not appear to meet specs needed for such a mission, and Valhalla knows there are no miracle workers here. But alas we all know, Capt'n. will be Capt'n. Full speed ahead. Stay tuned.

Planning continues on Klode krew head quarters. Under the supervision of Kahuna, Handy Man Hank has taken the helm. They have already produced a scaled down model. See the picture of them brain storming in the hard at work planning stage. I'm not exactly sure about the amenities, but it of course must have a Killepitsch dispenser of some sort, which is one thing I'm sure all can agree on. Other suggestions might include; sauna, wet suit rack, full wet bar, rescue dinghy's. For input suggestions contact Showgirl. 

The first boaters of the season were congregating in our swimming area already by the end of the swim. And they were less than courteous. As Magic Mike reported none of them offered up any refreshments. Which made him begin to contemplate piracy. And I don't blame him. One of them surely must have some rum. 

As the season is now upon us, so far the waters have been unseasonably warm, this may be a good omen of things to come.  As I also spied a cormorant dive slightly behind Itch, I believe there is reason for high hopes. Cormorants, in some Scandinavian areas, are considered a good omen; in particular, in Norwegian tradition spirits of those lost at sea come to visit their loved ones disguised as cormorants. As we winded things up, all toasted in memorium to all those who have served. 

 End captains log First Officer Gumdrop Moondaug reporting swim date 5-29-23. 

The Unofficial official start to the Klode Kru Swim Season

Captn's Log - Saturday May 27th - high noon

Water Temp: 57 (Itch-o-meter)

Air: Bright Sunshine, low 70's with calm winds

Waves:  Flat

Clarity: Cloudy but not stirred visibility less than 1ft

Kru: Diablo, Kahuna, Moondawg-Gumdrop, Dragonfly, Handyman Hank, Princess Mermaid, Itch, Rosy, Sandy, Brick, Capt'n with shore support from Nathan

Next Swim: Sunday May 28th - Noon / Memorial Day - Noon

Once upon a time ago Memorial Day weekend would mark the official start to the Klode Kru swim season.  Complete with an official proclamation by none other than THE Patriarch himself.  If you dared to swim during the forbidden swim season (i.e. the period of time between The Patriarch's official end-o-season proclamation and the start-o-season proclamation) you risked having to endure a heinous new nick name like Dewdrip, Hook or Diablo during the forbidden swim season.  If you follow the list of regular Kru mates in this blog you'll likely notice that some of these names actually stuck! 

That was then.  Now, some of our dedicated Kru mates swim all year round.  An impressive feat for sure!  But in one of his more famous sermons The Patriarch proclaimed "That which does not have an end shall not have a beginning!" and that was that.  No more would we enjoy an official proclamation for the official start of the Klode Kru swim season.  Instead you've got this blog entry about what was then...before it became now....