Swimming to the Moon and Beyond, Part IV - To Hell and Back

Saturday:  We'taco reported that  she and Capt'n estimated the breaking waves at 3-5 feet "but the swells and lows were huge.  A few of us just played in the water, no real swimming." 

And a brief update on Friday morning's swim:

Water Temp: Had to be at  least 72

Air Temp: 74

Wind:  NNE

Waves: BIG waves from NNE, also surf

Skies:  Cloudy gray but beautiful

Clarity: Not part of the game today

Kru, early shift:  Linda The Lamprey, New person Laura

Kru, regular shift:  Showgirl, New person Laura (again), Real Canadian, A La Mode, Dragonfly

Pretty wavy, with waves breaking on the beach.

"How bad is it?" RC asked the Lamprey when she and Laura came ashore.

We all laughed.  "It's never bad!"  We had a fairly pleasant swim to the vicinity of Birches and back.

Now for the amazing Swim to the Moon!

Epic Swim:  Swim to the Moon

Location:  Hell, Michigan.  For reference, about 25 miles west of Ann Arbor.

Various distance options including 5k (Half Moon) 10k (Full Moon)

Water temp: low 70s? Warm, no wetsuits.  Swim buoys, but could not be orange!!

Conditions:  Pretty flat.  

Time & Date:  Sunday, August 20

Klode Kru: Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Hurricane Swimdy, Magic Mike

Additional swimmers:  About 175 people

SO PROUD of our Klode Kru strongly representing us at these regional swims and turning in kick-ass times to boot!   All three Kru members swam the 5k Half Moon Swim. Hurricane Swimdy and Magic Mike placed 2nd and 4th in their respective age groups.  All  however had strong performances and we are so impressed that they made the 5-plus hour trek to foreign waters and did the swim.

Pre-race:  Tatooed Lady, Jen May (another Milwaukee area swimmer) and Hurricane Swimdy

Hurricane Swimdy smiles for the camera:

as does Tatooed Lady:

more smiling by TTL:

Reports were that the venue was beautiful and varied including a tunnel and bridges, the temps were warm, the race well-organized and there is a magical lunar pull for people to swim further than they thought possible.  An event to aspire to in 2024!

TTL paused for a dip at Warren Dunes State Park on her way back home to WI:

Let it be known that TTL is one of Klode's YEAR ROUND swimmers - she has crossed the ice barrier to swim!

Congratulations to all the Klode Kru Swimmers to the Moon - you made it to Hell and Back!  We celebrate you and are so proud to have you repping!

Swimming to the Moon and Beyond, Part III - Fyn-Fin's Foray around Mackinac

 First a brief update on this morning's swim:

Water Temp: 65 per toe-mometer, 69 per incomplete thermometer reading per Lt MJ ("The waves were hitting me and I was getting wet but the thermometer was not"), warmer away from the rocks, weird warm pockets.  
(Magic Mike reported in an afternoon swim yesterday [Wednesday] there was a 50-ish degree layer close to the surface and then various-sized pockets of 50-ish water.  For the evening swim, Itch reported 70 degrees if you swam South and 60 degrees if you swam North)

Air Temp: 75

Wind:  Slight northerly breeze

Waves: Chop from North, also current

Skies:  Stormy-looking gray, fog

Clarity: Good away from the beach

Kru:  Hurricane Swimdy, Lt MJ, Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous, Magic Mike, Dragonfly

Everyone chanted, "We love the fog!  We love the fog!" before taking the plunge into the uninviting waters.

For me these later-season swims are not about yardage, but enjoyment, so there were more in-water chats.  Yet this swim was not that enjoyable - a little chilly upon entry, rough chop going out (north), easier coming back but a sense of opposing current too.  Others commented same.

Now for Fin-Fyn's amazing Mac swim!

Epic Swim:  Swim Around Mackinac Island

Location:  Mackinac Island, Michigan

Distance: a whopping 8.2 miles

Water temp & Conditions:  60.8 degrees at start, 65.2 at finish, reports of much colder pockets throughout.  NNW winds.  Rough on the way out, opposing current on the way back

Date:  Sunday, August 13

Klode Kru: Fin-Fyn

Shore support:  She did it solo

Additional swimmers:  About 400 (per Facebook)

"It took me about 5 hours and I'm definitely feeling tired but glad I did it and the time was pretty much spot on my goal, so happy there," she texted shortly after the event. 
Before the start:

Note booties.  These were required for navigating treacherous rocks and boulders while getting in and out of the water.

Reading about the event, I noted another a prominent warning:  "There will be NO BATHROOMS at the start!"  then, to add insult to injury, "Please plan accordingly"  

The first half of the swim was quite cold and rough, Fin-Fyn recounted later.  There were two onshore food-and-drink stations, the first about 3.7 miles.  "At that point I knew I was close to halfway and rounding the corner of the island," she said.  For those who are a little hazy on the geography, I concluded after studying a map that Mackinac is technically in Lake Huron.  It appears that the Interstate 75 Mackinac Bridge divides Michigan from Huron.

Once Fyn-Fin got around, however, there was a strong opposing current.  "I knew I would be living here, I thought I'd never get out of it," she said.

Then, in a crushing disappointment, her watch died about a mile from the finish.  "For the last mile, I was so angry.  No official record, even though I did the thing!" she recalled.

Still, a finish is a finish, and thus a win!  The swim is a local community fundraiser, not a competition, so I assume no time chips.  "This is a fun swim among friends," the website insists.

Congratulations, Fin-Fyn!  Klode is so proud to claim you as our own!

Swimming to the Moon and Beyond, Part II - Point to La Pointe

Epic Swim:  Point to La Pointe

Location:  Bayfield, WI to Madeline Island

Distance: 2.1 miles

Water temp: low 70s

Conditions:  Pretty flat.  They said there was current but I didn't feel much

Time & Date:  7 a.m. Saturday, August 5

Sweatshirt color:  Bright Red with blue printing

Klode Kru: Hurricane Swimdy, Lt MJ, We'taco, Peaches, Stephanie, Showgirl, Mermaid Princess, Fyn-Fin, Hollywood, Other Julie, Brick, Dragonfly

Shore support:  Many spouses and partners, Kahuna & family

Additional swimmers:  About 575 people, including Kahuna's son-in-law

SO PROUD of everyone's great swims - and celebrating Brick, Fyn-Fin and Hurricane Swimdy who placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd in their respective age groups!

Everyone agreed it was a faster course this year, and it helped to be swimming down a pretty tight lane with kayakers and a few SUPers to the left and buoys to the right. There simply wasn't a lot of room to go off-course, as so many of us did last year, adding between 400 to 1,000 yards to our already challenging swims.  Last year was a lot choppier.  Also, it rained.  This year was calm, smooth, sunny & smiley! 

The P2LP team did a super job organizing the event with staggered starts.  Swim buoys were allowed, which meant that even if you couldn't see the next kayaker, you could usually see some kind of buoy ahead.

The Kru post-race on Madeline Island.  l to r: We'taco, Showgirl, Peaches, Lt MJ, Hurricane Swimdy, Other Julie, Dragonfly, Mermaid Princess, Fyn-Fin.  Missing: Brick

Dragonfly smiling at the finish (note duck).  There was a woman in a red hat standing in the water, shouting, "You're there!  There's the dock, go on, get out!" (in a friendly & encouraging way, of course!)  I could hardly believe it as last year I never seemed to get there, even long after I had sighted the duck.

All roads lead to packet pickup - we still had the pre-race jitters in the photo above!  l-r:  Showgirl, Dragonfly, We'taco, Peaches

Below:  Showgirl & Dragonfly:  Romantic Interlude at Finish (we end on a private property on Madeline Island with a stunning view of the water, this photo shows a glimpse of the idyllic setting)

The Memories!  This is what all those 6 a.m. swims are all about.

The slickest Kru at Bruegger Bagels, back in good ol' Brueggers Bagels,Whitefish Bay, in our sporty red event sweatshirts:  Dragonfly, Lt MJ, Hollywood and Fyn-Fin.

Stay tuned for the next post:  Fyn-Fin's Foray around Mackinac Island!  8.2 miles!!!

Swimming to the Moon and Beyond, or to Hell and Back, Part I

  First, a brief blog from this morning:

Water Temp: 71 per TTL-meter

Air Temp: 76

Wind:  Unnoticeable

Waves: about 1-foot swells from SE

Skies:  Mildly grey

Clarity: OK away from the beach

Kru:  Lydia, Tatooed Lady, Fyn-Fin, Ala Mode, what appeared to be Magic Mike, someone with a nice Patagonia bag, Dragonfly, two unknown women in full wetsuits  

Next Swims:  Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m. and 12 Noon, Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm  (post a comment if you are looking to swim at 6 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday.  One of our crazy people might be interested!)

Quiet little swim South, not even to Love Rock (at least I didn't.)  Taking it easy after the EPIC SWIMS this month, although some Kru members still have Big Shoulders coming up in September

SO PROUD of all our Klode Kru members repping in force around the region!  Many people swam the Point to LaPointe from Bayfield, WI to Madeline Island (2.1 miles); the following weekend Fyn-Fin sawm AROUND Mackinac Islance in Michigan (8.2 miles....yes, you read that right) and then more people did the Swim to the Moon in Hell, Michigan...that's right, to Hell and Back!

I'm going to get this brief headline out there, and the next post will include details and photos from the various EPIC swims.

Meanwhile here is an amazing photo from the Tatooed Lady from Tuesday morning here at Klode:

Who Can Go the Distance?

 

The key question to be resolved at this Wednesday's GOP Presidential Debate in Milwaukee is: who can go the distance?

We are here to help weed out the field, to determine who will sink, and who will swim.

Wanna make a splash, and grab some media attention for your package of policy proposals?  We invite any candidate who will be in town on Wednesday to come swim with us a mile, and prove you're the guy (or gal) who can go the distance.  

Swimming reveals a lot about a candidate, and his or her character.  Many of our earliest presidents were open water swimmers (and, prior to cameras, they did such sans swimsuit).  There is a long history of presidents who were avid swimmers or lifeguards (such as Ronald Reagan).  JFK showed his grit and determination when he went for a long open water swim dragging behind him an injured crewmate on August 2, 1943. 

This too is a chance too for Ron DeSantis to walk on a beach, and prove he actually can leave footprints. 

If we get more than one candidate accepting the challenge, then we’ve got a real race.  Hopefully, either way, our invitation will make the debaters feel welcomed to Milwaukee (a Great City on a Great Lake), and give some an opportunity to realize how fabulous Lake Michigan is, and how important that its waters be protected, now and for generations to come. 

Note, only actual debate participants are invited.  Those individuals who are too weak and cowardly to even come to Milwaukee, or who are currently diqualified from appearing on a presidentail ballot per Section 3, Article XIV of the Constitution of the United States of America, are ineligible for this event.  Open water swimming is not for losers.  

Next swim(s): Regular Schedule:  Weekdays 6am and 6pm; weekends 8am and noon.  

Recent Water Temps:  Saturday, low 70s; Sunday, an invorgorating mostly 55 t0 60 degrees.  

Water Conditions: Beautiful and clear.

Swimmers at Recent Swims: Too many for me to list here as to the noon Saturday and Sunday swims, but it is great to see some new swimmers who came and swam with us (including Cozy and Sophia).  Others seen swimming one or the other day at noon:  Dragonfly, Moondawg, Capt'n, Diablo, Forger, Lt. MJ, OG=GQ, Ala Mode, Real Canadian (Jena), Faux Canadian (Megan), Mystery Man, Kinzie, Cozy, Hurricane, Susan, Capt'n, Bobber, Eric, Ziggy, Friend of Zig, Syncro, We Tack, with local celebrity appearance by Aquaman.

If you are reading this blog, and you have questions about swimming with us (here's looking at you Chris Christie, we know you like a challenge), either click on the topics on the right side of this blog, or leave your question in the comments section. 

Kahuna Cafe 2023 Recap / Post Swim Social Announcement

 Captn's Log Friday August 18th - 6am

**SPECIAL POST SWIM SOCIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**

Join us for a post swim social at the Estabrook Bier Garten following Saturday's (8/19) noon swim

Next swim(s): Regular Schedule;  Weekdays 6am and 6pm; weekends 8am and noon (if those times don't work for you, check blog comments to see if others are organizing alternative group swim times) 

Weather conditions:  62, calm winds and a spectacular sunrise

Water temp: 71 

Waves: flat with rippled surface and occasional gentle rolling swell

Clarity: a wee bit cloudy nearshore

Kru: Kahuna, Showgirl, Dragonfly, Moondawg-Gumdrop, Forger, Lt. MJ, OG=GQ, Ala Mode, Real Canadian (Jena), Faux Canadian (Megan), Mystery Man, Kinzie, Cozy, Hurricane, Susan, Capt'n with local celebrity appearance by Aquaman 

Many thanks to Kahuna for treating this morning's Kru to Coffee, Pastries and Bacon.  As advertised, Kahuna greeted swimmers before they stepped ashore with a perfectly hot cup of coffee  (What service!)  

If you've attended the weekend noon swims recently you may have overheard some clamor for a post swim social.  Well, let's make it happen after tomorrow's noon swim.  The weather forecast looks great for rehydrating at the Estabrook Bier Garten following Saturday's noon swim.  No worries if you can't make it this time.  There's also currently a campaign for a follow-up social at the Bavarian Bier Garten in the near future.  Stay tuned for those details!

If you missed this morning swim...here's a snap of this morning's Kru.  

Morning Coffee & Cringle on the Beach?

Next swims: Saturday and Sundays 8am and noon; M-F: 6am and 6pm (all welcome; watch the blog comment section to see group members posting comments to organize other smiws at "non-standard" times). 

Ever dream of emerging from the cool Lake, only to be greeted before you step on shore with a perfectly hot cup of coffee?  And maybe a piece of Kringle?  Dreamer awake.  If you have nothing better to do with your life this Friday morning (Aug. 18th) at 6:00 a.m., come to da beach, and experience Kahuna Cafe 2023.  God willing, Kahuna will be there when you get back from your swim, to--like they say in the theme to Laverne & Shirley--"make all our dreams come true."

Other momentous and noteworthy events of this week:  King Triton (a/k/a, or f/k/a, "Itch") has a birthday on Wednesday, August 15th.  That evening would likely be a good evening to stop by for a nice swim and to hoist a shot with the King.