DISCLAIMER: Open-water swimming is inherently dangerous. Open-water swimmers risk drowning, hypothermia, hyperthermia, heart attacks, panic attacks, cramping, jelly fish stings, fish bites, boat or jet-ski collisions, collisions with floating or submerged objects (including other swimmers), and other calamities that can be injurious, disabling or fatal! The "West Neck Pod" is an informal association of open-water swimmers who swim "outside the lines" with no lifeguard protection, it has no formal membership, organizational structure or legal identity, and its participants, including the author of this blog, make no representations and assume no liability with respect to its group open-water swims. All swimmers who participate in West Neck Pod group open-water swims do so at their own risk. Be careful out there!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Wednesday's OWS



True to Deputy Town Supervisor Laure Nolan’s word, the gates at West Neck Beach were open wide to welcome us at 6:00 this morning – an auspicious contrast to the dramatic and traumatic prelude to yesterday’s open-water swim.




This morning the weather welcomed us as well, with the sun poking through a cloud-mottled sky, and not even a ripple lifting the surface of the water (which has resumed its warming trend, I’m happy to report!).








Our Pod hero Joye, after much arm-twisting, reluctantly posed for us in front of the lifeguard stand (per Carole’s instructions), and then we all (nine of us!) plunged in for a long, delightful and uneventful swim!(except for Margot’s having forgotten her goggles and having to swim ocularly-impaired!).


Seems like Thursday will be a day of rest for most of us – anyone looking to swim tomorrow should reach out for your like-minded brethren and sisthren by e-mail – and we’ll see the rest of you on Friday.





Those of us who are training for the July 11th 5K/10K in the Bay are planning on starting at 6:00 to get in some extra distance – otherwise we’ll see you at 6:15!

Sighting for Open Water Swimming with swim-art.com



Tim thought this video might be of interest to the Pod...I think it's very well done and very helpful. Now I need a video on steering...

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

OWS tomorrow...

Whew. What a day. Looking forward to a nice, peaceful, uneventful swim tomorrow -- I'm going to try to get there early (6:00 -- that's when the gates are predicted to miraculously open) and chase Ken out to the north buoy and back, and then join up with the later arrivals for a jog out to the south buoy....We'll see what the morning brings. Be safe, everyone.

Joye to the Rescue

Joye Brown, the ever-vigilant lifeguard, saved a life today before we even hit the water. Her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of what she thought might have been an overturned car in the woods on the side of West Neck Road as she approached the beach early this morning, so she, Carole and I went back to check it out. She was right! -- A car had left the road just at the curve and tore a path 40 feet into the woods where it landed on its roof. While Joye called 911 I pulled the car door open. To my vast relief the sole occupant was still alive, though obviously hurt. The Lloyd Harbor police and ambulance crews took over in short order, and we pray that the driver makes a swift recovery. We -- now joined by the rest of our buddies -- went on to the Beach for a mind-clearing swim, with a renewed sense of gratitude....See you tomorrow...

Monday, June 14, 2010

OWS This Week


For those of you who've been concerned that the water is still too cold for swimming, here's a little reminder of what February looked like! I bet the water feels warmer already, doesn't it! We'll be testing it out at West Neck Beach tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6:15 a.m. (it'll be an outgoing low tide, with the tide dead-low at 8:19 a.m.), and again on Wednesday and Friday (same time, same tide!). Saturday and Sunday we'll be swimming at 8:00 (unless you hook up with Rob's early group at 7:00) on an outgoing middle tide....