Swim Report – February 4, 2017 – Plate Glass Edition

Mid-winter mornings in Chicago are crisp, cold, and clear, and today was no exception…

The air temperature out at L1 came in at a brisk 18F. The lake reading was 33.4F with perfectly calm conditions. The only glitch was that we had a stubborn and highly mobile ice field congregating around our swim spot. Fortunately, there was enough clear open water by the North Avenue Beach wall.

I went with the fullsuit this time, and that turned out to be a very good idea as I had to do “icebreaker duty” for about 10 meters so we could have a navigable path to the open water. The ice itself was much thicker (and sharper) than it looked from outside the lake, so I took my time clearing a path so as not to slice up my relatively new wetsuit.

Once in the open area, we were able to do laps and get in a decent workout. But the ever shifting ice soon closed in our swim lane, and we decided to call it a day.

Sunrise shots

Water level shots

View from below

Fun in the sun (and ice)!

2 Replies to “Swim Report – February 4, 2017 – Plate Glass Edition

  1. Hi Steve – do you know where I could get barge traffic data between S and N Manitou islands? Also – what is the best website for checking lake conditions in that part of Michigan? Thanks again

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