New comer Eric joined the Patriarch and I for this morning's swim festivities from Klode. The bay was calm, the water was crystal clear and they sky was sunny...a perfect morning for a swim!
Eric sported his new Desoto 2 piece wetsuit...purchased last December and never worn. The Patriarch and I were determined to continue our streak of wetsuitless swims....reasoning that we could always go back for the suits if need be. ...of course, one might ask if our egos would actually allow one of us to cry uncle first...an interesting question I'll save for a later post. :)
The water was a little cool at first by the north beach rock pile but after a minute or two of swimming we were pleasantly surprised to find the water was comfortably cool and enticing enough to forge ahead....."to the rock wall and back" quickly became our goal as we passed the 200 meter 'garage' checkpoint.
Water temps to the rock wall were consistent...no cold pockets or warm pockets...just one consistent temp of comfortably cool. Had the water been a tad bit warmer we most certainly would have swam longer than the mile loop to the rock wall and back, but as it was the Patriarch and I both agreed that we were starting to feel a little chilled....so we headed back to Klode....
...well, actually, it was more like we 'raced' back to Klode...although if you've ever seen the Patriarch and I swim without wetsuits the terms 'race' and 'fast' are completely unrelated....so perhaps I should say we swam 'hard' back to Klode. Not because there was rum on the line or the lure bikini clad women on the beach....but for other reasons that are a little more difficult to explain...well, perhaps it isn't...I'll admit it, I was getting cold and my ego wouldn't let me get out of the water until I had swam all the way back to Klode. Probably not the smartest thing to do...but nothing a really hot shower or a soak in the hot tub following the morning's swim couldn't remedy.
THE PLAN is to swim again Friday morning at 6:30am. We're also planning a longer swim on Saturday at noon....Saturday's start time is negotiable so please comment if you have a preference. The water does appear to warm quite nicely as the day goes on.
Hope to see you on the beach!
Capt'n
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Wetsuits
A perfect morning at Klode beach, warm and sunny, the water clear and calm and clean as can be.
The water temp was a notch cooler than last night, low 60s, but Cap'n and me still swam a mile without wetsuits (Robin was with us, she had a wetsuit). We would have liked to gone further, the conditions couldn't have been better, but we were starting to chill so we decided not to push it.
There's a contest today between the hot sun heating the water and the offshore wind blowing the warm surface water out. I'll be watching the satellite pictures to see who wins, and if it's the sun we'll probably do it again after work, maybe about 4:30. Stay tuned................
Whether or not we swim this afternoon, we'll be at Klode tomorrow morning at 6:30AM.
Patriarch
The water temp was a notch cooler than last night, low 60s, but Cap'n and me still swam a mile without wetsuits (Robin was with us, she had a wetsuit). We would have liked to gone further, the conditions couldn't have been better, but we were starting to chill so we decided not to push it.
There's a contest today between the hot sun heating the water and the offshore wind blowing the warm surface water out. I'll be watching the satellite pictures to see who wins, and if it's the sun we'll probably do it again after work, maybe about 4:30. Stay tuned................
Whether or not we swim this afternoon, we'll be at Klode tomorrow morning at 6:30AM.
Patriarch
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Naked, Almost
Perhaps I used an unfortunate choice of words in my last post. It might have been misinterpreted to say we were swimming nude, when all I meant was that we'd be swimming without wetsuits. We wouldn't even THINK of skinny dipping at Klode, I imagine those sensitive Whitefish Bay ladies would probably faint at the sight of naked dripping ripped studs like the Cap'n and me.
So speedo clad Cap'n and me (and Robin in a wetsuit) swam 25 minutes in turbulent but clear water. It was quite challenging, but we had no problem staying warm. I think the water temp is in the high 60s, maybe even 70 in pockets. It was fantastic to finally swim sans wetsuit. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow morning.
Next swim: Klode at 6:30Am Wed
The Patriarch
7PM Klode
The lake temp website says the lake has warmed up during the day, so Cap'n and I have made a blood oath to swim at Klode at 7PM without wetsuits. Join us if you can.
We'll also be at Klode 6:30 AM tomorrow morning. No comments necessary, I know this is nuts, but the lake swim season is short and we have to take advantage of every opportunity, especially an opportunity to swim in the suit God gave us.
The Patriarch
We'll also be at Klode 6:30 AM tomorrow morning. No comments necessary, I know this is nuts, but the lake swim season is short and we have to take advantage of every opportunity, especially an opportunity to swim in the suit God gave us.
The Patriarch
7/29 am Swim Report
Small waves were gently rolling in this morning and the water was definitely warmer than yesterday morning...but according to The Patriarch it wasn't as warm as it was last night. Perhaps the result of the cooler overnight temps?
Not only have the waves apparently brought us warmer water temps but they have also deposited patches of seaweeds along the shore. These patches were definitely avoidable although we found the clearer sections of shoreline to be rockier as you entered the water. Coincidence? Not sure, but we opted to enter through the seaweed covered sand rather than torture our feet.
Four of us (John, Robin, the Patriarch and myself) swam out to the rock wall and back this morning, clad once again in wetsuits. We were tempted to start without wetsuits...well, actually only the Patriarch and I were tempted...but felt that the water temp was a little too cool for a mile swim. Probably a good call but determined as we are to swim without our wetsuits we decided to ditch our wetsuits after returning from the rock wall and swam around the Klode bay for 10 minutes before deciding to head back in. ...it's amazing how your body becomes acclimated to the water conditions once your get moving.
Water clarity near shore was cloudy (1-2 feet) although farther from shore (50 meters) you could occasionally see the bottom (20-30 feet).
Plan is to swim again Wednesday morning at 6:30am.
Not only have the waves apparently brought us warmer water temps but they have also deposited patches of seaweeds along the shore. These patches were definitely avoidable although we found the clearer sections of shoreline to be rockier as you entered the water. Coincidence? Not sure, but we opted to enter through the seaweed covered sand rather than torture our feet.
Four of us (John, Robin, the Patriarch and myself) swam out to the rock wall and back this morning, clad once again in wetsuits. We were tempted to start without wetsuits...well, actually only the Patriarch and I were tempted...but felt that the water temp was a little too cool for a mile swim. Probably a good call but determined as we are to swim without our wetsuits we decided to ditch our wetsuits after returning from the rock wall and swam around the Klode bay for 10 minutes before deciding to head back in. ...it's amazing how your body becomes acclimated to the water conditions once your get moving.
Water clarity near shore was cloudy (1-2 feet) although farther from shore (50 meters) you could occasionally see the bottom (20-30 feet).
Plan is to swim again Wednesday morning at 6:30am.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Warm & Wavy
I stopped by Big Bay on the way home tonight, and what a huge difference from this morning's cool, clear, calm water. Today's east wind changed everything. Big waves and much warmer water. I swam for about 15 minutes without a wetsuit and without getting cold. The big waves were a blast!
The forecast says the wind should be out of the east all night so it should be the same in the morning. I can't wait! I'll probably dream about it.
6:30AM at Klode
The Patriarch
Seeing what's not there, not seeing what's there.
Robin, Cap'n, and I arrived at the beach and saw a swimmer heading north. He/she was quite a bit out, but we figured we'd see him/her on their return trip. Robin turned back at the "rockpile" but Cap'n and I continued on to "three piers", which is probably .8 miles out, stopping a few times to look for the swimmer, but we didn't see anyone.
But then we looked out towards the middle of the lake, and we weren't sure, but we thought we saw two swimmers headed south. Game on! We started racing them back to the beach. After a few minutes we stopped and looked again, they were still out there, and we seemed to be gaining on them. We pushed hard all the way, and found Robin and Dan on the beach, but they couldn't have been the two swimmers we saw. No other swimmers in sight.
Somehow Dan (who, as it turns out was the swimmer we saw at the start)had slipped by us on our way out (which is surprising because we were looking for a swimmer). He hadn't seen us either. But who or what did we see out in the lake? My theory; the lake mermaids were luring us into their lair.
And a clever trap they set for us! The water was calm and amazingly clear, you could see a long way down, forwards, and sideways. The water temp may have been just a bit cooler than yesterday, low 60's if you believe the web.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Same bat time, same bat place (6:30AM Klode)
Patriarch
But then we looked out towards the middle of the lake, and we weren't sure, but we thought we saw two swimmers headed south. Game on! We started racing them back to the beach. After a few minutes we stopped and looked again, they were still out there, and we seemed to be gaining on them. We pushed hard all the way, and found Robin and Dan on the beach, but they couldn't have been the two swimmers we saw. No other swimmers in sight.
Somehow Dan (who, as it turns out was the swimmer we saw at the start)had slipped by us on our way out (which is surprising because we were looking for a swimmer). He hadn't seen us either. But who or what did we see out in the lake? My theory; the lake mermaids were luring us into their lair.
And a clever trap they set for us! The water was calm and amazingly clear, you could see a long way down, forwards, and sideways. The water temp may have been just a bit cooler than yesterday, low 60's if you believe the web.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Same bat time, same bat place (6:30AM Klode)
Patriarch
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Further, Faster, Stronger
Another amazing day. Six of us swam approximately 2.4 miles in clear calm water. Our furthest swim yet! Eighty minutes, pretty fast for us (except for Reto who left us all in the dust). I feel like the Cap'n and I are getting faster and stronger. It was so nice out there, I felt like I could cruise all day, but my arms and shoulders were spent at the end.
Hard to say what the water temp was, there were pockets of very warm and very cold water. If it weren't for those cold pockets, it would be plenty warm to swim without a wetsuit.
Several very large schools of small fish darted and shimmered below. And we recovered a golf ball from the bottom along the way. (Tiger, you're welcome to join us.)
The only thing to spoil the fun was a large yacht accompanied by an loud and fast jet ski. As they went by I could see they were from the Small Dick Yacht Club.
Next Swim: Klode Monday morning at 6:30AM
The Patriarch
Another Dazzling Day!
Fan-tastic! Once again we were treated to another day of delightful swimming conditions. The water at Klode was just a tad bit bit cooler than yesterday so we (Patriarch, Robin and I) once again ventured out clad in our wetsuits.
We soon found the water to be very comfortable with several pockets of warm water that tempted us to ditch our wetsuits. As with our past swims the clarity of the water was exceptional which allowed us to admire several schools of fish swimming along the bottom....as well as discover sunken treasure! (...but I'll leave that story for Joel to tell...)
We logged our farthest / longest swim of the season swimming along the shore past 'Three Piers' up to the second rock wall. (...approx. 1+ mile from Klode) Upon reaching the turn around point we found that we were not alone with this morning's swim adventure. Lounging around in the water at that point were 3 other swimmers...Reto, Joel and Chris...who had apparently ventured out just prior to our party. The water at the second rock wall was noticeably warmer than at Klode. Coincidence? ...sounds like a good time to derive one of our famous theories. :)
After exchanging a few hello's and realizing that neither crew had remembered to bring rum we decided to race back to Klode with the winner getting first crack at the Captn's stache of rum.....well, perhaps we never really negotiated the terms of the race but after witnessing how quickly Reto dropped us it was evident that he was very motivated by something.
The plan is to swim again from Klode at 6:30am. Any takers? The Patriarch and I will once again be there.
-Capt'n
We soon found the water to be very comfortable with several pockets of warm water that tempted us to ditch our wetsuits. As with our past swims the clarity of the water was exceptional which allowed us to admire several schools of fish swimming along the bottom....as well as discover sunken treasure! (...but I'll leave that story for Joel to tell...)
We logged our farthest / longest swim of the season swimming along the shore past 'Three Piers' up to the second rock wall. (...approx. 1+ mile from Klode) Upon reaching the turn around point we found that we were not alone with this morning's swim adventure. Lounging around in the water at that point were 3 other swimmers...Reto, Joel and Chris...who had apparently ventured out just prior to our party. The water at the second rock wall was noticeably warmer than at Klode. Coincidence? ...sounds like a good time to derive one of our famous theories. :)
After exchanging a few hello's and realizing that neither crew had remembered to bring rum we decided to race back to Klode with the winner getting first crack at the Captn's stache of rum.....well, perhaps we never really negotiated the terms of the race but after witnessing how quickly Reto dropped us it was evident that he was very motivated by something.
The plan is to swim again from Klode at 6:30am. Any takers? The Patriarch and I will once again be there.
-Capt'n
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sundance Swim
Fantastic! Incredible! Outstanding! I could go on, but you get the idea. Today the water is much warmer, we swam with wetsuits to start, but when we returned to the beach I took mine off and swam some more. I forgot to start my watch, so I'm not really sure how long we swam, or how far. Doesn't matter. It was so much fun. The water was very clear, the dappled sunlight was dancing on the bottom.
Poor Cap'n got some cramps. (He biked 80 miles and raced a 10K this morning, so it's not surprising.) So maybe he didn't have as much fun as Linda and I.
Anyhow, if anyone is thinking of joining us, now is the time. The Lake Michigan swim season is short, six weeks more, max.
Klode, 10AM Sunday
The Patriarch
Friday, July 25, 2008
7/25 am Swim Report / Weekend plans
Ahoy mates!
The water temps continued their upward trend this morning and the water clarity once again was superb. .I know I've said this on several occassions but having the ability to see the white sands of the lake bottom in 20 feet of water never ceases to amaze me....the allure to swim out deeper to see if I can continue to admire the tranquel sands of the lake bottom constantly tempts me on days like today.
Four of us embarked on the swim this morning...one wearing a sleeveless wetsuit (Sandy) while the rest (David, The Patriarch and myself) sported full suits. While I can't speak for the others, after a few minutes of swimming I became quite comfy in my suit...until the very end that is...but I'm sure that had more to do with being in the water for nearly an hour than it did the water temp.
We (David, The Patriarch and myself) logged our longest swim of the season making it north up to 'Three Piers' and back....which is approximately 1.7 miles round trip....or half way from Klode to Beach Drive. Sandy swam to the rock pile before deciding to turn back. (approx. 1 mile round trip.)
The weekend swim plan is to swim again from Klode at 1pm Saturday and 10am on Sunday. The most recent reports back from Pirates Cove is that the water temps there are considerably warmer than Klode....so if the water temp at Klode cools for Saturday or Sunday the plan is to move the party down to Pirates Cove.
Anyone interested in a longer swim on Saturday or Sunday? Perhaps to Big Bay Beach and back? (Approx. 2-2.25 miles round trip.)
Hope to see everyone on the Beach!
-Capt'n
The water temps continued their upward trend this morning and the water clarity once again was superb. .I know I've said this on several occassions but having the ability to see the white sands of the lake bottom in 20 feet of water never ceases to amaze me....the allure to swim out deeper to see if I can continue to admire the tranquel sands of the lake bottom constantly tempts me on days like today.
Four of us embarked on the swim this morning...one wearing a sleeveless wetsuit (Sandy) while the rest (David, The Patriarch and myself) sported full suits. While I can't speak for the others, after a few minutes of swimming I became quite comfy in my suit...until the very end that is...but I'm sure that had more to do with being in the water for nearly an hour than it did the water temp.
We (David, The Patriarch and myself) logged our longest swim of the season making it north up to 'Three Piers' and back....which is approximately 1.7 miles round trip....or half way from Klode to Beach Drive. Sandy swam to the rock pile before deciding to turn back. (approx. 1 mile round trip.)
The weekend swim plan is to swim again from Klode at 1pm Saturday and 10am on Sunday. The most recent reports back from Pirates Cove is that the water temps there are considerably warmer than Klode....so if the water temp at Klode cools for Saturday or Sunday the plan is to move the party down to Pirates Cove.
Anyone interested in a longer swim on Saturday or Sunday? Perhaps to Big Bay Beach and back? (Approx. 2-2.25 miles round trip.)
Hope to see everyone on the Beach!
-Capt'n
Thursday, July 24, 2008
One of our best swims yet!
A beautiful morning at Klode beach this morning, and a fantastic 45 min swim. The water was calmer, clearer, and warmer than yesterday. I think the Cap'n may have had too much rum last night, he kept veering further and further offshore. We could barely see Robin and Linda who were much closer in.
But it is gorgeous out there. Some spots we could see bottom way down (20-30 feet?), other spots the water was a translucent turquoise.
The only disappointment is that we're near the end of July and the water has yet to warm to the point where we can swim comfortably without wetsuits. Looking at the web reports, it appears the water is much warmer at the beaches behind the breakwall, South Shore and Bay View (aka Pirates cove). If anyone has been there, I would appreciate a report. Also, it seems to be quite a bit warmer at North Beach in Racine.
We want to do a longer swim this weekend, maybe we should move our location from Klode to one of those warmer beaches? If anyone has any thoughts, please reply to this post.
Tomorrow (Friday): 6:30 AM at Klode
This weekend: Longer swim, time and place to be determined.
The Patriarch
But it is gorgeous out there. Some spots we could see bottom way down (20-30 feet?), other spots the water was a translucent turquoise.
The only disappointment is that we're near the end of July and the water has yet to warm to the point where we can swim comfortably without wetsuits. Looking at the web reports, it appears the water is much warmer at the beaches behind the breakwall, South Shore and Bay View (aka Pirates cove). If anyone has been there, I would appreciate a report. Also, it seems to be quite a bit warmer at North Beach in Racine.
We want to do a longer swim this weekend, maybe we should move our location from Klode to one of those warmer beaches? If anyone has any thoughts, please reply to this post.
Tomorrow (Friday): 6:30 AM at Klode
This weekend: Longer swim, time and place to be determined.
The Patriarch
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Ted & Greg's Lake Michigan Swim Blog
OK, here we go: we're taking the plunge into blogging about our Lake Michigan swim adventures. The water is bitterly cold, the waves are scary. Are we sure we know what we're doing??? EEEK!
Calm down, it will be be OK, just keep your head down and start swimming (I mean blogging).
Today, Tuesday July 23rd, Ted and Linda and Greg swam from Klode beach at 6:30AM. For the first time this year we encountered moderate waves and current. The water was cold, but we were fine in our wetsuits. Unlike previous days, the waves stirred up considerable sand and silt, making visibility poor. We made it to the "rockpile" and back. There was considerable current going south, so it took us 18 minutes out, 15 back.
Tomorrow: Klode beach at 6:00AM
This weekend: conditions permitting we want to try a longer swim. Klode to Big Bay and (optionally back). It's 1.1 mile each way (depending on where exactly you enter and exit the water).
Today's wisdom: for us, the world is divided into three types of people. There are the people who swim in Lake Michigan, like Greg and Ted and Nahi and Linda, and a few others (the locos!). Then there are most of the other seven billion people in the world who think we are totally nuts (the sane!). And then there are all those people who say they want to swim with us, but seldom if ever show up (the weenies!). This blog's for you! :)
Calm down, it will be be OK, just keep your head down and start swimming (I mean blogging).
Today, Tuesday July 23rd, Ted and Linda and Greg swam from Klode beach at 6:30AM. For the first time this year we encountered moderate waves and current. The water was cold, but we were fine in our wetsuits. Unlike previous days, the waves stirred up considerable sand and silt, making visibility poor. We made it to the "rockpile" and back. There was considerable current going south, so it took us 18 minutes out, 15 back.
Tomorrow: Klode beach at 6:00AM
This weekend: conditions permitting we want to try a longer swim. Klode to Big Bay and (optionally back). It's 1.1 mile each way (depending on where exactly you enter and exit the water).
Today's wisdom: for us, the world is divided into three types of people. There are the people who swim in Lake Michigan, like Greg and Ted and Nahi and Linda, and a few others (the locos!). Then there are most of the other seven billion people in the world who think we are totally nuts (the sane!). And then there are all those people who say they want to swim with us, but seldom if ever show up (the weenies!). This blog's for you! :)
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