Sunday, December 3, 2017

Plans were in place for us to do a supported 1.5 mile round trip swim out to the rock off of Fossil Point today but the weather had other plans. At sunrise Sunday morning the wind was blowing hard out ot the north. If Avila was sheltered enough some kind of a swim would be possible but the idea of going very far offshore looked chancy. I loaded up my swim stuff and kayak and headed to the beach. The wind was blowing offshore hard enough to make flags stand straight out and snap against their pole. The water temperature was 55 degrees. A swim out to the rock would feel like a quick half mile on the way out and a mile plus long slog into the wind and chop on the way back. 

On the beach were Jonny, John, Hillary, Jim, Niel, Maria and Karen. Supporting us on kayaks were Hillary's son Emerson with his friends Bo and Brittany. We decided to get the boats and ourselves in the water and to swim out to the end of the Avila Pier where we would do an evaluation of the conditions and make swim plans accordingly. 

Hillary and Bo at the end of the Avila Pier. 

Emerson, Brittany and Karen at the end of the Avila Pier.

On the way out to the end of the Avila Pier I was thinking that I'd go to the rock but when I stopped and let the wind and chop catch up with me I changed my mind. Jim was the strongest swimmer in the water today and he decided to got to the rock with Emerson to keep him company.  The rest of us would swim over to the Cal Poly Pier and back to the shore at the Avila Pier with Bo and Brittany.  Our swim would be 1.2 miles as opposed to Jim's 1.5 but we would be swimming across the chop both ways instead of with and against for Jim's swim. There was no sign of the red tide that had been hanging around. The water was clear and a beautiful green color.

Hillary and Jonny at the Cal Poly Pier 

Maria and Karen at the Cal Poly PIer. 

The end of the pier is 625M from here and makes a nice leg

(with lane lines!) as part of a longer swim. 

Bo at the Poly Pier.

Jim and Emerson said that the leg back against the chop and wind required some extra effort. Well try to schedule another swim out to the rock this winter if the water temperature holds up. 

niel