Sunday, April 29, 2012

Fog and Distance - There was more weird April weather at Avila Beach today.  There was low gray overcast and a fog bank that would move in and hide the buoy line and then slide back out  to where I could see Shell Beach, then move back in.  There was a bit of a breeze moving the fog around, a 1' +/-  swell out of the SE and small waves.  The water temperature was 53.  Swimming today were Susan, Sylvia, Rob, Niel, Yvonne, Ed, Ruta and Duke.  Ruta came with Ed and this was to be her first ocean swim north of San Diego.  Sylvia and Yvonne went in about 10:40 and swam along the buoy line.  They really felt the lack of sunshine which made the water feel colder than the measured temperature.  Rob had put out an inquiry for swimmers interested in going long today, say 2 to 3 miles, so the 11 o'clock swim sorted out this way;  Rob was going for 3 miles, Niel was thinking 2 to 3 and Duke was in for 2 miles, so, we would start by swimming down the buoy line on the east side of the pier to the end.  Ed would accompany Ruta and let her comfort range determine their swim.  Rob, Niel and Susan would do a clockwise triangle route; from the last buoy to the end of the Avila Pier, to the end of the buoy line at the creek on the west side of the pier, and back along the buoys to the pier.  Duke would wait on the beach and join us at this point for the rest of the swim.  We reversed our route and swam back to the creek.  At this point Ed and Susan returned along the line to the pier.  Niel, Rob and Duke completed the anti-clockwise route and then did another in the clockwise direction.  We finished up by coming through under the pier and in on the east side.  The wind swell was large enough to give today's swim some variety.  Swimming parallel to the shore was not too bad.  The leg from the east end of the buoys to the end of the pier was right across the swell in either direction and required some timing to stay smooth.  The leg from the end of the pier to the buoy at the creek had us either surfing the swell of punching through depending on the direction we were going.  The water temperature varied 2 to 3 degrees and wasn't the same the next time through the same spot.  On the other hand there were no lane lines and no turns.  The fog had cleared just before we got in and came back 20 minutes after we got out, which was nice timing on someones part.  
Niel and Rob completed 3 miles in 1 hr. 33 min. (total time in the water) and Duke did 2 miles in an hour.  Rob and I will be doing more swims of this distance if anyone wants to join us.   We will work them in around what everyone else is interested in doing on Sundays. 


niel