Thursday, April 30, 2020
Does the opening of the parks mean we can swim?
Thinking of hitting the water tomorrow. If for no other reason than to test my ability to make it in. May 1st seems as good a day as any to start the season. Anybody venturing in? Does the governor's new order opening parks mean the beaches are accessible again? I hope so. Any suggestions for times to get in? 12:00? 2:00? 4:00? 6:00? Any other days this weekend? Comment with your intentions... Here's a picture from the summer, just to whet the appetite.
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The governor's order opened STATE parks. I don't think the County or local parks are covered under that. North Shore Health Dept closed the beaches--check with them to see if they opened the beaches first
Eventually, the beaches will reopen officially. There is no reason valid health reason now why beaches should be closed to open water swimmers, surfers and people who are walking or jogging. As long as social distance is maintained, those activities in an outdoor, well ventilated setting pose zero risk. The authorities should be focused on behaviors that create risk, not locations. I've been lobbying the Shorewood Village Board to reopen Atwater Beach, at least to open water swimmers, surfers, joggers and walkers. Locales are going to be reluctant, however, to open beaches on a piecemeal basis for fear that if they are the first municipality or agency to open a beach, they will come under heavy criticism, or that the public in general (deprived of other beaches), will inundate the opened beach. So write to your Village Board, your county representatives, and your local health department, to urge all of them to lift the current complete ban on beach use. Below is what I sent to the Shorewood Villge Trustees and the Northshore Health Department, fee free to cut and paste.
I support the North Shore Health Department re-opening Atwater and the other beaches sooner rather than later. There is no reason why people cannot use a beach (just like a park) in a socially-distanced way. Surfers and open water swimmers are especially at the beaches at non-peak, non-crowded times (surfers on generally high wind stormy days, and open water swimmers usually either early in the morning or later in the evening). Surfers and open water swimmers can use the beaches in very, very low-risk, socially-distanced manner. There is lots of room on Atwater Beach, and lots of ventilation, so (provided folks keep their distance from each other), the risk of the disease being spread at beaches is extremely low. I’d rather see the Village put efforts into signage telling people to use the beaches in a healthy/safe way (i.e., maintaining 6 ft distance from non-family members, washing hands, not going to the beach if you are experiencing any symptoms, etc.), than on giving people warnings or tickets to get off the beach completely. (Not to mention, if we re-open the beaches, that certainly helps Milwaukee’s only surf shop, Shorewood’s own Lake Effect Surf Shop). 😊
Not that any of the Kru would flout the law, but if anyone does, be sure to maintain huge social distance between you and others. A camera can create the illusion that people are closer than they actually are, so compensate by maintaining a ridiculous anti-viral distance from each other, even from the Cap'n, no matter how much you may want to throw your arms around him, hug and kiss him, and crawl around on him like a Koala Bear.
Speaking of Koalas, if you are getting a bit stir crazy, grab your Official Quarantine Bae, master the Koala Bear Challenge with him or her, video record it with your phone, and post it to the following shared album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/g2kA7Qu7tUxiazzQA
Videos of failed attempts also welcome. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the beach, from a distance, real soon. Cheers.
Right, what he said: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/opinion/surfing-coronavirus-quarantine.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage.
One other thing you can mention to your elected officials, as you lobby them to reopen the beaches:
While we work to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, we cannot lose sight of the number of deaths caused each year due to physical inactivity; the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that 3,200,000 deaths globally are caused each year due to inactivity, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that over 230,000 deaths in the U.S. per year—8.3% of all adult deaths—are caused due to inactivity. Accordingly, even during the pandemic, we need to ensure that all residents have public areas where they can walk, run, bike or otherwise exercise in a socially distanced and safe way.
Hello! I am an avid swimmer. I just purchased a wet suit and have decided since all the pools are closed I'm ready to start lake swimming. I live north of Chicago. The closest beaches to me are Highland Park, and Glencoe. Do you know of any groups that do lake swims in this area? I'd love to get connected.
Thanks...Maureen
Maureen, there is a swim group that holds an open water swim in Evanston that you might want to connect to
Maureen -- Good for you! Finding a group to swim in the Lake can be very helpful. The group can get you into the water, on days that it might be hard to do that all by yourself. To find such a group, if I were you, I would identify those groups/individuals who organize triathlons or open water swim races (like Big Shoulders in Chicago, or the Great Lake Plunge in Evanston). And if things return to normal this summer, and you get a chance, come swim with us in Milwaukee some day. May I also suggest that as you work to become acclimated to the sometimes a little cool temperatures that one can encounter at certain times in Lake Michigan, that you might want to invest in some booties, some gloves, and a thermal swim cap/hood. Not absolutely necessary, but helpful. (Xterra or Blue Seventy sells pretty good ones.) And when the water is cold, take steps to protect your ears, so you you don't develop surfer's ear. May the joy, peace and wonder of open water Lake Michigan swimming be yours this year. Cheers. -- Kahuna
Kahuna-Thank you for your response and information. Some of the beaches down here are open for recreational access. For instance, I was on the Lake Bluff beach yesterday. There was a no swimming sign posted (no guard) but a scattering of people on the beach. Similar situations are happening at Glencoe and Highland Park beaches. Can one just go to the beach and swim (I would have a friend on shore for safety). From posts it seems like many groups swim when guards are not on duty anyway. What are the rules? Maureen
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