Sunday, February 18, 2018

Changing Conditions - 

Late Sunday there was going to be a major change to the wonderful warm summer like weather we had been enjoying. High winds, 10 to 13' surf and a hard freeze were expected in San Luis Obispo with the changes starting Sunday evening. Things were starting to change at Avila Beach at 10:30 with clouds coming in and a messy chop that was pushed by a SE breeze. The water was very clean and 53 or 54 degrees. The breeze and the lack of sun would make it feel colder.  Swimming today were Niel, Sue, Heidi, Kurtis and John. We decided to do the triangle route counter clockwise. John and Heidi planned on going short. John was making his comeback from the flu and Heidi was worried about getting cold.  

I found (!) a bunch of interesting information about the swim below 

the pace and strokes information so I've included it

Sue at the stop at the creek mouth, having a wonderful time with no wetsuit.

The leg to the creek mouth is parallel to the beach

and was  bumpy and changeling but not bad. 

Niel, at the same spot. 

Heidi and Niel at the creek mouth

Kurtis, who has no regrets about wearing a 

Farmer John wetsuit at these temperatures.

Sorry, a very blurry photo of John Hampsey. 

Kurtis, Heid and John at the end of the Avila Pier. The wind had strengthened and shifted into the SW so this leg wa across a building chop. Things were starting to get interesting.

John and Heidi swam in to the beach along the pier. Sue swam towards Fossil Point while Niel and Kurtis swam to where the last buoy on the east side would be. They got a push that included occasional body surfing on this leg. Sue had gone farther east than Niel and Kurtis because she is a much faster swimmer and without a wetsuit doesn't want to idle in the water while we catch up. We regrouped and swam the last leg back to the pier parallel to the beach. This leg was just a steady push into the chop and current.

For those of you not familiar with the 'buoys' I refer to, in the summer there are a line of 8 buoys parallel to the beach, four on each side of the pier, that define a no boating zone. We use them as navigation aids and goals for some of our swims. The harbor district takes the buoys out in the winter to protect them from storm damage so when we swim those routes in the winter we swim to phantom buoy locations.

Swim Tomorrow?

No one who was at the beach today will be swimming tomorrow. 

Sue sent me a message that Sydney and Sam were doing great at the Junior Olympics. Sam is in Clovis and Sydney at UC Santa Cruz. 

niel