Warmer Water & Three Lions Gathering

Last Swim:  Wed., 7/31, 6:00 p.m.
Water Temp:  62 degrees, cooler that that near rocks
Clarity:  Clearing
Waves:  Middling, from the N.E
Kru: Mr. Bubble, Patriarch, Mr. A., Nancy Norshore and Handy Hank, Linda the Lamprey, Itch, Super Hera, Synchro, Kahuna.
Next Swims:  Thurs. 6 am and 6 pm; Fri. 6 am and 5:30 pm.  

Water's warmer than it was.  

In case you missed it in the comments, time to start getting a rough count on how many of us plan on attending next week's Kru gathering (pizza, salad and beer night). As mentioned in a blog post earlier this week, the Kru is getting together socially next Wednesday, August 7th, at 7:30 p.m. (post swim), at Three Lions Pub, on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood. That night we also will have a special guest appearance by UWM Fresh Water Scientists Dr. Russ Cuhel and Dr. Carmen Aguilar-Diaz, who will give us a presentation/explanation on Lake Michigan water temperature fluctuations. IF YOU COULD PLEASE RSVP ASAP SO I CAN TELL THREE LIONS HOW MANY OF US ROUGHLY TO EXPECT THAT NIGHT, I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. That will enable them to get the room set-up, and have roughly enough pizzas and salad on hand for us that night. SEND YOUR RSVP TO: sandiependleton@gmail.com (when responding, please provide nickname and real name, and also whether you are bringing someone with you). I'll publish a blog post this weekend listing the RSVPs I have received. Thanks! -- Kahuna  

Why We Do This

Last Swim:  Tuesday, 7/30, 6:00 p.m.
Temp:  53 degrees
Clarity:  Middlin'
Kru:  Julie fka Pool Noodle, Linda the Lamprey, Drangonfly, Shore Support from Patriarch
Plank count: 1 suit, 2 skin

I said I wasn't going to go in unless the temperature was over 60, but did anyway.  Winds from the NNE brought 1 foot swells more fun than annoying.  The usual running of the ice gauntlet to get beyond the rocks, where there was immediate relief - at least 10 degrees warmer, in my estimate.   Maybe a 6" layer of warmth above the colder depths.  At Sewer Pipe I met up with Julie, in wetsuit, who vowed to go on to Birches.  Myself being skin, I (wisely?) turned back.  As Linda and I shivered into our clothes, Julie returned from her swim.  As she popped up to standing, the smile on her face said it all about why we do this.

Vini, Vidi, Choki

Last "Swim":  Monday, 7/29, 6:00 p.m.
Temp:  45 degrees
Clarity:  Clear
Kru:  Patriarch, Itch, Kahuna

We came, we saw, we choked.  No one went in. 

Strange sightings on the beach:  Disney Princesses Ariel and Moana.  Proof that I wasn't hallucinating: 

Not that either one of them did us much good. 

Save the date:  Wednesday, August 7th, 7:30 p.m., Three Lions Pub.  Kru Pizza, Salad and Beer night.  Bonus:  Special guest appearance by UWM Fresh Water Scientists Dr. Russ Cuhel and Dr. Carmen Aguilar-Diaz, who will give us a presentation/explanation on Lake Michigan water temperature fluctuations.    
 

Swims This Week

Next Swims:  Mon. - Thurs.:  6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Klode.

Last Swim:  Sun., noon, clear water, highly variable, and still pretty Baltic temperatures (recorded between 46 and 54).

From the comments, here is Dragon Fly's addition to my above brief report:

Sunny Sunday brought out a nice crowd of Kru with Patriarch, Kahuna, Moondaug, Linda the Lamprey, Forger, Liz, Showgirl, Squeeze o'Showgirl, Drangonfly, Itch, Stephanie, new Greg, and Handyman Hank, SUP support by Sir James and Shore Support by Stephanie's niece and year-old son. The water was clear Caribbean turquoise and looked (key word) very inviting. Showgirl and I agreed that temps were warmer than Saturday, as long as you stayed within a few inches of the shoreline. Beyond the rocks a 4-inch layer of mid-60s-ish overlaid the cold. Reaching Sewer Pipe, I debated going further but random cold currents encouraged me to play it safe. Sure enough, Stephanie noted a vicious ice patch just beyond where I turned back. Coming back through the rocks was to run a gauntlet of ice knives. After a shot of Pitsch to celebrate "A Good Swim" people hung around and chatted, reluctant to leave the idyllic scene.

Gauntlet of ice knives indeed. 

Despite the cold water we've been experiencing, the winds look like they will be from a favorable direction pretty much Wednesday through Sunday coming up, so maybe we'll luck out then with some better water temps.

Services for Robin

Next Swim:  Sunday July 28th @ noon


A visitation for the family and friends of Robin Treder will take place on Thursday, August 1, 2019, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Wachholz and Sons Funeral Home, 303 Harvard St. in Princeton.  A memorial mass will be held on Friday, August 2, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one hour prior to the service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 277 East Montello St., in Montello.  Father Savio Yerasani will officiate.  Burial will follow the service at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery of Montello.

Full Obituary:
https://www.wachholzandsons.com/notices/Robin-Treder?fbclid=IwAR0cA9l1jwOHnIB_uVXjB6NRSfwNV344oAhZO4CBeCClOD1swjt8w9piN-c

A rare opportunity....

Next Swim:  Sunday July 28th @ noon

Last Swims:

  Saturday July 27th @ noon
   Water Temp:  BALTIC!!!  (46.6 per the Mach-o-meter)
   Waves:  slow rolling swells < 1ft
   Clarity:  Crystal Clear
   Kru:  Diablo, Itch, Linda the Lampre, Showgirl, Gumdawg Moondrop, Dragonfly, Liz, Julie, Gary, Matt, Capt'n

  Friday July 26th @ 5:30pm
      Water Temp:  COLD!!!  (49.8 per the Mach-o-meter)
      Waves: heavy chop
      Clarity: stirred up
      Kru:  Itch, Linda the Lampre, Reid the bookworm, with Special Guest appearances from The Patriarch, Kahuna, Capt'n

Technically, I would have labelled today's water temp as "BULLOCKS!" given my reluctance to walk the plank.  The absence of a few regular Kru mates indicates that I may not be alone in this assessment.  The number of Kru mates who walked the plank, however, challenged this assessment...many of whom did so without a wetsuit.  Shiver me timbers!!!

If you're trying to rationalize why you should come out and walk the plank while the water temps are Bullocks, Baltic or just plain COLD...try thinking of it this way...."it's not every day you get the opportunity to swim in   water when the air temp is above 80 and the skies are sunny...particularly in Wisconsin!"

I would be remiss if I didn't post a thought about the passing of one of me closest Kru mates...some knew her as Phoenix...some Crash...others Robin.  In Klode Kru terminology I always considered her me First Mate.  We will miss you...and look forward to swimming again with you in the angelic waters of the after life.

Swimming and remembering

Next swim: Thursday, 6pm

Last swim: Thursday, 6am
Water temp: 57, with lots of changing temp pockets
Water quality: clearer, occasional glimpses of the bottom
Waves: flat
Kru: Capt’n, Ziggy, Snap, Magic Mike. Late shift shore support from Patriarch and Showgirl

Its hard to beat summer mornings on the beach. Shortly after I arrived and determined the need for a wetsuit, Capt’n, Ziggy and Snap showed and the macho-meter confirmed it. Everyone slid into some form of a wetsuit and swam off. As I returned from a considerably shorter swim than the others, I saw Patriarch preparing for a dip. Upon hearing of the colder temps, he chose to postpone (in favor of warmer conditions, I assume?). Showgirl came down the hill. We traded some words about the water, about mountain bike practice, about breakfast, and then Patriarch and Showgirl headed back up to the path.

As I watched them walk away and as I watched the swimmers in the water returning, I realized that there were plenty of people at the beach this morning who knew Robin better than I did. I imagine that’s part of what brought them to Klode this morning. I took an extra moment to remember that she would often come to join us at Klode or Atwater even if she wasn’t going to swim. Before or after those swims, I might occasionally have a chance to talk with Robin.  She’d always listen to, and often express a kindred appreciation for all the joys of open water swimming. Or of just being down at the waterside. I also remember that, toward the end of her life her parents would bring her down to the lake to enjoy precisely what we all enjoy about being at the shore. Those nearly daily trips aided the palliative care she was receiving this spring and summer. I am glad she had them.