Sunday, March 28th, 2021

 Playing Marco Polo In The Fog

Avila Beach was nice and sunny hole in the fog this morning with an air temperature of 39° and a water temperature of 50°. The surf was knee high and the surface was glassy but rippled. There was patchy fog which at 8AM was holding well offshore so all of the local features on the water were well clearly visible. Niel, Tom I., Stephanie, Jodi and Duke were ready to swim. I wanted to do about 3000M on a route that was a little different so I proposed that we swim to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, then to the end of the Avila Pier, from there to the end of the Poly Pier and back to the end of the Avila Pier and in. 

The water gods had other plans for us.  

Stephanie is out of the frame to the left, then Tom, Jodi, Duke (in front of a piling) and Niel at the second crossbars of the Cal Poly Pier. For the first time.

We swam from the Poly Pier to the end of the Avila Pier as planned, but at that point the fog had moved in and only the middle of the Poly Pier was to be seen. Duke headed in as he had planned and the group decided to swim over to the third crossbars on the Poly Pier and to decide on a route from there.

From the end of the Poly Pier we couldn't see anything of the Avila Pier so we swam back along the length of the pier to the second crossbars.    

At the second crossbars for the second time in the fog. 

I missed Stephanie again off to the left of the frame, then Jodi, Tom and Niel.

From this point we were well within the end of the Avila Pier so we took a bearing on the fog and headed for the base of the Avila Pier. We stuck together and swimming directly to the base of the pier.  We swam 3900M.

I'll not be swimming this coming Tuesday or Thursday. I'm a possibility for Saturday and definitly will be back at the beach next Sunday. 

niel