Wednesday Evening, June 9th, 2010

The temperature was dropping and the fog was rolling in when I left San Luis Obispo for Avila. I got a nice surprise when I pulled up on Front Street. It was sunny and warm with no sign of fog. There was still a good breeze from left to right and a small chop on the water. The waves were only knee high. At 5 there were still a lot of people on the beach and in the water, which is always a good sign. The water temperature measured 57. We are starting to see more fishermen on the pier but there is still not a consistent presence of seals, pelicans or other shore birds that would indicate a lot of bait fish in the water. We had eight swimmers; Dana, Rob, Patrick, Niel, Dave, Lynn, Dani and Steve. Rob and Dave, being radical fundamentalist swimmers, went without the benefit of neoprene. We headed out to the buoy line, turned left and swam to the last buoy. The water felt colder than 57 to me. On the next leg we swam straight into the chop to the end of the Avila Pier. This is part of what I really like about swimming in the ocean. Besides the beautiful scenery and being out in the open, I really enjoy how different the conditions will be. Learning how to work with and around the variations in temperature, current, chop and wind and to have to navigate as well, makes every trip into the water a new experience. From the end of the pier we split into two groups of four, half came in along the pier and the other half continued to the last buoy at the creek. They then came in along the buoy line back to the pier and in. Rob is traveling once again, this time to Maryland, for a 4 mile race in Chesapeake Bay. The rest of us should be at Avila on Sunday.

niel