Panini's Planning to Punch Out

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm, and maybe Tuesday at 6:30AM
Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Monday 3:30 pm
Water Temp:🎆50🎆
Air Temp: 70
Clarity: OK, not dirty but not clear
Waves: mostly steady 2 footers, with intermittent 1 footers and 3 footers
Kru: Itch, Brick, Rosie, Sunatic (aka Lunatic and Sunny), Panini
Shore Support: Vivian

Parking Lot Support:  Mr. Anonymous and Olive

Nice turnout for a late afternoon weekday swim in November!  Mr. A and Olive were checking out the view from the bluff when I arrived.  He says that he came by himself at 12:30, when there was a cloudless blue sky.  He reports he went in with his lava pants and swam for 7 about minutes.  

Itch did his thing with the itch-o-meter and communicated the findings in his proprietary numbering scheme - Sunny calls out "Was that a 5?".  Sure enough - number 5 in the tens place, followed by zero in the units place.  After going in skin, Sunny disputed the reading and claimed it couldn't have been more then 48.  I let the reading stand without independent, empirical verification - it was warm!  

Panini arrived a few minutes behind the rest of us, and there was great cheering to see her.  She hadn't been to Klode for about 3 weeks.  However, she came to share the news that she will finally be moving out east for her new job in mid-January.  She came to Klode today thinking it may be her last opportunity to swim before the move.  

So, by Panini's account, she spent about 20 minutes or so getting in to her wetsuit, checking out the water, having second thoughts about whether to swim, checking it again and finally taking the plunge.  However, 2 minutes 18 seconds later, she decided it was too cold.  She then spent the next 45 minutes on the shore, chatting with Senorita Sunita and waiting for Itch, Brick and Rosie to return so she could potentially share her last shot of Killepitsch.  I kept denying that this would be the last time "You could come back on Thanksgiving?", "What about the Klode Polar Plunge?",  

So, in addition to the unseasonably warm water, the unseasonably warm air was delightful.  Forgotten what a warm breeze feels like - sirocco!  

,

November Magic Continues

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm, and maybe Tuesday at 6:30AM

Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Monday 6:30am
Water Temp: 46

Air Temp: 70
Clarity: good
Waves: chop out of the south
Kru: TattooLady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, Ala

Shore Support: Linda the Lamprey, and the Wim Hof-ers

I could see the red eastern sky as I left my house, and the beach did not disappoint.  This incredible sunrise greeted us:

Photo credit: TattooLady

I was feeling not totally fired up about swimming this morning, though the conditions were pretty good.  There was still chop out of the south, but less than yesterday.

Dragonfly cast her vote for swimming north.  Normally, we swim into the waves, so that the return trip is easier.  But when the cold water is giving you the cold shoulder, maybe it's best to start with the waves pushing you along.

We all made it past sewerpipe.  I was birches-adjacent, and TattooLady went farther.  Even as the return trip was a bit of a washing machine, it was fun, and I was super grateful that I made the effort to suit up and swim.

Post-swim beauty.

Post-swim beauties.

Oh yeah, this is a boot dryer, though it also has an optional GLOVE attachment:

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/peet-dryer-advantage-shoe-dryer

I'm definitely feeling like drying my swimming gear is a part-time job:

Open Water Swimmers Anonymous, plus other top secret stuff

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm, and Monday at 6:30AM

Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Sunday Noon

Water Temp: 45? 47?
Air Temp: 60's? with sun later
Clarity: excellent
Waves: choppity-chop out of the south
Kru: TattooLady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, Dave, Blake, Itch, Diablo, Brick, Moondog, Luna Laguna, Laguna Mike, Forger

Shore Support: Spawn o' Lagunas, Synchro

It's hard to convey how miraculous this last week has been, and I don't just mean politically.  Swimmers new to the Kru often ask, "how far into the fall does the Kru swim?"  When it's early September, and the days are just a tiny bit cooler, and the shadows are just a tiny bit longer, we always vow to swim thru October.  Then the temperature drops, and the weather turns, and swimmers head to the pool in droves.

There were plenty of random whitecaps out on those waves.

But we all know... there's nothing normal about this year.

So here we are, in the second week of November, still swimming.  Granted, we're at the tail end of a weather miracle, and nothing lasts forever, but yesterday and today's swims were so awesome.

Today was not *quite* as balmy and amazing. It was mostly cloudy when we arrived on the beach, but midway through the swim, the sun came out.  

Mr. and Mrs. Laguna renewed their badass cards by swimming skin.  The rest of us donned the neoprene with varying  degrees of enthusiasm.  On an enthusiasm scale of 0-10, I was at about a 1.  We again swam south into annoying chop.

The usual long swimmers swam long.  The rest of us swam varying distances, with the chop serving surprise gulps of icewater.

There was lots of post-swim lingering and chit-chat, plus discussion of top secret Kru business like how nicknames get dispensed.  Synchro said what we all are thinking-- she's not ready to relinquish the camaraderie and magic of the beach.

Oh yeah-- speaking of top secret, Linda the Lamprey may or may not be the founding member of a new 12-step group: Open Water Swimmers Anonymous.  OWSA.

Other trade secrets:  how one swimmer dries her booties and gloves:

July in November

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm

Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Saturday Noon

Water Temp: 47
Air Temp: low 70s!!!!  Sunny
Clarity: excellent
Waves: gentle swells from the southeast
Kru: Showgirl, AlaMode, Sunny Luna Laguna (aka Luna-tick), Laguna Mike, Rosie, Sandy, Itch, Brick, Diablo, Blake, Dave, Forger, Mr. Anonymous

Shore Support: Spawna Lagunas, Squeeze o'Showgirl, Squeeze o'Dragonfly

The full-on sunshine was soft and sweet.  Wriggling into a nicely-warmed, pliable wetsuit a totally different story from cringing into a cold one.  I was conscious that my hands and fingers were comfortable and not already cold. Lovely!

Sun warmed my back as I headed South for the first time in weeks.  The bottom was clearly visible and the water close to turquoise.  Met up with a few fellow swimmers in the vicinity of Picnic Table.   "Who else was there?" I asked Showgirl later.  "Everybody!" she replied.

Sunny Luna, Laguna, Forger and Mr. Anonymous all swam skin.  I didn't see the others, but Laguna positively frolicked like a seal.  Itch, Brick, Blake, Rosie and Sandy all made epic journeys, some or all to Flat Rock.  Post-swim, Sunny nibbled on a baguette sandwich of ham, cheese, cucumbers, and mustard, mmmmm - time for lunch!  Brick dispensed some sweet-and-tart pickled green tomatoes, delicious.  Although it was only 1:27 p.m. the long slant of the shadows made it feel like late afternoon.

With a sense of quiet elation, we gathered for the post-swim toast.  Like we could hardly believe the day.   Even Ala danced across the sand in a rare moment of levity; unfortunately this was not captured on film.

"To November." We raise our glasses.

"Best Swim of the Season!" concludes Itch.

Amazing Fall Swimming

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm

Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Friday 6:30AM

Water Temp: 43
Air Temp: balmy 50's
Clarity: excellent
Waves: flat
Kru: Dragonfly, AlaMode, Tattoo Lady, Showgirl

Shore-ish Support: Wim Hof cold water endurance (but non-swimming) peeps

It was another gift from the weather goddesses this morning.  The water temp is holding steady in the low 40's, but the air was lovely in the 50's.

The sun was just peeping over the horizon when we arrived.

We exchanged greetings with the Wim Hof * peeps, and got on with the business of getting ready.

We headed north into the crystal clear water.  

The sun came up and illuminated the shoreline.  I don't remember ever swimming this far into the fall and seeing so many trees without their leaves.

After the voyage of our swim, my newly created swim poncho made it's maiden voyage and it is fantastic!

The miracle of a changing poncho!

Photo credit: Dragonfly and Tattoo Lady.

* if you're curious about the Wim Hof-ers, go here:  https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

Thanks, Global Warming! and... Thanks, Daylight Savings!

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm, and some weekday mornings, bonus Friday 6:30am

Saturday/Sunday at Noon

Last Swim: Thursday 6:30AM

Water Temp: 42.8
Air Temp: balmy 50's
Clarity: excellent
Waves: small small swells
Kru: Dragonfly, AlaMode, Tattoo Lady, Showgirl
Shore-ish Support: Tai Chi (Chinese for "we don't swim") Guys and Gal

Three cheers for Tattoo Lady for getting the ball rolling (the swim stroking?) on this November swim.

The water continues to hold steady in the low 40's, but the air!  The warm air made getting ready no big deal, and getting out not a frantic race against hypothermia.

This morning, two things that are fundamentally not good, made our swim pretty awesome.  The air was freakishly, un-naturally, aberrantly warm (yay!) and the beach was bright (also yay! and screw you, PM swimmers!).  

Photo Credit: TattooLady

Everyone applied full neoprene and accomplished swims of varying distances.  I went to garage, TL went further.

Our mansplaining friends the Tai Chi guys were back in force, and told us of their stoic 10 minutes in the water.  They are short on answers to interesting questions like, "where did you go?" or "what did you see?" but nonetheless, 10 minutes in 42 degree water is an accomplishment, so kudos to them.

It's a blessing

Next Swims: Mon - Fri 3:30pm 
Saturday/Sunday Noon?

Last Swim: Tuesday 3:30 pm
Water Temp: 46
Air Temp: low 60's
Clarity: crystal at the beach, little murky further out
Waves: basically flat but with a strong northbound current
Kru: Itch, Mr. Bubble

I've been looking forward to swimming today since I learned the weather was forecast to be warm and sunny, and that I'd have the day off.  

I didn't see any familiar vehicles in the parking lot, so I head down to the beach.  Don't recognize any vehicles down there either.  I keep telling myself that I shouldn't go swimming myself, despite how beautiful the skyline and the water looks.  

I keep telling myself I shouldn't go in alone, but I'll just take the temperature.  Doing my thing with the thermometer and notice a familiar beard arriving.  I had almost talked myself out of swimming before Itch arrived...then I had no choice...King Neptune you know, he didn't even have to say anything.  

I know the weather is supposed to be really nice for the next few days.  I'll be out of town during those nice days...hope some of you get to enjoy one of the upcoming nice days as much as I enjoyed swimming today. 

Itch came in about 10-15 minutes after I did.  Sun was setting and there was a quazi-sunny horizon.

King Neptune coming out of the water

View while walking back up...quazi-sunny

Today's Killepitsch Toast - (softly spoken) "A Good Swim"..."It's a blessing"