No Moon Swim?

Hello Lane 6 Babes--I have threatened in the past to expose the true goings on of those infamously decadent Moonlight Swims and now you will hear all about it.
Last night, Sunday, brought around the first available evening closest to the latest full moon and the lunatics gathered at the Dolphin Club. Surprisingly there were few Dolphins present for the swim. But the Menlo Masters crowd held the day.
It was a beautiful evening with warm water (about 55) and a very slight current. It was flat with not too much wind. There were few clouds and no fog! The view was incredible!
We had some old regulars there, Sergei and Matthew, Flipper and Tiny Seal. Matthew's wife, MC, also joined us from Montreal and took a virgin plunge into the bay with much enthusiasm! We had a new Dolphin Club member, Ashley, who showed us some excellent swimming. Also joining were a couple of other Dolphins, Athena and a young guy whose name I cannot remember! And we were so very happy to be joined by Loretta whom we are working hard on to join us for a swim but who watched the fun with much interest and helped us celebrate our wonderful after swim dinner! And joining us as well from Bangalore was (forgive me on this name....) Depatangan.
When we arrived at the club we were all a bit confused because there was a birthday in progress and we were not sure whether the swim had occurred without us! But no, it was simply the birthday with no takers for the moonlight swim. Upstairs Gretch was chairing a photo judging contest for her Ecology class and was joined by Robin and Colin and the DC Log editor. It was great to see Gretch and she also joined our dinner. We were so happy to have her with us and catch up on her adventures!
Now the swim is a special sort of thing that despite all reports does NOT have a course designed by me nor do I provide any kind of safety!! The swimmers are on their own and typically "pod-up" and strike out as their hearts desire! Requisite costume includes glowsticks worn as ears in the style of Disney or around the neck native style. Bracelets are definitely in vogue both in the water and after the swim! Wetsuits are optional. Hot hats are definitely necessary!
A few of the girls struck out to the flag, Ashley, Flipper, Athena and MC. And then the gents, the Seal followed along a little while and took a more leisurely route that focused on the fun of the moment and chasing moonbeams closer to the boat launches. The gals overtook the flag without much ado and made a quick sprint for the return.
On the way back we rallied about halfway and made for the beach in a raucous crowd of swimming. NO, there were no other signs of wildlife in the water as any wise bay life had beat feet for quieter pastures.
Now the real highlight of these evenings is NOT the swimming though that is quite a nice little rush that will set your heart thumping. The real heart of the evening is the culinary adventure! And what a show stopper this was! Interestingly, not one meat dish was there. It was completely a vegan faire!
We had a wonderful curry and rice dish from the Seal, fab Tempeh and other vegan samplings from MC and Matthew, wine, a bit of a quinoa salad courtesy of Whole Foods, sliced fruit, potato salad, muffins, puppy chow (yummy!) and other delectible treats!We held our feast upstairs around the big old wooden table, savoring every morsel and chatting late into the night until we were essentially kicked out by Fred!! The time flew by so quickly no one had any idea that our late evening dinner had become a midnight banquet!!
For anyone who has not enjoyed the Moonlight Swim I encourage you to try it out if not for the swimming then definitely for the eating and the company. This evening was such a pleasant one and enjoyed so much by all that we look forward to the next with much anticipation!! And I do not know about anyone else but I am looking into my cookbooks already for inspiration for the next one!
So come one, come all. A fine evening beside the water cannot be beat!

new cold water record

Check out this video.

i would happily trade 1 year of old age in exchange for this experience :-)

Parkside Fun

Hello Lane 6 and friends--Today's grey skies did nothing to dampen the spirits of those who swam the Parkside mile in San Mateo. As usual it was a well run, early season swim and had what will surely be remembered as some of the warmest water we will see this year. There was no chop, no wind and only minor currents to speak of. The buoys were generally visible though due to positioning the yellow buoys provided some confusion near the end. And the coffee was hot Starbucks, free and there were wonderful complimentary snacks.
Menlo competitors were Flipper, Rocky, Jana Matena and Sandy Dutro, while the Seal served as ground crew and official photographer. Flipper and Rocky both improved upon last year's times by a good margin and were quite pleased. Jana and Sandy D. took first in their age groups so that was very happy for Menlo and a great way for them to start their open water season! Go Menlo!
The swim started with a water start and required squishing along the muddy bottom to get out there. It was pretty uneventful to the first and second buoys. The challenge of course was the long stretch along the length of the lagoon. For the slower swimmers there was a tug to the center by what was probably an ebb and so the third buoy was one that had to be watched for.
About halfway to the far end of the lagoon the age group future olympians came plowing by and gratefully did not swim over us.
The last 2 buoys at the far end were really not too difficult to sight or find but coming back to the finish there was a slight head on current so that was a bit difficult. And interestingly the finish buoy seemed actually very close to the mid way yellow buoy so that required some extra sighting.
I found the swim to be pretty uneventful except that my goggles leaked and fogged so badly that at the end I could not see. I talked to a 76 year old swimmer after the race who does not wear goggles at all and I wonder if that might be an option when the goggles fog up! Her sight seemed fine!
Anyway it was a fun morning and a great way to start the Masters open water season. Hope to see everyone at Santa Cruz for sure if not sooner!