Real "Aquaholics" Are Starting to Think About Open-Water Swimming Again!

It may still be the middle of Winter, but some of us aquaholics are already starting to think about open-water swimming again, and are just waiting for the water temperature to creep up a couple of degrees...! One of the earliest open-water events this year (Sunday, July 11th) is the annual Fran Schnarr 5K Memorial Open-Water Swim in Huntington Bay, which this year will also include a 10K event. A lot of the "usual suspects" and a couple of "newbies" will be signing up for the 5K race this year (me, Joanna Grossman, Steve Albright, Chris Vasallo? Margot Edlin?), and our heroes Rob Martell, Anne Marie Bischoffberger and Ken Longo are doubling their bets and going for the 10K! For anyone out there who’s been thinking about doing it, maybe 2010 is your year! The "West-Neck Pod" will be getting back into the water probably sometime in June, so we’ll be able to get in a few weeks’ open-water training before the swim. If anyone is interested in getting on the e-mail list for "The Water-Log" to get updates on our swimming schedule, e-mail me at CLMooreEsq@verizon.net and I’ll add your name to the list. You can also check our open-water swimming schedule on the Huntington Master’s Swimmers Blog at humsblogspot.com, or the usopenwaterswimming.org/OpenWaterSwimPlaces.htm website.

If you’re not feeling ready for a 5K or 10K open-water swim, maybe you’d be interested in volunteering on July 11th as a kayaker to help guide your fellow swimmers and keep us from swimming off to Connecticut! Kayakers are desperately needed, and your participation would be enormously appreciated! Please contact Bea Hartigan, the race organizer, at 631-271-3349 or check out the website, www.huntswim.org. Hope to see you either on the water or in it on July 11th!

"The Water-Log": Pulling the Plug...

Well, it looks like the open-water swimmers have said "No" to November....Even I couldn't bring myself to take the plunge on this cold, damp, dreary and miserable November 1st. I'm thinking the 2009 open-water swimming season may truly be over, and I'll have to wait until next year to test out my new insulated booties and gloves! It does seem like the end came unusually quickly this year, though -- my last OWS last year was November 7th, and I believe our favorite Canadian Rob Martell was still cavorting in the salt in December! Who knew we'd miss our ozone layer so much? I did get myself to West Neck Beach this afternoon, though, for one last look and a few farewell picures of a vista that I expect I won't be seeing again for a few more months (very few, I hope!). Until then, it's back to the pool for me, and for my open-water brethren (and sisthren). That means I'll be pulling the plug on "The Water-Log" (unless, of course, we get a sudden blast of Florida weather!), but that doesn't mean you won't be hearing from me...Stay tuned for "The Perils of Chlorine"!!

Halloween Swim Deemed "Too Scary"!

Well, the headline for this morning's aborted open-water swim should read, "Halloween Swim Deemed 'Too Scary'!" As you know, I'm not particularly spooked by a little wave-action, but there was a wicked squall bearing down on West Neck Beach this morning, with a southeasterly wind howling across the water and roiling up white-caps as it met the incoming tide. The sky was dark and brooding over the water, and then the rain began, even as the sun was burning through the clouds further west. It was altogether a weird and spooky scene!


I may be getting senile, as Nancy Lipira says, but I'm not CRAZY, so I finally gave up the ghost and headed for the Y, joined by Tim Sullivan, who agreed with me that this Halloween swim promised too much "trick" and too little "treat"! As for tomorrow, the weather forecast is looking a little better, so it may be worth a try. If you have insulated booties and/or gloves (I just bought mine this week), you might want to bring them....That water felt COLD this morning! Happy Halloween, everyone!

Last Swim of 2009 -- But Who Knew?

For those who come out for open water swimming principally for the thrill of seeing Ken perform his morning ablutions on the beach, I'm sorry to announce that the thrill is gone....The showers are turned off and West Neck is now a "dry" beach. The water is still very swimmable, though -- once you get over the "brain freeze" when your face first hits the water. Ken Longo and I had a challenging swim out to the buoy this morning, as we were swimming against a brisk southerly wind and an outgoing current, but that made the ride back in a breeze! LOTS of moon jellies in the water...or were those ice cubes?? FYI -- It's still pitch dark at 6:30 these days, so weekday open-water swims may be over for the season. That's not true for Alphonse, however, who was already there and swimming in the total darkness by the time Ken and I arrived at the beach. He was coming out just as we were getting in -- I don't know if he's brave or crazy, but I give him a lot of credit for being out there day after day! I'm away this weekend so no swimming for me....See you next week. Bob Miller: Happy 60th Birthday in Bermuda, and congratulations on what I know will be a fabulous race!

Rob Todd Goes "Commando"

The water at West Neck Beach was still shrouded in a dense fog at 8:00 this morning, but at least it was warmer than it had been on Friday -- the air temperature was a practically-tropical 63 degrees and the water temperature probably somewhere around 60 degrees....Ken and I were joined in the swim (from beach to buoy?-what-buoy? and back) by Jim Imhof (making his 2009 debut in October swimming), and the Roger Clemens of open-water swimming, Rob Todd, who announced his retirement from OWS last Tuesday, and came out of retirement on Sunday to round out our foursome.




Little did we know, Rob had nothing on under that wetsuit, as we learned when he emerged from the water at the end of the swim, stripped-off wetsuit strategically wrapped around his nether regions, and commenced backing carefully out of the water towards the showers (I assume in deference to me, the only woman there). I swear, there is never a camera around when you need one! Nevertheless, that is an image that will live in my memory long into my rocking-away-on-the-porch-of-the-old-folks'-home days. Rob's unabashed comment: "You have no idea how good that felt!" That of course prompted Ken (the former and now-dethroned King of Naked on the Beach) to propose that we all shun bathing suits for a truly natural OWS group swim -- sometime next season, I'm guessing. Stay tuned for posts of a Pod-wide skinny-dip....Or not! Swimming again Wednesday? Anyone?