Plans Set for New Year's Day skin swim

Date: January 1, 2010
Location: Bradford Beach
Meeting Time: 11:40am
Meeting Location: east side of Bradford Beach House
Swim Time: Noon

The Goal: Complete a 25m Lake Michigan polar skin swim at noon on New Years Day

The Plan:

• Mark off 25m along the shore with bright orange cones.
• The mass of people on the beach typically congregate south of the Bradford Beach house so we should find ample space just north of the beach house to mark off our 25m course.
• We will setup a base camp for our towels and gear at the south end of the 25m course.
• When the cannon goes off at noon we will plunge into the water at the north end of our 25m swim lane and swim south towards base camp.
• Rumor has it that there may be warm water for soaking cold feet and perhaps a little Killepitsch available to warm up your insides! :)

Parking: Parking can be a nightmare. If you're not adverse to walking I have found it easiest to park at the Lake Park Bistro parking lot and to hike down to the beach. (...there are trails that provide a short cut to the beach.) Travel distance is approximately 1/2-3/4 mile. I plan to arrive at the Bistro Parking lot 11:20am.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the beach!
~Capt'n

Dewdrop a no-show at noon / 35.6 degrees

Date / Time: Noon Saturday December 19, 2009
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 35.6
Air Temp: 28
Waves: 1ft / slight chop from east
Clarity: seaweeds washing ashore on southeast beach
Crew: Diablo, Hook
Up Next: Klode Noon Sunday December 20, 2009

Date / Time: 11am Sunday Decmeber 13, 2009
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 37.6
Air Temp: 30
Waves: None
Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo with Special Guests Dewdrop Jr. & Hook

Date / Time: 10am Sunday December 6, 2009
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 41.2
Air Temp: 28
Waves: None
Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook with Special Guest The Patriarch
Notes: Polar Bear swim! Check out the video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/dewdrop3963

Swimmin' in December

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 41
Air Temp: 29
Waves: none
Clarity: crystal
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode Sunday 10AM

Golly geepers...who'd a ever thunk we'd ever be able to log a December swim? ....much less a swim with an air temp below the freezing mark??? Totally UN-be-lievable!!!

With the assistance of a cloudless sky and a little shelter from the breeze by Klode's bluff it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Diablo even swam without socks and gloves...as well as continued his tradition of biking to and from Klode. Dewdrop chose to wear socks and gloves today...but its becoming apparent that Dewdrop is considerably faster in colder water than warm. (...or is it that better swimmers swim slower in colder water as Diablo theorized following the swim?)

For me, it was the same routine...two pairs of socks and no gloves. ...before you pass judgment on my apparent wimpy feet though, its important to note that my feet do spend more time in the lake as I invest several minutes in the water prior to the swim taking the water temp. ...not that anyone's got an ego here or anything. :)

Our swim this afternoon took us from Klode's south east beach up to the north beach down spout and back with a brief pause at the turn around point to debate who's crazier us or The Patriarch. (...we still unanimously agree that The Patriarch has totally lost his marbles...I mean, come on, really..."Gumbo"?)

It's likely that we'll return Sunday morning for our next December dip. Perhaps around 10 or 10:30. Interested? Please comment. :)

11/29 Swim Report - 45.3

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 45.3
Air Temp: 42
Waves: slight chop from north
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: TBD (probably Friday)

The clouds were just starting to thin out when we arrived at Klode Sunday. The cold morning showers had moved out but the sun had yet to break through. The damp / cool air conditions and westerly breeze had all the makings for a bone chilling day but with the shelter of the Klode bluff and the excitement of swimming the conditions had little impact on our determination to log a swim.

We knew this day would arrive at some point but for some reason we all were a little surprised by Sunday's water temp of 45.3....nearly a whole degree colder than our record. It was still business as usual though. Diablo still walked the plank minus socks and gloves as did Dewdrop. The slight chop required a little extra effort for us to make it up past the north beach sewer pipe but I'd contend that the distraction of the waves helped to take our minds off of the water temp. ...of notable interest, though, Dewdrop swam remarkably faster in the 45 degree water than he has in the past. ...Diablo and I are still pondering theories as to why...

Due to work schedules this week we will have to wait until later in the week to log our next swim. Stay tuned...we will hopefully be back in action Friday or Saturday.

Wetsuit swim 101 / Strip & Dip 2

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 46.2
Air Temp: 48 & Sunny
Clarity: clear
Waves: none
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo & Hook with special guest Dewdrop Jr.
Next Swim: Klode noon Sunday

We were blessed once again today with an abundant supply of sunshine. While the air temp registered only 48, the sun made it feel a whole lot warmer. The water temp, though, was a different story. Today's reading of 46.2 tied our record coldest swim temp.

...always looking to one up our records we joked briefly about following up our swim with our second ever Strip & Dip. Now I know there's a difference between joking and reality but for some reason our crew appears to be cognitively challenged on that front.

...along the lines of 'one uping our records'...despite the record cold water temp: Diablo still swam without socks unlike the last time when he wore socks; Dewdrop swam without a neoprene cap and ditched his socks and gloves; Hook...umm, didn't change a thing...well actually I did, I wore a second pair of socks.

This afternoon's swim took us up to the garage and back. Diablo and I ventured quite a ways from shore while Dewdrop followed a route that was closer to shore. Unphased by the water temp we followed up our swim adventure with a hearty Strip & Dip. The goal was to swim at least 25 meters before returning to shore....which of course we all succeeded in doing.

...on a different but perhaps related topic....Crazy??? It's funny, but when ever that question was raised in the past the immediate reply from The Patriarch or Diablo has been, "Crazy? No not me...the Captn's the crazy one!" Hmmm...perhaps we should play a little game of: "YOU MAKE THE CALL!" Here are the facts:

• Diablo - bikes to and from Klode in his sandals, swims with a neoprene cap but does not wear socks or gloves.
• Dewdrop - swam at 46.2 without a neoprene cap and no socks or gloves.
• Hook - talks constantly about setting new records and that if we keep swimming someday were bound to find a mermaid or three. :)~
• The Patriarch - claims to be currently eating gumbo while dining outside in 70 degree air temps.

So there you have it. Now it's time for YOU to make the call. Just comment with your vote...or come on out Sunday and let us know in person what you think. :)

Wetsuit Swim 100

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 47
Air Temp: 42
Water Clarity: clear
Waves: gentle 1-2 footers
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swims: Klode Saturday & Sunday Noon


It was an absolutely beautiful day to log our 100th wetsuit swim of the season. The skies were sunny which made the temp feel a lot warmer than 42...especially with our wetsuits on. I'm not quite sure what's more amazing to me...the fact that we just logged our 100th wetsuit swim of the year or that it's November 27th and we're still swimming in the lake. It feels like just yesterday we were shooting to log our 100th swim in the lake for the season.


Speaking of amazing...before I forget...Diablo is still logging his swims without the assistance of socks or gloves...and too boot he bikes to and from Klode. Perhaps there's more to his 'Diablo' nickname than just a name? :)


Today's swim was similar to yesterday's minus the unexpected pummelling by waves. We journeyed up to the garage and back....pausing at both points to enjoy the conditions and celebrate our new milestone.

Plan is to return to Klode Saturday and Sunday at noon to log our next adventures. Perhaps we'll see a new face or two one of these times?

First Annual(?) Turkey Day Swim

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 47.3
Air Temp: 41
Waves: 1-3ft
Clarity: clear
Current: from the northeast
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swims: Klode Friday 1PM, Saturday noon, Sunday noon

Despite a delayed start by 30 minutes due to my Turkey Day 10K in Sheboygan our first ever Turkey Day swim went amazingly well. The showers from earlier in the day had moved out and occasionally the sun would peak out from behind the wintery looking clouds. Thankfully, the forecasted snow showers stayed well south of us.

A strong northwesterly wind made for a few waves but thanks to the configuration of the Klode bay and the high bluff we were for the most part protected from the brunt of the 15-20 mph winds. The Lady of the Lake still provided a few thrills for us as we swam past Klode's north beach en route to the garage. Surprisingly for Dewdrop and I, despite swimming quite a ways from shore, we were pummelled by a couple of waves that appeared to crest higher than 3ft over the outer sandbars. Diablo, showcasing his veteran navigational skills, opted to swim further out to avoid the possibility of being surprised by a freak monster wave or two.

The forecast this weekend is looking exceptional for November. We plan to swim each of the next 3 days. If all goes according to plan we will set a new record Friday....wetsuit swim number 100 for the season. We are also now just 5 days away from logging our first ever December swim.

Come on out and be a part of history...the water's great! :)

Sunday 11/22 Swim Report & Turkey Day Swim Plans

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 47.1
Air Temp: 56
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Waves: moderate chop from the south
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode 12PM Thursday

Sunday was a beautiful day for a swim....especially for November 22nd! Sunny skies and an air temp in the mid 50's made for conditions far better than most of our October swims. With the current and a moderate chop pushing up from the south we swam down to south-south beach and back. Total swim time was 16 minutes...including our traditional leisurely celebratory splash around at the turn around point and again upon returning to the Klode bay.

Plans are set for our first ever Thanksgiving day swim. Planned rondevu time in the Klode parking lot is set for noon. Come on out and join in on the fun! :)

Getting Easier?

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 47.8
Air Temp: 52
Waves: none
Current: slight from the south
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode 11am Sunday

The temp this afternoon was a whopping 1.6 degrees warmer than last Sunday. Perhaps a result of the sunny skies? Today we displayed our mastery of sub 48 degree water temps. Diablo amazingly swam sockless while all three of us logged multiple swim loops.

Our first loop took us from Klode's southeast beach up past the north beach down spout and back. Not content with ending our journey there we swam back up past north beach before returning and calling it a day. In total we spent 16 minutes in the water...some of it admittedly was spent doing a leisurely back stroke and celebrating the exceptional conditions.

We plan to return tomorrow at 11am to log wetsuit swim number 98 for the season. If the forecast holds out for sunny skies and an air temp in the mid 50's we might just also throw in a strip and dip to boot following our swim.

Any takers? :)

Next Swims Set

Beach: Klode
Current Temp: 47.4
Waves: none
On Board for Next Swim: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swims: Klode 1pm Saturday & 11am Sunday

46.2

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 46.2
Air Temp: 50
Waves: 1ft
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook with special guest Dewdrop Jr.
Next Swim: TBD

Cold....REALLY COLD!!! Simply put, that was our swim experience on Sunday. Despite a water temp 2 degrees colder than our record coldest swim from the day before we still swam....from Klode's southeast beach up past the north beach downspout and back.

Despite Diablo's remarks that he would not swim in water under the 48 degree mark he still swam and appeared to fare much better than Dewdrop and I. To be honest...I'm not sure he was even phased by the water temp as he was clearly the faster swimmer on the return trip from the downspout.....he also stayed in the water the longest. My ego would like to say that it was the fact that I had to wait around at the down spout for the others to arrive that led to my eventual frozen feet and hands and consequently resulted in my being the first to exit the water Sunday...so that's the story I'm sticking with. :)

Dewdrop still contends that we should be able to swim in water that's 10 degrees colder than our coldest skin swim. With that logic, we have 1 degree to spare before having to hangup our wetsuits for the season. While common sense dictates never to listen to Dewdrop's logic...I think I might just invest in a second pair of aqua socks before our next swim.

Eyeing up new records?

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 48 (48.3)
Air Temp: 59
Waves: slight chop from south
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook with special guest Dewdrop jr.
Next Swim: Klode 11AM Sunday

Note the new swim time for Sunday...due to Dewdrop Jr's birthday pizza place celebration (...NOT at Chuck's Family Smackdown joint...) we've moved up the start time for Sunday swim.

Today marked another record for us as the water temp inched closer to the sub 48 mark. In the spirit of setting records we began to contemplate our next milestone...the 100 wetsuit swim mark. Shortly following that mark would be an amazing shot at a Thanksgiving day swim and soon there after (...just 3 days) a totally unbelievable shot at logging a December swim!! ...could it really be possible???

Nothing much to report on today's swim....just a trip up to the garage and back. Perhaps the only thing notable today is what didn't happen...

....Diablo DIDN'T bring his towel today. As he rode his bike to Klode he figured he would just drip dry. As he put it..."hey, I'm Diablo...do I need to say anything more?"

...Dewdrop DIDN'T wear his neoprene cap today. While Diablo and I weren't exactly sure why Dewdrop swam minus his neoprene cap we suspect it had something to do with The Patriarch's story about your inner ear bone growing over your ear in response to being subjected to cold water. ...now why would Dewdrop want his inner ear growing shut? :)

....and Hook? He DIDN'T instigate this talk about swimming on Thanksgiving and on into December....that was.....errr...DIABLO....after all, why do you think he's called DIABLO?

Stories of another place...

Beach:Klode
Water Temp: 49
Air Temp: 51
Waves: choppy
Current: from the south
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook with special guest appearance from The Patriarch
Next Swims: Klode 1PM Saturday, 12PM Sunday

Even though he hasn't swam with us for over a month now and despite our violation of his official decree (....and subsequent banishment of our names...) we were graced by the presence of The Patriarch Thursday evening.

His great wisdom and guidance has always been appreciated and today he had a special treat for us....stories from a place where the water is about 30 degrees warmer, the workouts challenging and women who still wear swim suits...even though it is now the middle of November. As appealing as this place he talks about is, for Dewdrop, Diablo and I our first and only love still remains the Lady of the Lake. Even though her shores are now barren and her embrace cold she still maintains our undivided attention....although I must admit the part about The Patriarch's stories regarding women clad in swim suits did distract my attention for a moment or two. :)

With the limited amount of daylight and a pretty descent chop from the south our swim Thursday evening consisted of crisscrossing journey down to south-south beach and back. With the chop tossing us around and the growing shadows along the shoreline maintaining a straight line proved to be quite a challenge.

Our plan is to return at 4:15PM on Friday. Most likely we will also swim through the weekend as well. Perhaps 1pm Saturday and Noon Sunday? If you have a preference, please comment.

Hope to see you on the beach!

Another Landmark Swim - Swim Day 122!

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 49
Air Temp: 56
Waves: choppy from the north
Water Clarity: Clear? (hard to tell without daylight)
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode 4:15PM Thursday

Man, what a drag daylight saving is. Instead of enjoying our third day of Indian Summer this evening's swim was unfortunately limited by day light...or lack there of. Upon our arrival at 4:30pm the sun was already setting. By the time we got out of the water the street lights were on and reading your watch required use of the Indiglo light.

What a difference a degree makes. The water temp was a whopping degree warmer today and my toes were definitely thankful. Our swim to the garage and back, although very challenging due to a heavy chop from the north, was at least minus the set of throbbing toes that were experienced yesterday.

For those keeping score at home....today was another landmark milestone day. We logged our 122 day of swimming. We can now say we've swam in the lake for 1/3 of the year! :)

Next swim is planned for Thursday at 4:15ish...work schedule permitting. :)

Indian Summer Swim 2 & Strip and Dip

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 48
Air Temp: 63
Waves: none (sheet of glass)
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode 4:30ish Monday

Amazing! Last August we found it impossible to swim at this water temp...and it wasn't for lack of effort. Just a few minutes in the water back then resulted in a mad rush back to shore using very colorful words to describe how we felt. Now, the story is completely different.

For the second straight day we were treated to very pleasant swim conditions. The skies were mostly sunny and the air temp was a balmy 63. A glass like lake surface combined with a hazy horizon gave the appearance as if the lake went on forever.

Just like yesterday, Diablo and I logged a swim up to Cedar Grove and back. Dewdrop, still hoping to become magically faster in his new wetsuit continued on up to the mudslide before turning back. Sadly though, Dewdrop would once again find out that he was not any faster today.

Always in search of new adventures we decided to start a new tradition today. We call it, "Strip & Dip". The rules are quite simple: (1) log swim with wetsuit. (2) upon returning from swim, remove wetsuit and swim caps (3) return to water and swim out from shore. (4) return to shore. ...we're still debating though if we should place a minimum number of strokes on the swim part...but then again, it is the strip & "dip" so the swim part may be just a formality. Stay tuned.

Next swim is planned for 4:30 Monday at Klode...or perhaps a little earlier if work schedules permit.

Indian Summer Swim

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 49
Air Temp: 70!
Waves: none
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Dewdrop, Diablo, Hook
Next Swim: Klode 11AM Sunday

Indian summer has finally arrived and the Klode beach was hoppin'. It was almost as if we had travelled back in time...was it August? No wait, did the air temp ever hit 70 in August this year?

Initial temperature readings Saturday placed the water temp at 50.0 and 50.1 while the sensor rested on the lake bottom about 5 ft from shore. Holding the sensor closer to the lake surface resulted in a water temp of 49.4. Taking the water temp was just a formality though. With sunny skies and an air temp hovering around 70 the only question today was whether we'd go skin or not. ...funny how none of us even mentioned the word 'skin' today...

We swam northward first up to the garage and then onward to Cedar Grove. Dewdrop, not content at how slow he was swimming in his new Desoto wetsuit opted to continue his journey up to the landslide....apparently hoping he would at some point magically get faster. Sadly, I think Dewdrop has started to figure out that sometimes it's the engine that matters most and not the wetsuit. :)

With the nice weather sticking around for another day we plan to return at 11am on Sunday. All are welcome to celebrate (or swim) with us!

This Abomination Can Not Go Unpunished

Your swim names have been revoked. Henceforth Gumdrop will be Dewdrop. Gabriel will be Lucifer. Cap'n will be Hook.

Patriarch so decrees.

The Sacred Accord has been broken

A Sacred Accord was struck last Sunday to officially call an end to the 2009 swim season. The final three bowed to the wise proclamation of The Patriarch and then affirmed their allegiance to his great wisdom with a solemn vow that would not suffice with just ones signature in blood...but instead required a demonstration of their worthiness by partaking in an unyielding shot of Killepitsch. All was well then. The Lady of the Lake was left to peacefully slumber into her winter hibernation and the Klode crew was left with fond memories of a record setting swim year.

But that was then....now the story has changed. The Accord has been broken...by one who has become and shall remain nameless. (...until a new name shall be given that is fitting for his betrayal of the Code!) Rather than to honer our sacred accord to end the swim season he decided to once again partake in the adventures of the high seas on his own.

So here were are...with the Accord now broken Gabriel and I have returned to the shores of Klode. What remains now regretfully appears to be the more traditional spiral to the finish whereby the Lady of the Lake sends us woefully home with a cold slap in the face, a frozen set of toes and a frosty kick in the ass to not come back until next year....is there no sanity in this world?

Here's today's swim report....
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 50
Air Temp: 49
Waves: glass like lake surface
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 1PM Saturday

What was odd...besides the fact that we were swimming....was that there was no moon. The sun had set, the stars had risen but there was no moon. Just last night there was a full moon. O-where-o-where is The Patriarch when you need an astronomy lesson? What was also odd was that Gabriel swam without goggles....and I think he may have actually been faster...

Patriarch Pronounces Swim Season Over

Cap'n, Gabriel, and Gumdrop accept the Patriarch's end of swim season benediction:

Celebrating a successful swim season with a shot of Killepitsch:

Water temp: 51

Waves: calm

Crew: In the water, Cap'n, Gabriel, Gumdrop. Taking pictures: Patriarch

Next swim: June 2010

Several records were broken today: Latest ever in the year, first ever November swim, coldest water (51), and craziest swim (no explanation required).

As Patriarch, it is my duty to stop these guys before they kill themselves. They'll never stop on their own, as they would rather freeze to death than be the person to suggest it's time quit. Therefore, as the one semi-sane member of the crew, I decree MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, the SWIM SEASON IS COMPLETE. See you next June.

T-minus one is done

Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 52
Air Temp: 42 (wc 35)
Waves: calm
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 12PM Sunday

Tomorrow is the day...the day we finally get a shot at logging a November swim! Mother Nature and the Lady of the Lake didn't make it easy today. The air temp hovered around 40 and a brisk west wind dropped the windchill to the lower 30's. The water temp also matched our coldest swim temp at 51.9. What a change from yesterday's pleasant temps...

The only reprieve was the calm lake surface which made for an easy entry into the cool water and for an effortless swim. Today's swim toured the Klode beach area with a trip up to the garage and then down towards south-south beach before calling it a day at approximately 25 minutes of fun.

We plan to set sail at high noon on Sunday for our first ever November swim. This will surely be a historic moment for us that will be worthy of a celebration afterwards...perhaps a round of Killepitch and a few high fives? What say you....who's in for this adventure? Patriarch? Brad? :)

Goin' SKIN at 55...AGAIN!

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 55
Air Temp: 60
Waves: slight chop from south
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 12PM Saturday

It's as if the Lady of the Lake read my earlier blog entry and was calling our bluff about going skin again. The air temp was 60 and the water temp had climbed to 55...everything was nearly identical to last time...except that the air temp was 6 degrees cooler and the skies were overcast.

Who'd a thunk that we'd be tempted to go skin on October 30th? ...we sure didn't. We walked down to the beach clad in our wetsuits expecting to find a water temp in the neighborhood of 52 and an air temp in the upper 50's. But the Patriarch's high tech thermometer never lies and when we saw the official temperature readings we knew it was GAME ON!

The original plan was to swim up from Klode's southeast beach up to the north beach down spout to take a checkpoint on how everyone was feeling and to determine if we should continue on to the garage. Unlike last time, when Gabriel and I paused at the checkpoint Gumdrop kept going....determined this time to make it all the way up to the Garage. So Gabriel and I raced after Gumdrop to join in on the party at the Garage.

With a slight chop from the southeast the trip up the garage was relatively easy. The trip home...not quite so. Although its tough to say whether it was the cold water or the slight chop with occasional 1ft waves that made the return trip more of a challenge. ...those 1ft foot waves may not sound like much but when they hit me near Klode's north beach they felt as insurmountable as those 6ft whoppers from last week. :)

We plan to log swim T-minus 1 at noon on Saturday. We're almost there...but where-o-where is The Patriarch???

Washing Machine

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 54
Air Temp: 54
Waves: 1ft-2ft - moderate chop from ESE
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30 PM Friday

Rub-a-dub-dub it was like being in a tub today. While the bay for the most part was sheltered from the southeasterly winds they still resulted in a pretty decent chop. Waves were 1-2ft with an occasional white cap but the sizable waves were spaced about 4-5 seconds apart. In between the sizable waves were several smaller ones that begged for attention and challenged you to remain concentrated on your swim stroke.

Our swim this afternoon took us from Klode's southeast beach down to south-south beach, up to the garage and then home. Regardless of the direction we swam it always felt as if the chop was challenging our progress forward. When all was said and done today's adventure lasted a little more than 30 minutes.

T-minus 2 days until our attempt at a November swim! Who's in?

T-minus 3 days

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 56
Waves: 1ft - slight chop from southeast
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30 PM Thursday

Only 3 more swims before we get our shot at logging a November swim. It's amazing that we're even contemplating the event much less having a legitimate shot at it. We'll see though....as we witnessed in August a lot can happen from one day to the next.

Wednesday's swim was nothing out of the ordinary for us. A swim up to cedar grove...actually we now know, thanks to The Patrirach, that our landmark group of trees contains just a little cedar tree. The grove of cedar trees is actually closer to the rock wall and not the half way point between garage and rock wall.

The plan is to swim again at 4:30pm Thursday. Perhaps skin? As it stands right now the water temp is only 1.5 degrees cooler than our last skin swim. Going skin with an air temp below 60 is another story though....

Getting Closer...

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 48
Waves: slight chop from south
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n with special guest The Patriarch
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Wednesday

It had almost been a week since we last saw The Patriarch at Klode...it was great to see him although it would have better to see him in the water with us. I think, though, that he's inching closer to coming out of his self induced swim season retirement. :)

Speaking of getting closer we're now just 5 days away from logging a November swim....can you feel the excitement?!?! Conditions haven't changed much the past few days....53 degrees with a slight chop. To demonstrate our mastery of the conditions we logged a 30+ minute swim down to the Silver Spring downspout and back. ..perhaps a little long for the conditions but with The Patriarch setting the pace along the shoreline I don't think any of us will admit to it. Personally, I know I could have swam longer. :)

The plan is to return Wednesday at 4:30 for day T-minus 4. See ya on the beach!

Familiar Swimmers with Unfamiliar Faces

Here are a few pictures from my most excellent Halloween party....recognize anyone?

A) The Patriarch celebrates his "Most Repulsive" award title!!
B) Gabriel, Capt'n & Gumdrop displaying their opinion of the recent lake swim conditions.
C) Brad attempts to sweet talk himself a flight over to the other side of Lake Michigan to see if the water is any warmer over there....

A)

B)

C)

Swan Swim

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 48 & rain
Waves: 1ft - slight chop from northeast
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30 PM Tuesday

While walking down to the beach a lone white cap near the sand bars straight out from Klode's north beach caught the corner of my eye. Strange...so I looked again and mentioned it to Gabriel who was walking down next to me. Upon closer review what I saw wasn't a white cap but 4 rather large white objects floating parallel to shore. Two large to be seagulls...but as they appeared to be moving slowly along with the waves we decided to swim out to them.

By the time we got into the water the objects had moved past Klode's south beach towards south south beach. About half way to south-south we finally got close enough to take another look at what we were chasing. As they appeared to be getting bigger Gabriel was quick to exclaim, "Buoys? ...no wait....they're moving away from us.....quickly....they're....SWANS!"

A very interesting sight they were as we've never seen any swans in the water much less 4 of them. Kind of an odd sight given the time of year and cloudy/rainy conditions. We didn't hear them but hopefully they weren't their to sing any songs...we've got 5 more days yet until we get a shot at a November swim.

A nice day for a dip

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 62
Waves: 1ft - slight chop from southeast
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: Brad, Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30 PM Monday

In terms of weather conditions its been a rough month. Opportunities to swim under sunny skies have been rare commodity and having the chance to swim under sunny skies with an air temp above 60 have been virtually non-existent. So Sunday's conditions were certainly a very welcome reprieve for us.

It was nice to have Brad back with us for Sunday's swim adventure. Although we still feel a bit empty without The Patriarch. Oh where-o-where is The Patriarch???

Sunday's swim took us from Klode's southeast beach up past Cedar Grove...as a few of the trees no longer have leaves it was a bit of a challenge to pick out the Cedar Grove landmark from where we were swimming. A slight chop from the southeast made for a bit more of a challenge coming home but were a pleasant change from the stiff currents experienced at the end of last week.

Only six more days until our opportunity to log a November swim! :)

Pancake Flat

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 52
Air Temp: 46
Waves: none
Current: none
Water Clarity: stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4PM Sunday

After two days of huge waves there was just something about the glass like lake surface that looked odd Saturday. It was almost as if a huge steamroller had flattened the entire lake as barely a ripple could be seen all the way out to the horizon.

This was probably our coldest swim ever...by just a few tenths of a degree. The thermometer read a constant 52.1 and occasionally would flash a 51.9 before jumping back to 52.1.

Due to time constraints we kept the swim short. (...as I had a most excellent Halloween party to finish preparing for...stay tuned for pictures!) Our swim took us from Klode's southeast beach up to the garage and back.

Due to a 10K race Sunday morning and the Packer game we plan to swim Sunday at 4pm.

Swimming long among the giants

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 56
Waves: 5-7ft
Current: from the south
Water Clarity: stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 12PM Saturday

The big waves continued Friday afternoon. These though, were not nearly as violent as the previous days waves and were only cresting as they hit the multiple sand bars that run adjacent to the shoreline.

Despite the southerly winds and current we opted to swim from Klode's north beach and swim north. The sandy shoreline to the north was a lot more appealing should we encounter a one way swim like yesterday.

We knew our swim northward would be a quick one...still Gumdrop egged us on to continue up past our garage and cedar grove check points to the Rock Wall. "How often do we get a chance to get there so easily?" he rationalized. So true. To avoid the rip currents and enormous waves crests we swam out pretty deep. The swells were a lot of fun to swim up and down and occasionally we'd see a Hawaii-five-O like wave moving towards shore ahead of us.

The swim home was a lot of work, but we did it. I didn't time the journey each way but the entire journey took us nearly 45 minutes. Satisfied with our accomplishments we again plan to return at noon Saturday.

Hope to see you on the beach! :)

One way ticket

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 52
Air Temp: 47
Waves: big...very big. (6-8ft?)
Current: very strong from the north
Water Clarity: stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Friday

I've been at a loss of words to describe Thursday's swim since the moment I crawled out of the water. Conventional wisdom has always indicated that there may be days when its not a good idea to swim in the lake. Was this one of them? I don't think so...but then again how does one really know?

The wind was blowing hard (gusts up to 30mph) from the east-north-east and the rain hit you hard enough in the face to make you contemplate wearing your swim goggles even if you weren't in the water. The waves were big but my initial thoughts were that we've swam in bigger waves. In retrospect though, there were several waves that were so large that you actually couldn't swim over them....your only choice was either to cut through them or dive underneath. If these waves weren't the biggest we've swam in perhaps they were the steepest....if that's even possible?

There were no visible signs of a curent as the waves were crashing along the shoreline directly from the east. Their frequency was approximately every 3-4 seconds....very similar to last weeks big wave experience. What was different this time was a very sneaky current. From the surface you couldn't see it....perhaps this is what is known as a "rip current"? As I've never swam in one before...at least not that I've known of...I can't say for sure. If you recall last weeks blog entry where Gabriel got stuck in a stalemate there's probably a difference between the situation where a current results from the waves moving to/from shore and a rip current....or perhaps they're the same thing?

Regardless, Thursday current was a sneaky one...which resulted in a very interesting swim for Gumdrop and I. Gabriel, with his super human senses knew from the minute he stepped in the water from Klode's south beach that the current wasn't one to mess with and climbed back to shore. Given the cooler water temp and the need to generate body heat I swam quickly out from shore and didn't see Gabriel's retreat. Before I knew it I was halfway to south-south beach.

Oh what fun the waves were as I bobbed for a bit to find Gabriel and Gumdrop. Between the waves I saw Gumdrop swimming towards south south beach closer to shore. As Gabriel is typically ahead of Gumdrop I assumed he would be closer to south-south....so I took a few strokes towards south-south beach and BOOM, I was there.

I bobbed for a bit and looked for Gumdrop and Gabriel...no sign. Perhaps they turned around? So I decided to swim back to Klode...or at least try. I swam, and I swam...I attempted to climb over waves and then decided to start ducking under them as it took less energy...and then I swam and I swam....and finally I decided to take a peak at the shoreline to see how close to Klode I was. I wasn't. In fact as hard as I swam I still remained at south-south beach.

I contemplated swimming further out to escape the stalemate as I did last week with Gabriel...but the waves appeared to keep getting bigger. At this point it felt like I was continually ducking underwaves and unable to swim/climb over them. Some of them even packed enough punch to nearly knock my goggles off. (In retrospect, I was probably just too close to the sand bars that run adjacent to the shoreline and the waves were probably not building.) So I decided to punt and swim to the south-south beach shore. It marked the first time ever that I actually felt as if the Lady of the Lake had complete control over my swim route and not me....but perhaps that's just inexperience talking.

Fortunately there's a nice little path that runs from south-south beach to Klode's south beach. Upon arriving back at Klode I was very relieved to see both Gabriel and Gumdrop were waiting for me...although truth be told, I did have Gabriel's car keys so he really didn't have a choice. :) Both had fascinating stories of thier own to share about their adventures....butI'll save those for another day.

This is certainly a swim we will not soon forget!

Goin' SKIN at 55!

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 55
Air Temp: 66
Waves: slight chop from south
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n with special guest The Patriarch
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Thursday

The weather Wednesday afternoon was absolutely beautiful. Sunny, air temps in the mid 60's and a warm breeze. Ahhh....a perfect day to go skin! Even the Lady of the Lake got into the spirit of the day by nudging the water temp up to 55.

We had joked about capping the season off with a skin swim. Given the conditions it was if both mother nature and the Lady of the Lake were calling our bluff. Never being ones to step down from a double dare we gave it go. Don't believe us? Stay tuned for The Patriarch's pictures of this historic swim.

Our swim took us swiftly down to the north beach down spout. While a little chilly at first the water didn't seem to have the bite it did just a few day ago and our bodies adapted well to the conditions. After a little joking and splashing around at the down spout we decided to give Garage a go.

In retrospect, we probably could have made Garage quite easily but when we were about half way there we realized we were getting a bit of a push from the southerly current. Out of respect of our first skin swim at this temp and not wanting to fall short of completing our swim we decided to turn around and head for home. While it did take longer for the return journey we still found ourselves comfortable enough in the water to splash around for a bit on the sand bar 100m from shore before heading in.

Given the relative ease of today's swim at 55 we're now contemplating the possibility of swimming into November. 11 more days to go! :)

Record set...going for more

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 54
Air Temp: 54
Waves: very slight chop from north
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n with special guest The Patriarch
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Wednesday

Wow...who'd a thunk we'd still be swimming after the unbelievably cold water temps we experienced in August? ...even more amazing is that we're doing it in water temps between 52-54 degrees? While we didn't have the luxury of a thermometer last year to egg us on we probably wouldn't have considered swimming in these water temps....now we don't even pause to contemplate whether or not to swim when the temp is above 52. Strange how the mind and body work....

A slight chop and current from the north made our swim Tuesday up to the Garage a bit more of a challenge than we thought. Originally we thought our slow trek northward was due to our great anticipation and enthusiasm to log our record breaking swim...as our return trip to Klode was nearly effortless it became evident that our early challenges were due to a current and not faulty engines.

The forecast for Wednesday was announced just prior to our swim Tuesday to be near 70 and sunny...although looking out the window now its apparent that this forecast may have been wrong. Regardless, we still plan to swim at 4:30pm Wednesday. Rumors are still circulating of a skin swim.....we'll see. :)

Poised to break the record

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 54
Air Temp: 60
Waves: very slight chop from south
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Tuesday

It was an absolutely delightful day to tie our record for the latest swim day. Sunny skies and an air temp pushing the plus side of 60....I think this may have been the first day in October where the air temp actually reached 60.

Unfortunately The Patriarch's thermometer still appears to be in need of his magic touch. The display for the water temp alternated between 52.4 and 54.6...but it read 54 more than it read anything else so we called the 'official' temp as 54. For the record though, Gabriel's toe reading placed the temp at 53.

We took full advantage of the pleasant conditions by logging a 30 plus minute swim down to the Silver Spring down spout (aka Sewer Pipe) and back. A slight southwesterly breeze made for a very slight chop and a quicker return trip if you swam out far enough from shore to avoid the protection of the bluff.

Tomorrow we plan to break the record for the latest swim day of the year at 4:30pm. If the sunny & warm conditions return tomorrow we may try to get in a little earlier to take advantage of the sun. (...currently the forecast isn't calling for sunny skies though...)

There are also rumors that we may celebrate our record setting swim by also logging a skin swim....but I don't know anything about those rumors. Come on out and be a part of history! :)

Colder than we think?

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 52
Air Temp: 56
Waves: none
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n with Special Guests Perry & The Patriarch
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Monday

It had been two years since we last saw Perry. Once upon a time ago he was a regular with The Patriarch and I...but then suddenly disappeared. Funny how things work sometimes...as mysterious as his disappearance and reappearance were he mysteriously vanished during Sunday's swim. Perhaps we shall nickname him 'Houdini". (btw...it was great to see you again Perry...albeit for just a bit.)

Sunday marked the first time in while that the air temp was actually warmer than the water. The sunny skies also added to the warmth of the day. The Patriarch's thermometer was a bit indecisive today...one second it would read 51.2 a few seconds later it would read 52.8 only to cycle back and read 51.2 a few seconds later. ...if I had to guess I'd say the water felt more like 51 but Gabriel's theory was that the chill we felt during swimming was actually the result of the breeze that was kicking up across the water.

Our swim consisted of a trek from Klode's southeast beach up to Cedar Grove and back. Upon reaching our first checkpoint at the north beach down spout Perry signalled to go ahead with out him. .....sadly, we would not see Perry or The Patriarch again. Still, the show must go on and Gabriel and I swam on. The sunny skies, crystal clear water and calm conditions made for a fantastic swim.

Upon returning we re-measured the water temp. The reading.....53.7.

We plan to tie the record for the latest swim day in the year at 4:30pm Monday. Anyone care to join in on the fun? :)

Easy (er)

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 46
Waves: none
Water Clarity: clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 11AM Sunday

It's getting warmer! ...and I'm not just talking about the air temps. Gabriel and I were pleasantly surprised this afternoon to find that the water temp actually rose a WHOLE degree since yesterday's swim. Combine that with a thinning cloud cover and what you get is the best swim day of the week so far!

On a sad note though, we were both bummed to find out prior to our swim that The Patriarch would be unable to join us. ...although, truth be told...as much as we missed the comforting guidance and smartass remarks of The Patriarch I think we missed his bottle of Killepitsch more. (Ok...I'll be honest...we actually just missed the Killepitsch....I mean like, he's loco you know. Comforting??? Now that's funny!)

Today we swim up to Cedar Grove and back. We were pretty tempted to stretch the journey up to the rock wall...but with Coach Gabriel's rugby kids hanging out on the beach we wanted to maximize our opportunities to set a good example for them by repeatedly swimming back and forth along the Klode beach on such an exceptional day for swimming.

The plan is to swim again on Sunday at 11am. Just two more days to tie the record...three more to break it! Anyone care to join in on the fun? Gumdrop? :)

Setting our sights on a new record

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 52
Air Temp: 46
Waves: none
Water Clarity: cloudy
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swims: Klode 1PM Saturday, 11AM Sunday

The Patriarch was ever so close Friday to declaring the official end of the 2009 swim season. But after careful deliberation (and a little persuasion) he has decided to extend it at least for a few more days. Why? Well, actually, when your as nuts as The Patriarch one can only ponder the rational behind any of his decisions....but the story I'm sticking to this time is that the swim season has been extended so that we can attempt to set a new swim record.

....and that record would be the much coveted and very prestigious "latest swim in the year" record. (10/19....which is next Monday!) Yes, there's no doubt The Patriarch is a wise one. A near mortal would have long since called it a season.....but NOT The Patriarch. He's always finding something to motivate us to swim another day. ;)

And swim another day we did on Friday. Conditions were considerably less challenging for us. Sure the skies were cloudy and the air temp was around 46 but absent today was the steady wind and the big waves from the past two days. Our swim consisted of a leisurely swim up to the garage and back along with some frolicking on the newly formed sandbars approximately 100m from shore.

We plan to continue our quest towards the latest swim in the year record Saturday at 1pm. Anyone care to join us?

Tres Locos

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 52
Air Temp: 41 (32 wind chill)
Waves: 4-6ft!
Current: moderately from the north
Water Clarity: Stirred up
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Klode 4:30PM Friday

Cloudy, raining, an air temp of 41 and a strong northeast wind....that was the scene as we arrived at Klode on Thursday afternoon. Still the Lady of the Lake called out and invited us to come in and play. There was a brief moment as we climbed out of our cars where we paused as if to contemplate whether we were nuts or not for thinking about swimming....but that moment quickly passed and we excitedly climbed into our wetsuits in great anticipation of the adventure that was in store for us.

The waves weren't quite as big as yesterdays although they were close and still as frequent. For some reason today's swim felt more like a challenge. Almost as if there was a bit more of a chop today than a current...but at 4-6ft I'd hardly describe the waves as choppy...perhaps just more playful.

Our swim took us from Klode's south beach down to south-south beach and back. At approximately 400 meters the adventure may not sound that long but according to my watch we spent nearly 20 minutes in the water.

In anticipation of Gumdrop coming out the Patriarch has decided to extend the Klode swimming season for another day. The plan is to swim again at 4:30PM Friday. Any other takers?

100!

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 53
Air Temp: 47
Waves: 5-7ft!
Current: strong from the south
Water Clarity: Stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n

Wow....the Lady of the Lake really knows how to throw a party! Being that this was our 100th swim day of the year it seemed fitting. A strong east wind made for some frequent and very sizable waves. Wave sizes ranged continuously between 5-7ft and their frequency was every 3-4 seconds. ...perhaps almost as big as the ones we encountered several weeks ago but a lot more of them.

This was probably our toughest swim of the year. The playful seas and strong current made you all but forget about the cool water temp and even cooler air temp. Our 200m swim from Klode's south beach to south-south beach took a little more than 10 minutes. The return trip took only 3. Not quite partied out yet we continued on up past the north beach down spout before turning around.

The return trip was quite entertaining. Upon reaching the southeast beach rock pile I noticed that Gabriel was swimming but not going anywhere. A very amusing sight if you've never seen it. Gabriel had found the sweet spot where the currents moving to and from shore are at a stalemate. The only way out of this spot is either to swim into shore or out from shore. After a little deliberation and a valiant attempt to out muscle the stalemate we both decided to call it a day and swam ashore.

As The Patriarch has yet to declare the official end of the 2009 Klode Swim season we plan to swim again at 4:30pm on Thursday. Any takers? Gumdrop? Brad? :)

Just Like Hawaii

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 53

Waves: 2 ft

Water Clarity: Not good near shore, better further out

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Returning to Klode after two weeks in beach heaven (Hawaii) is quite the shock. Instead of 83 degree water, it's 53. Instead of 85 and sunny, it's 42 windy and cloudy. Instead of a beach packed with beautiful women in bikinis, it's Cap'n and Gabriel in wetsuits. Instead of swimming with tropical fish and sea turtles, it's swimming with Cap'n and Gabriel. On the positive side, instead of jellyfish and sharks, it's Cap'n and Gabriel.

I about froze my hands and feet off, but it has to be done. Once more, at least, so we can complete the season with at least 100 swim days.

Pumped for The Patriarch's Return

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 54
Air temp: 47
Waves: none
Water Clarity: crystal clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Tuesday 4:30PM Klode

Besides the cloudy skies, the water temp being just a smidge cooler (53.7), the air temp being a few degrees warmer and a slight current from the south...today's conditions were very similar to yesterday.

This afternoon's swim consisted of warm-up from Klode's south beach to south-south beach. A fast paced swim up to the north beach drain spout and a leisurely swim back to Klode's south beach.

It's been 10 days since The Patriarch last swam with us. For Gabriel and I our motto has been the same every day since his departure..."let's log another one for The Patriarch!" Prior to this afternoon's swim I was delighted to have received a voice message from our long lost compadre. If all goes according to plan he plans to make his grand return from the land of Paradise and scantily clad beach babes on Tuesday. I can hardly wait!!

A little help from the sun

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 54
Air temp: 41
Waves: none
Water Clarity: clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Monday 4:30PM Klode

The air was crisp and cool this afternoon and when the wind blew it felt cold enough to snow. Thankfully the winds were light and the sunshine was plentiful. When we stood on the beach clad in our wetsuits with the sun shining down upon us it was downright comfortable.

The water temp gauge actually never broke 54 but peaked at 53.9 while I was wading a few feet from shore....close enough to call it 54. To be honest though, with the sunshine and calm winds I thought yesterday's conditions were a bit more challenging.

Our swim today took us up to cedar grove and back. The calm lake surface and crystal clear water clarity temped us to swim up to the rock wall. But upon reaching cedar grove the sun ducked behind a few passing clouds and reminded us how cool the conditions were without the sun.

Tomorrow we plan to log swim day 98 at 4:30pm. For those who avidly follow our stats we are also only 8 days away from last years season ending swim date (10/19). Will we be fortunate to last that long this year? Stay tuned! :)

There's a chill in the air

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 55
Air temp: 49 (wind chill 30)
Waves: none
Water Clarity: clear
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Sunday 1PM Klode

All things considered, the water conditions today were actually quite pleasant. The water was clear and calm while the temp had increased a 1/2 a degree from yesterday. (54.6 vs 55.1) Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the air temp. A chilly west wind combined with cloudy skies to make the 49 degree air temp feel more like 30.

Still, the show went on for Gabriel and I this afternoon. Due to time constraints we limited our swim to just a trip down to south-south beach and back....we did, however, pause for a bit down by south-south beach to enjoy the sun as it peaked momentarily from behind the clouds to fully illuminate the colorful fall foliage lining the shoreline.

We plan to log swim day 97 Sunday afternoon at 1pm. The forecasted sunny skies and light winds should make for a delightful swim! :)

Increasing the ante

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 55
Waves: 1-2ft waves
Water Clarity: stirred up near shore, clear offshore
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Saturday 2PM Klode

The water temp inched down ever so slightly for our Friday afternoon swim. 54.6 was the official reading from shore. We did notice, however, that once we swam out of the stirred up near shore water that the clearer water felt considerably warmer. (...any theories as to why?)

Increasing the challenge of this afternoon's swim was an air temp of 51, cloudy skies and damp conditions from the on & off sprinkles that had been popping up all day. The show still went on though. Our swim took us up to what we call cedar grove which is approximately half way between the garage and the rock wall. The rolling 1-2ft waves that were spaced approximately 2-3 seconds apart made for fun experience.

The plan is to log swim day number 96 at 2pm Saturday. The later start time is to accommodate Al's run which doesn't start until 10:30am. If 1pm is more convenient there is a possibility that I can make that time. If interested, please comment or call me.

See you on the beach? :)

Doable

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 56
Waves: calm
Water Clarity: Cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Friday 4:30PM Klode

Cloudy with sprinkles and a water temp of 56....a little on the cool side but definitely doable. Today we logged swim day number 94...only 6 more days until swim day 100. Anyone besides me getting excited for it? Less than 1 week! :)

Despite a water temp just a few tenths cooler than yesterday it felt like it took a lot longer for our faces to acclimate. Once acclimated, though, swimming felt a lot more comfortable than yesterday. (Perhaps due to the lack a breeze this afternoon?)

This afternoon's swim consisted of a vigorous swim up to the garage, a relaxing paddle down to south-south beach before kicking it back to Klode's southeast beach. Probably could have went further....perhaps tomorrow. :)

Cooling Off

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 56
Waves: Occasional 1-2ft swells
Current: none
Water Clarity: Stirred Up
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Thursday 4:30PM Klode

Tuesday's big 30-50mph winds were not too kind the Klode beach front....although certainly they've been worse. The southeast beach that just yesterday had a neatly organized pile of rocks and a sandy path into the lake is now a strewn mess of seaweeds and rocks. Gone also are our clear water conditions and......sadly our 60 degree water temps.

While challenging to put your face in at first, though, 56 degree water temps are still swimmable. Our record coldest swim temp of the season is 54 so we're still well above that mark. :)

Wednesday afternoon's swim consisted of a trip up to the garage and then back down towards south-south beach before we decided to call it a day.

The plan is to return at 4:30pm Thursday to attempt swim day number 94.

Twilight Zone?

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 60
Waves: Occasional 2-3ft swells
Current: moderate from the south
Water Clarity: Cloudy
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Wednesday 4:30PM Klode

A strong wind from the west was blowing this afternoon. Yet occasional 2-3ft waves would crash into the rock piles from the southeast. Also a bit strange was a slight current pushing up from the south while there were wind gusts blowing from the northwest. Sound odd? It certainly looked odd. Perhaps even stranger were "now you see them now you don't" waves that would crash ashore in groups of 3-4 and then disappear for several minutes only to reappear.

Despite the oddities this afternoon we enjoyed another great swim in the lake. Uncertain whether our eyes were deceiving us with the direction of the current we swam down to south-south beach and then north up past north beach. While the current wasn't as strong as yesterday I'd say it was still pushing from south to north...opposite the direction of the wind. Strange? ...well, perhaps I shouldn't go there. :)

Swim Day 91

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 61
Waves: slight chop
Current: moderate from the south
Water Clarity: Good
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Tuesday 4:30PM Klode

We're moving closer to the century mark with our swim days! Only nine more to go. Our swim Monday took us down to the Silver Spring tunnel. (aka sewer pipe) A steady current and slight chop made for a challenging swim out but a very swift return trip back.

We plan to log our next swim at 4:30pm Tuesday. Any takers?

A clean house

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 61
Waves: slightly rippled sheet of glass
Water Clarity: Good
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Monday 4:30PM Klode

It's been a busy week for the Lady of the Lake. The big waves earlier in the week robbed the water of its clarity and left behind a shoreline that was littered with rocks and seaweeds. In sharp contrast the Southeast Klode beach is now completely clear of all traces of seaweeds and water has once again become crystal clear.

Interesting also is that the reef of little rocks that greeted you the first 5-10 feet as you walked the plank into the water have now all been pushed out of the water into a neat pile near the north edge of the beach. Only a few rocks now remain along the waters edge and a clear rockless path can now be traversed from the sandy beach into the water. (...my toes have never been happier!) A distinct sand cliff is also apparent about a 1/4 of the way up the beach...a reminder of how powerful the waves were and how far they advanced up the beach.

Our adventure today was very similar to yesterday. A trip up to the rock wall and back. Unlike yesterday's momentary glimpse of the sun the partly cloudy skies allowed the sun to illuminate the fall foliage along the shoreline for more than half of our swim.

Our plan is to return to Klode at 4:30PM Monday to log swim day number 91. The forecasted high temp of 61 looks a lot more appealing the the overnight low of 43. :)

Seeing the light

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 60
Waves: slightly rippled sheet of glass
Water Clarity: Cloudy but blue
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Sunday 1PM Klode

Overcast and cool. That's pretty much been the norm this week for weather. When Gabriel and I arrived at the beach today little had changed...an air temp in the upper 50's and cloudy skies.

The absence of any waves or current made our trip up to and back from the rock wall seemingly effortless. Upon arriving at the rock wall we were pleasantly surprised to see a familiar friend...the sun. This skies above the rock wall were clear and blue. Looking back at Klode interestingly, the skies remained overcast. A strange but very welcome sight as seeing the sun, albeit for just a bit, was better than what we've experienced all week.

The plan is to return to Klode at 1pm Sunday to continue our progress towards swim day number 100....only 11 more days to go!

The Black Pearl

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 61
Waves: slight chop from the southeast
Water Clarity: Stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n
Next Swim: Saturday 1PM Klode

Arrg...taint nothin' like the feelin' of christening a new wetsuit. Today be my first swim in my DeSoto Black Pearl wetsuit....now that's a name fit for a pirate! :)

It was a fine October day for a swim. Today's voyage went up to the rock wall and back. Easy on the way out...not quite so on the way back. (...should have known better than to think the easy trip out was because of the wetsuit....)

Gabriel and I will be back Saturday at 1pm to log another adventure. Any takers?

One flew over the Cuckoo's nest

Last Night's Swim:
Beach: Klode
Water temp: 63
Waves: slow rolling 1-2ft
Water Clarity: Stirred up
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Gumdrop, Lindsey, Capt'n


This Morning's swim:
Beach: Klode
Water temp: 60
Waves: choppy 1-2ft from the southeast
Water Clarity: Stirred up
Crew: Gabriel, Capt'n

Next swims: 4:30PM today, 4:30 PM Friday

Yes indeed, it's sad but true....The Patriarch has flown over the Cuckoo's nest, literally! By the time he reads this he'll probably be sitting on the beach in Hawaii sipping a tropical drink mixed with Killepitsch.

As strange as it was logging an adventure without The Patriarch this morning, the show must go on here....and that it did this morning. Gabriel and I were greeted by choppy 1-2ft waves moving quickly from south to north this morning. Klode's southeast beach has been over taken with seaweeds that are washing ashore. As a result we set said instead from Klode's south beach. The swim south took us almost to the Silver Spring tunnel (aka sewer pipe). The return trip lasted only about half the duration as the swim out.

The plan is to return again this afternoon at 4:30pm and again Friday at 4:30pm. Any takers?

Cap'n is the Crazy One, We're Perfectly Sane

Next swims: Today (Wed) 4:30 PM Klode, Tomorrow (Thu) morning 6:30AM Klode

Tomorrow afternoon: 4PM Waikiki, Yes, gentle reader, that would be Honolulu, Hawaii, where Gelaney and I fly tomorrow to begin our tour of four of the Hawaiian islands. Our schedule is packed, but hopefully I'll get a chance to fire off a post or two.

This morning's swim:

Water temp 61 (but the air was 38!, I think that's a record for low air temp on a swim day)

Waves: 3-4 feet, which normally would seem big, but felt tame after yesterday

Water Clarity: cloudy near shore, but very clear 50 meters out (oddly, there is a very clear boundary between the clear and cloudy water, and the clear water is several degrees warmer)

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Tomorrow afternoon on Waikiki, I expect to be warmly greeted by a toasty sand beach decorated with scantily clad mermaids. This morning at Klode, by contrast, we were greeted by several very bundled up ladies, some of whom give us that "you're crazy" look, and a few come right out and say it. Then Gabriel and I point at the Cap'n and cheerfully reply, "No, he's the crazy one, we're perfectly sane, we just hang around to try to keep him from doing something really nuts!".

What a Rush!

This morning's swim:
Water temp - 60
Waves: 4-6ft
Water clarity: sand filled near shore, clear 150 meters offshore
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Capt'n

This evening's swim:
Water temp - 62
Waves: 6-8ft!!
Water clarity: sand filled near shore, clear 200 meters offshore
Crew: The Patriarch, Capt'n

Wow...what an absolute rush...and a very pleasant surprise today. Despite the big west winds of yesterday and a continued westerly wind today, The Patriarch and I experienced what were certainly the biggest waves of the season...if not ever this afternoon.

As intimidating as 6-8ft waves may sound, I would liken them more as playful giants. We had an absolute blast being pummelled by the waves as we attempted to head out from shore. Attempting to run right through the waves was futile as they would relentlessly bull you over...fortunately though, the spacing of the waves allowed you plenty of time to pick yourself up in time to prepare for the next one.

After being knocked on our asses a few times we quickly employed new strategies as we pillaged and plundered through the waves. We jumped over them...well, it was more like jumping into them...we dove under them...as well as my personal favorite, the chest bump. ...I also did try head butting the waves but I wouldn't recommend it unless you like water up your nose.

Besides our great adventures heading out to sea and the always humorous attempts to crawl back ashore as the Lady of the Lake attempts to tug you back out...our actual swims today kind of paled in comparison. So I'll save those tales for another day....

Who Needs Coffee?

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 64

Waves: calm

Water Clarity: Excellent

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Next swims: 4:30PM today, 6:30 AM Tuesday

It's cold, windy, rainy, and dreary. I oversleep. No time to take care of my coffee addiction, just throw on my suit, a shirt and go. When I arrive at the beach ten minutes late, Cap'n helpfully points out that I'm wearing my shirt inside out. The water temp is borderline wetsuit, but we are more worried about how cold it will be when we get out, so we wear wetsuits. Even so the initial plunge wakes me up faster than any shot of caffeine. Once in, its great, I almost overheat in the wetsuit. We swim for a mile or so and then head straight up the bluff to our cars, still wearing our wetsuits. I peel off the wetsuit, jump in the car, and crank the heater. Wide awake and feeling great.

Skin Swims Take the Lead!

Beach: Klode
Water temp: 69
Waves: slight chop from the south
Water Clarity: fantastic
Crew: The Patriarch, Tom, Jack, Lindsey, Gabriel, Robin, Gumdrop, Capt'n
Next Swim: 6:30AM Monday Klode

It's September 27th and our skin swim count just edged past our count of wetsuit swims. It's the first time ever that the skin count has ever held a lead...Amazing! ...of course this is the first year that we've kept a count. ...for some reason though, the accomplishment does feel rare.

I mean, like, what are the chances that at the end of September we would have more skin swims than wetsuit swims? Probably more amazing, is that after the 3 week seize we had in August of sub 50 degree water temps that we've now swam without a wetsuit for 28 consecutive days.

We've been blessed with a great stretch of swimming conditions. Today was no exception. We enjoyed some of the best swimming of the season this weekend. Crystal clear water clarity, sunny skies and warm air temps to go along with comfortable water temps.

...I'd even go so far as to say the water temps were quite accommodating for even for the guys who went skin....not to be confused with the guys who didn't....but I won't be namin' any names here. :)

Going Skin

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 69

Waves: gentle rollers

Water Clarity: Good - cloudy in some spots, clear others

Crew: Lindsey, Brad, Gabriel, Robin, Gumdrop, Cap'n, Patriarch

Next Swim: 11AM Sunday Klode

According to an article in this morning's Wall Street Journal about the Alcatraz Invitational Swim in San Francisco Bay, veteran bay swimmers refer to going without wetsuits as "going skin". Today we went skin for the 54th time this season, tying our count of wetsuit swims. The swimming conditions were just about perfect, we cruised to the rockpile, and Lindsey, Brad and Cap'n went considerably further.

We celebrated a very successful swim season with a cookout at our place, including, of course, some shots of Killepitsch.

End of Season Swim & Cookout, Saturday Noon Klode

Next swims: Today 4:30PM Klode

Tomorrow: we will celebrate a fun and adventurous swim season with a swim at Klode followed by a cookout at my place - 4433 N Woodburn in Shorewood. All are welcome: Anyone who's swum with us or would like to swim with us, or is related to someone who swum with us, or is less than six degrees of separation with someone who swum with us, or anyone who thinks we should be committed. Barack and Michelle, you are welcome too. No need to bring anything.

This morning's swim:

Water temp: 69

Waves: Unexpectedly, we encountered 3 ft waves, which seemed to be building, it could be lots of fun this afternoon.

Water Clarity: stirred up and cloudy again, I recommend swimming from the north end of the beach which is much cleaner and clearer than the areas between the rocks.

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Last night's swim:

Water temp 72

Waves: a little chop

Water Clarity: excellent

Crew: James, Cap'n, Patriarch

Near perfect conditions continue. Although they may not last long, there is one more day of east winds predicted, then strong westerlies for the next few days, which will probably cool the water considerably.

Last night as Cap'n and I walked down the path to the beach we saw James, who had just begun swimming to the north. We swam the same way, thinking we might catch him on his way back. Off the cedar grove we stopped to look for him, and saw him about 100 yards away, swimming directly at us. We assumed he had seen us and was swimming to meet us, but apparently not, because he swam within a foot or so and then jumped in surprise like he had seen a shark. Sorry to have fun at your expense James, but it was quite amusing. You'll get back at us I'm sure.

Just About Perfect

Next swims: Today (Thu) 4:30PM Klode, tomorrow (Fri) 6:30 AM Klode

Last night's swim:

Water temp - 73

Waves: calm

Water clarity: very good

Crew: Cap'n & Patriarch

This morning's swim:

Water temp - 70

Waves: almost calm

Water clarity: excellent, even near shore, the "gunk" is gone

Crew: Robin, Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

The swim conditions are just about perfect. You can swim till you drop in warm, clear, calm water. It might not last long. The persistent onshore winds, which have blessed us with warm water these last two weeks, are predicted to turn around this weekend. Even if they don't, we can't be too far from the end of the swim season, so come out and enjoy it while you can.

We are still hoping to have an end-of-season swim and cookout at noon on Saturday, but the forecast is problematic, and may change the plan. Stay tuned.

Steadily Improving

Last night's swim.
Water temp:70
Waves: moderate chop from the south
Water Clarity: gunk had returned from shore to about 25ft from shore
Crew: The Patriarch, Robin, Capt'n

This morning's swim:
Water temp: 68
Waves: calm
Water Clarity: Still somewhat cloudy but the gunky brown water near shore is gone.
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Capt'n

Next Swims: Klode 4:30pm Wednesday, Klode 6:30am Thursday

Conditions continued to improve this morning. Klode's north beach was completely clear of all gunk and seaweeds. The southeast had a thin layer of gunk floating from the shoreline to about 4-5ft from shore. The other 2 beaches are still completely covered with gunk.

The lake surface was a sheet of glass this morning. A pleasant reprieve from the choppy conditions that have challenged us the last few days. Swimming up to the rock wall and back felt nearly effortless.

The water clarity has improved considerably from a few days ago. With the lack of sunshine today it was difficult to judge the water clarity but there were times when I was swimming 75-100 meters from shore that I thought I could faintly see the sandy lake bottom 10-12 feet below me.

On a side note....this is now the 24th consecutive day where the lake temps for us have supported swimming without a wetsuit. (i.e. the water temp has been at least 65 or warmer) Amazing considering what we encountered in August. :)

Century Swim

Upcoming Swims: Today (Tue) 4:30 PM Klode, Wed 6:30 AM Klode

This weekend: conditions permitting we'll celebrate a successful swim season with a Klode swim followed by a cookout at my place. Tentatively we'll start swimming at noon. Please let Ted or me know if you might be coming.

Last night's swim.

Water temp:69

Waves: small chop

Water Clarity: Improving, the gunk near shore is mostly gone

Crew: Gabriel, Gumdrop, Cap'n, Patriarch

This morning's swim:

Water temp: 68

Waves: one foot, but very choppy

Water Clarity: Still somewhat cloudy because of stirred up silt and sand, but the gunky brown water near shore is gone.

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

This morning was our 100th swim of the season, quite an accomplishment considering August, usually our prime swim month, was almost a total bust. September is making up for it. It's been a couple weeks since we've needed to don our wetsuits.

We swam into heavy chop and a big current, it took us 21 minutes of hard work to reach sewer pipe, and only 14 minutes of easy cruising to get back.

The Best and Worst

Beach: Klode

Water Temp: 69

Waves: 2 feet, rolling no chop

Water Clarity: Still gunky right on shore, much nicer a short way out

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Next swims: 4:30PM Monday, 6:30 AM Tuesday (this will be our 100th swim of the season!)

The worst part of swimming early this time of year is getting my sorry butt out of bed, down to the beach, and wading into cold gunky water. But once I get past the gunk comes the best part, warming up and swimming in clean water while the sun rises.

It appears that tomorrow morning will be our 100th swim of the season. Perhaps we can go out for a leisurely breakfast afterwards to celebrate. Oh, I forgot, some people have to work.

A little gunk, a lot of good water

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 69

Waves: 2-3 feet, very very choppy

Crew: Mike, Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Water Clarity:  Still gunky right on shore, but the "nice" water was much closer in than yesterday

Next swim: Monday 6:30AM

If there was only some way to avoid the gunk that is washed up in the first ten meters from shore.  At least the big dead rotting fish that was on the beach yesterday was gone today.  The only fishy things were us.  Once we waded through the gunk into the the nice water, we had a very pleasant swim, a good workout in the heavy chop.  A warm, sunny and almost perfect day.

Sludge Fest

Friday Afternoon:
Beach: Klode
Water temp: 73
Waves: Choppy 2-3ft from north
Water Clarity: Stirred up (cloudy turquoise blue)
Crew: The Patriarch, Robin, John, Capt'n

Saturday:
Beach: Klode
Water temp: 69
Waves: Choppy 2-4ft from the south
Water Clarity: Lots & lots of gunk (seaweeds) being pushed onto the beach
Crew: The Patriarch, Brad, John, Capt'n

Next swims: 11AM Sunday Klode

The near shore water at all 4 Klode beaches this afternoon was nearly as black as a cup of coffee. The result of thick globs of seaweeds being pushed ashore by the Lady of the Lake who appeared to be doing a little housekeeping this afternoon.

I would liken the experience to witnessing someone cleaning out the dust from their garage with a high powered leaf blower. If you got too close you were sure to get a face full of dust....get too close to the shore today and you risked getting splashed with a great big blob of sludge.

Just offshore, the Caribbean blue hue of the water temped us to swim out to it. The waves today were a bit bigger and more frequent then yesterday afternoon. An exciting swim adventure awaited us for sure.

We walked the plank at record pace today as the feel of several inches of sludge beneath our feet and the constant splashing of waves filled with seaweeds motivated us all to move quickly out towards the clearer water. As it would turn out though, the clear water was perhaps 400 meters from shore so we conceded at approximately 150-200 meters from shore and opted to swim in water that no longer was thick with sludge.

The swim down to south-south beach was slow but fun. The 2-4ft waves tossed us around and often times provided the unique opportunity to swim downhill and then uphill. The trip back was effortless....in fact I think The Patriarch mentioned that he'd didn't even swim a stroke opting instead to hoist his whiskered sail and catch a ride from a whopper of a wave. ...he did wave as he blew past me....or at least he claims.

Upon returning to shore the Lady of the Lake was kind enough to spit us out along with several more buckets of sludge....and a monster sized fish (salmon?) for us to snack on later.

Today was certainly a unique experience. Very rarely do we encounter anything but pristine water when we swim from Klode. Despite the unpleasant images portrayed by today's adventure I'm confident that they will soon pass. Encountering today's conditions certainly reminds us just how sophisticated the Lady the Lake can be. Warm one day, cold the next...crystal clear one day...

Looking forward to what the Lady of the Lake has in store for us tomorrow. :)

Hope to see you on the beach!

~Capt'n

Calming Down

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 68

Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: good - much clearer and cleaner than the last couple days

Crew: Lindsey, Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Next swims: Noon Saturday Klode, also 4:30 today

A complete sea change from the last few days.  Clear calm water. Swimming that seemed almost effortless compared to our recent struggles with waves and currents.  We made it to rockwall and back.  

Take a look at Sandie's interesting comments on the previous post.  Since I am now retired perhaps I can get more involved in these issues.     

Always Unpredictable

Next Swim:  6:30AM Friday Klode

Last night's swim:

Water temp: 71

Waves: 2-3 feet

Water Clarity:  Lots of gunk being pushed in to the beach, but a few meters out the water was cloudy with sand, but much more pleasant

Crew:  Gumdrop, Cap'n, Patriarch

We were looking forward to playing in the giant waves that he forecast predicted would be building throughout the day, but once again the forecast was wrong.  They were still big, but smaller than the morning.  But the warm (71) degree water made for a very comfortable swim.

This morning's swim:

Water temp: 68

Waves: 2-3 feet , rolling and regular

Water Clarity:  same as last night

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

We should have known something was wrong when we quickly and effortlessly reached the rock wall.  Even though it wasn't apparent from shore, there was a huge current pushing north, which we found out when we turned around.  After swimming what seemed like forever, I looked up to shore to see we had barely moved.  The trip back was serious work, and when we finally got back to shore we faced the next challenge.  With the water warmer than the air and the onshore breeze, we started shivering very quickly.  It helps to have lots of dry clothes at the ready. 

4-6 foot fun!

Next Swims: Wednesday 4:30pm Klode, Thursday 6:30am Klode

Last night's swim:
Water temp: 73
Clarity: stirred up nearshore, excellent 50-75 meters offshore
Waves: one foot chop
Current: from the northeast
Crew: The Patriarch, Robin, Capt'n and Sir James arrived later.

This morning's swim:
Water temp: 70
Clarity: stirred up
Waves: 2-4ft early then frequent 4-6ft
Crew: The Patriarch, Gabriel, Capt'n

This morning's swim was an absolute blast!! The waves this morning were rolling in frequently approximately 2-3 seconds apart. 2-4 foot waves at the onset of the swim gave way to eventual 4-6ft launch pads for anyone looking for a little body surfing fun.

Due to the size and frequency of this morning waves we walked the plank from Klode's north beach. Our journey took us northward up to a new landmark we now call Cedar Grove...a small patch of cedar trees that line the beach between the garage and the rock wall. Coincidentally the offshore waves in this stretch also seem to be the biggest and most fun.

Closing In on 100 Swims

Next swims: noon today (Tue), 4:30 PM today, 6:30 AM Wed, all at Klode

The waves are building, predicted to be 2-4 feet by tonight and possibly 5-6 by tomorrow.  It should be fun.

We are only eleven swims away from 100 for the season, we just need the warm water to hold out another week or so, and the forecast appears favorable.  

This morning's swim:

Water temp: 68

Waves: calm

Clarity: perfect

Crew: Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch, and Mike joined us a little later

We intended to do a shorter swim to garage and back, but once again it was too nice to stop there, so we probably doubled what we intended.

Last night's swim:

Water temp: 74!

Clarity: excellent

Waves: one foot chop

Crew: Gumdrop, Cap'n, Patriarch, and Gabriel and Steve joined in later.

This was our "day after ironman" swim and we intended it to be a short easy one, but on the way back we ran into Steve on his way to rockpile, so of course we had to join him part of the way.  The conditions are so good it's hard to pull yourself out, no matter how tired you are. 

Warmest Water of the Season

Next Swim:  6:30 AM Tuesday Klode.  The water temp was 74 today, and it was crystal clear.  Swimming couldn't be better.  Please join us.

I'm sorry there haven't been any blog updates the last few days, but there was just so much happening and so little time.  

The big thing, of course, was Big Shoulders (oh yeah, there was some little thing in Madison too).

Big Shoulders, is the 5K open water national championship, held at Ohio Street Beach in downtown Chicago.  800 swimmers participated in either the 5K or 2.5 K swim.  Conditions were perfect, the water was clear, calm, and warm (73).  My daughter Melanie did very well, taking 5th in her age group with a time of 1:15:01.  

A complete report of the race is on their website: http://www.bigshoulders.org/

Best Swimming of the Season

Wed evening:

Water temp: 72!

Waves: small chop

Water Clarity: cloudy

Crew:  Cap'n got hung up, Patriarch did a solo swim

Thursday morning:  

Water temp: 70

Waves: small rollers

Water Clarity:  good to excellent

Crew:  Cap'n and Patriarch

Next swims:  No scheduled swims until Monday, except of course for Big Shoulders Saturday and Ironman Sunday.  Good luck to all!

Note:  I might do a short swim Friday morning, just to stay loose, but I'm not sure when.

Wednesday evening Cap'n got hung up so I did a delightful solo swim in very warm water.  It was so nice that I had a very difficult time forcing myself to quit.

Thursday morning conditions were just about perfect, so Cap'n and me made an impromptu decision to do a Big Bay non-wetsuit swim.  This is one of our favorite swims, but we haven't one done this yet this season, and it's already mid-September, we couldn't be sure that we'd get another opportunity. 

We left some towels and my car at Klode and took Capn's car to Big Bay.  The half mile north of Big Bay is littered with the remnants of a glorious past, with several now-sunken piers, and broken down terraces and breakwalls on shore.  Jack Pandl's restaurant has pictures of the large beach resort that used to stand here.  It too bad it's gone, and it's too bad most people that live near here never use the lake for anything.  It seems like such a waste.  

We were in no hurry, we just focused on full smooth strokes.  We cruised along ,checking off familiar landmarks as we passed:  sunken pier, post in the water, small beach, flatrock, new staircase, old staircase, sewer pipe, south south beach, reaching Klode all too soon.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 69

Waves:  small chop

Water Clarity:  cloudy, stirred up

Crew:  Tom, Gabriel, Cap'n, Patriarch

Next swims:  Today (Wed) 4:30PM Klode, Tomorrow 9AM Klode (note change in time)

Special Note:  The water temp at Ohio Street Beach, site of Saturday's Big Shoulders was reported to be a balmy 70 yesterday.  

Ho Hum.  Just another perfect day in a string of perfect days.  Another gorgeous bright red sunrise over the lake.  The bad memories of a terrible August, three weeks straight of unusually cold water, washed away in the warm surf.  And the forecast for the big weekend (Big Shoulders, Ironman Wisconsin) looks promising.  

We had to hold ourselves back today, for once common sense ruled.  We have big events this weekend, and we need to rest a bit.  So we went a bit past "garage" and turned back.  We'll be back this afternoon though, at 4:30, to put another notch in our quest for 100 swims this season.   

Picture from the August 30th Swim Adventure

From Left to Right: Mike, Brad, The Patriarch, Capt'n, Gumdrop, Gabriel, Sandie