Swim Report(s) – May 21, 2009 – Ditch the Wetsuit!

Dave, Chris, and I all got in a swim today sans wetsuit. Dave and Chris hit the lake early in the day and did a 3-mile out and back to Ohio Street Beach. Per Dave:

may 21 09
chris and i decided on trying to pull off a swim sans wet suits… as we hit the half mile mark we kept going to ohio street beach to see how much cooool water we could take. after a quick stop at ohio st we headed back to finish the 3 miler. i am sure we hit everything from 48 to 57 degree water on the way. there were some very very cold spots. i wished at times to have worn the 3 mil but we did survive. friday 11a.m. beaches open…

I was out at Ladder #1 at around 6:30pm, and I opted to go with just my jammers and thermo shirt. While I can definitely confirm the presence of some much cooler pockets of water along the swim route, the bracing lake water felt fantastic! Plus the show was amazing…

The highrises on the west side of Lake Shore Drive had mostly blocked out the sun. This created an abundance of shady areas alongside the retaining wall where huge schools of minnows had congregated. And as I cut through the sparklingly clear water, they would swarm about all around me – sometimes darting suddenly in between my fingers mid-stroke!

The only glitch was that I didn’t bring my camera out to capture any of the images. And one that I would have liked to have shared is the sudden appearance of Ladder #2 through Ladder #12 out at the swim site. That, in my humble opinion, is the true harbinger of summer!