False Prognostications

Next Swim: Saturday 6/12 noon, meet at the top of the bluff at Atwater Beach

Parking may be a problem, you may have to walk a bit.

Special attractions: Appomattox shipwreck tour if the water is clear

Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Barbeque after the swim. Bring money.

Sunday: 9AM at Klode, followed (optionally) by the Beer Run at 11:30 at the Locust Street festival

Last swim: Friday 6/11, 5:45AM, Klode Park

Water temperature: 61

Waves: one foot rollers

Water Clarity: a little stirred up, bottom sometimes visible, sometimes not

Crew: Cap'n, Diablo, Patriarch, Kahuna, Lane

It's amazing how many of our predictions turn out to be dead wrong:

I predicted that Cap'n would not be here this morning because of his relay race: wrong.

Cap'n predicted that the temperatures would be in the nineties this weekend: not even close.

Kahuna predicted that water would be very cold this morning: it wasn't.

Diablo predicted we would be greeted by a flock of beautiful women: fantasy.

Gumdrop predicted thunderstorms this morning so he didn't swim: lame excuse.

However he did show up after the swim with chocolate chip cookies, so I guess that makes up for it.

Despite all that, the swimming was great, we made it to rockpile and back. We were joined by a new swimmer, Lane, who seemed to have a good time, hopefully he will be back.

Catching Up

Next Swim: Friday 5:45 AM Klode

Saturday: Atwater beach, time to be determined, maybe noon?

Appomattox shipwreck tour if the water is clear (the buoy marking it is back out there, unlike last year, so it will be much easier to locate)

Note: Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Barbeque begins at noon Saturday

Last Swims: Tue, Wed, Thu, Klode 5:45 AM

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 58 Thu, I can't remember exactly Tue & Wed, but a bit warmer

Waves: Tue small rollers, Wed 2 foot rollers, Thu calm

Water clarity: Tue & Wed, somewhat cloudy and stirred up, Thu clear

Tue & Wed crew: Cap'n, Gumdrop, Diablo, Patriarch

Thu: same plus Kahuna

To those of you that have been harassing me to keep the blog up to date - BUG OFF. I'm a Gentleman of Leisure now, I can't be bothered to adhere to schedules.

Anyhow, our streak of great swimming continues. The water is a bit cooler, more typical for June, but with wetsuits it's not a problem.

We will be Cap'n-less for the next couple days because he would rather spend them in a hot sweaty van with a bunch of guys doing some nutty relay race, rather than in the sweet cool embrace of the Lake.

On Saturday we will change the swim venue to Atwater Beach so that we can pig out on Chicken Barbeque and beer after our swim. If the water is clear we can swim out to the shipwreck of the steamship Appomattox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Appomattox

Last year we swam to the wrong place, we mistook a NOAA buoy for the one marking the shipwreck, because the shipwreck marker was gone. Unlike last year, the buoy marking the wreck is back. If you look out from the bluff overlooking the beach you will see two buoys, mostly straight out, but slightly left (north). The closer smaller buoy is the Appomattox, or at least the main keel, there are other parts scattered about.

Ifs, Ands, and Butts

Next Swim: Tuesday 5:45 AM Klode

Last Swims: Sunday 1PM, Monday 5:45AM

Beach: Klode

Water temp: around 60, but pockets of warmer and colder

Air temps: seventies yesterday, fifties this morning

Waves: Yesterday small rollers, this morning 1-2 footers

Water clarity: Sunday - a little couldy, more cloudy on Monday, lots of stirred up sand

Sunday Crew: Cap'n, Gumdrop, Diablo, Patriarch, Kahuna, Julie, Diamond Dave, Matthew

Monday Crew: Cap'n, Diablo, Patriarch, The Israeli

Two more great swimming days, so nice yesterday that we cruised almost to "three piers" and back, which is close to two miles from the south end of the beach where we started.

The excellent swimming so early in the season has us concocting plans for what we might do if the great conditions continue. Cap'n was proposing to "swim the lakefront" in pieces, from McKinley up to Virmond, perhaps even Concordia. Diamond Dave was suggesting he would put his boat a ways out and we could swim out to it (although it makes more sense to me to start from his boat and swim in - that way the boat can follow us - providing an escape route). Kahuna was suggesting that next Saturday we plan a swim around the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Barbeque at Atwater Beach (perhaps a shipwreck swim, out to the sunken steamship Appomatox? Excellent ideas all! If the water stays warm and the swim gods favor us.

This morning we swam to Cedar Grove as a sparkling sun rose. When we got out of the water, the lady exercise class on the beach were on their backs waving their butts back and forth in our direction, which I can only assume was their way of showing their appreciation of our strokes.

Borderline

Next swim: Sunday, 6/6 1:oo PM Klode

Last Swim: Sat 6/5 1:00 PM

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 64.6

Air: low 70's mostly cloudy

Waves: very slight current from the south

Water Clarity: clear

Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Gumdrop, Nahi, Sandy, Brad, Julie, Capt'n with Special Guest appearance by Robin

Our streak of very pleasant water conditions persisted today for the seasons largest crew to date(8). Upon our arrival today the sun was shinning, the air temp was comfortably in the 70's and the winds were lightly blowing from the south east. By the time we would depart though the skies had clouded over and the air temp would drop a few degrees but it appeared only to matter to those who wore something less than a full wetsuit today.

Indeed, it was a borderline day. The water temp of 64.6 tempted you to ditch your wetsuit but the comfortable air temp and relatively calm seas tempted you even more to maximize your time in the water. Gumdrop didn't bat an eye before walking the plank without a wetsuit. Sandy and Julie both sported sleeveless wetsuits while the rest of us chose to swim in the comfort of full wetsuits.

For all of us, today's journey took us from Klode's south east beach up to the rockwall. Seeking to maximize their adventure today, The Patriarch, Diablo and Sandy continued up nearly to Three Piers before heading back. While our swim distances varied, (1.25 miles to 1.75 miles) remarkably the duration of time in the water for most of us was nearly the same at 50-55 minutes.

The Return of the Israeli

Next swim: Saturday, 6/5 1:ooPM Klode

Last Swim: Fri 6/4 5:45 AM

Beach: Klode

Water temp: 59

Air: 60's

Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: clear

Crew: Diablo, Capt'n, Gumdrop, Patriarch, Nahi

I'm never quite awake when I arrive at the Klode parking lot, so I was pretty sure I was still dreaming when I saw Nahi there. But he was still there after the awakening jolt of the plunge into the cold lake, so unlikely as it might seem, the Israeli has returned. Good to see you, Nahi!

It was a whole degree warmer than yesterday, which did seem a bit warmer, and we made it a bit further, to the sewer pipe south of Klode, which I think is not quite a mile round trip. We wore wetsuits, although Gumdrop wore only bottoms. I'm not sure how he can do that!

Note: As a diligent reader of this blog may have observed, our little group engages in certain amount of locker room smack talk, which is generally all in fun. But I should warn everyone that you probably don't want to mess too much with The Israeli. He might seem like a nice mild mannered guy, but ....... well, I'm just saying. You've been warned.

Back to Reality

Next Swim: Fri 6/4, 5:45AM, Klode

Last Swims: Wed, Thu, 5:45AM
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 64 on Wed, 58 on Thu (brrrrr!)
Air Temp: fifties
Waves: calm Wed, 1-2 foot rollers on Thu
Clarity: clear Wed, a little cloudier on Thu, but still pretty good
Crew: Wed, Diablo, Capt'n, Patriarch, Gumdrop - Thu: Diablo, Capt'n, Patriarch - Gumdrop, where were you?

I KNEW it was too good to be true. Our streak of warm water days has ended. Now it's back to the reality of Lake Michigan in June. 58 degree water is swimable with a wetsuit, but it does take some fortitude. The hardest part is the first couple minutes as your body adjusts to the cold. After that it's not too bad, unless you stay in too long, then you'll spend an hour or two of shivering after you get out. You've got to want it, and we do, so we suffer. I read about people who swim in San Francisco Bay without wetsuits in 55 degree water, and I am in awe.

Gumdrop: we missed you.

JJ: let's wait for a better day.

Getting Spoiled

Next Swim: Wed 6/2 , 5:45AM, Klode

Today's sunny skies should warm the surface water, I might try a skin swim at 7PM today if I can.

Last Swim: Tuesday 6/1, 5:45
Beach: Klode
Water Temp: 61
Air Temp: seventies
Waves: flat calm
Clarity: perfectly clear
Crew: Diablo, Capt'n, Patriarch, Gumdrop, David

We're being spoiled with these great conditions so early in the year, I hope it keeps up. Today we swam with the rising sun to the rockpile and back, a little more than a mile. Although the water temp was a little cooler than yesterday we were cozy enough in our wetsuits. The water is very clear, sunlight dancing on the bottom as far out as you care to go.