Itch Has the Pitsch, and Panini Achieves Her Goal

Next Swim:  Friday Oct 16th 5:30PM

Sat & Sun swims at noon, if conditions permit, check back

Last swim: Thu Oct 15th 5:30PM

Water Temp: 57

Waves: Choppy

Water Clarity: Excellent

Crew: Panini, Lenore, Linda, Itch, Patriarch, and a couple of losers who didn't swim but had a Pitsch anyway 

Wetsuit/Skin: 1/4

Pitsch: 6

Congratulations to Panini who swore she would finish her season with a skin swim and did it despite the cold rough water and even colder and windier air.  (But someone tell me why we do that to ourselves, so I can write my book.) 

Thanks to Itch, who supplied the Pitsch.

It's cold, windy, dark, choppy, eerie, shivery, shaky and scary.  We can't keep this up much longer, can we?

Water is Warmer Than the Air

Next Swim: Thursday Oct 15th, 5:30PM

Last Swim: We Oct 14th 5:30PM
Water Temp: 57
Waves: Rolling less than one foot
Water Clarity: Murky
Crew: Linda, Gumdrop, Itch, Diablo
Wetsuit/Skin: 1/3
Pitsch: 4

Diablo advises that it's better to stay in the water because when you exit into the cold air unstoppable shaking starts and makes it difficult to hold the Killepitsch.

Halloween is Coming

Next Swim: Wed Oct 14th, 5:30PM

Last Swim: Tue Oct 13th, 5:30PM
Water Temp: 59
Waves: 1 foot Rollers
Water Clarity: Excellent
Crew:  Linda Lamprey, Itch, Panini, Whatsizname?, Diablo, Patriarch
Wetsuit/Skin: 3/3
Pitsch: 6

A cold and windy and dark day, dusk descending and Capt'ns Halloween party days away, it was an evening for frightful stories.  Linda telling tales of lamprey attacks: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/river-monsters/videos/a-kiss-of-death-lamprey-sucks-jeremys-blood/

And all of you that have done the swim from Alcatraz check out this:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tourists-shark-alcatraz-20151013-story.html

Swimming at Dusk

Next Swim: Tuesday Oct 13th, 5:30PM

Last swim: Mon Oct 12th 5:30PM
Water Temp: 59
Waves: Small Rollers
Water Clarity: Excellent
Crew:  Itch, Lenore, 2-Ply, Diablo, Gumdrop, Patriarch
Wetsuit/Skin: 3/3
Pitsch: 6

One neat thing about swimming at dusk:  the water takes on a beautiful deep blue-green hue.  We had another wonderful swim tonight, extending our streak of great October swimming.  Hopefully we'll have another tomorrow.

Best October Swim Ever

Next Swim: Monday Oct 11th, 5:30PM

Last Swim: Sunday Oct 10th, 10:30AM
Water Temp: 58-59
Waves:  0.2 foot rollers (or so Capt'n says)
Water Clarity: Much improved
Crew: Panini, Crash, Showgirl, North Shore Nancy, Whatszisname?, Itch, Kahuna, Capt'n, Forger, Diablo, Patriarch
Wetsuit/Skin:7/4
Pitsch: 13

Showgirl got it right.  She pronounced today's swim to be "the best October swim ever".  A perfect day with warm sunny clear skies.  Quiet clear water.  The water could have been a bit warmer, but 59 is pretty darn good for so late in the season.

We're going day by day now, but my intention is to keep swimming until the water drops back into the forties.

Sunday Swim Moved Up To 10:30

Ardent Packer fans demanded that Sunday's swim be moved up to accommodate the game.
Next Swim: Sunday Oct 11th, 10:30AM

Last Swim: Saturday Oct 10th noon
Water Temp: 59
Waves:  small ripples
Water Clarity: Better but still not great
Crew: Mr Anonymous, Itch, Whatzhizname (Mark?  Vern?  Axle? Wood Crotch?),  North Shore Nancy, Crash, Showgirl, Panini, Capt'n, Patriarch
Wetsuit/Skin: 7/2
Pitsch: 12

Who would believe that some of the best swimming of the season is in October.  What a day!  What a swim!

Still Hanging In There

Next Swims:  Sat & Sun, Oct 9th & 10th, noon both days
Note:  These swims will be at our normal Klode Beach location,  In a previous post I said we might swim from Atwater to the shipwreck this weekend but conditions are not favorable for good shipwreck viewing (waves and murky water).

Last Swim: Fri Oct 9th 5:30PM
Water Temp: 59
Waves: 2-3 feet
Water Clarity: Poor
Crew: Itch, Patriarch
Wetsuit/Skin: 1/1

We're down to a few diehards swimming in gathering gloom.  Before we turned around at "birch trees" we stopped to float on our backs atop the waves and meditate on the beautiful pink sunset and the brilliant fall colors on the bluff.

The weekend weather forecast looks great.  It may well be our last chance.