"To the 'Second Sailboat'....and Beyond"!

Good luck to all of the Pod swimmers who are participating in the upcoming 23rd Annual TOBAY Triathlon and Tri-Relay in Oyster Bay on Sunday, August 29th! For those who are not, and who are interested in a little "change-up" from the usual buoy-to-buoy or beach-to-sailboat swims, Explorer-in-Chief Rob Martell will lead Pod members that morning in a one-way, tide-assisted swim from West Neck Beach north to Fort Hill Beach (1.25 mile), and for those interested in tacking on a little more distance, on to Lloyd Neck Point for a longer (2.5 mile) swim, with a return to Fort Hill Beach.



In his prior explorations of the "northern frontier," Rob has been known to tuck his sneakers into the rear of his bathing suit (talk about "junk-in-the-trunk") so that he can run all the way back to West Neck Beach from Fort Hill Beach! For those who don't share Rob's ambition and/or super-hero qualities, auxiliary Pod member and avid open-water swimmer and triathlete Armand has graciously offered us parking space for several cars in his driveway adjoining the Fort Hill Beach Association so that we can ferry one-way swimmers back to the parking lot at West Neck Beach (after walking a short distance from the beach up the road to Armand's property).

DEPARTURE TIME for this expedition will be at 7:00 a.m. from West Neck Beach in order to take advantage of the outgoing tide (dead-low tide is at 8:40 a.m.), so if you're interested in participating, plan to arrive early enough to suit and slather up and be in the water by then! Swimmers looking for a one-way ride back to West Neck Beach should e-mail me (Carol Moore) at CLMooreEsq@verizon.net before Friday, August 27th so we can make adequate transportation arrangements.

NOTE THAT Rob Martell cautions that the water is rougher and the currents stronger as you approach the mouth of the harbor where it meets the Sound, so bear that (and your swimming ability and experience) in mind in determining whether and how far you plan to swim.

See you in the (Northern) Salt!