Golden Gate Bridge and Porpoises at play

Day: Friday March 18th
Weather Conditions: Snarly
Wind: 7 kmots with 11.1knot wind gusts
Air Temperature: 46.2 Degrees
Water Temperature: 53.6 Degrees
Current Location: En Route to the Golden Gate Bride


Golden Gate Bridge on the horizon



WAVE TO THE PORPOISES
 The waves are growing larger the closer we get to the Golden Gate Bridge, when we started this boat ride the bridge was tiny in the distance, now it is looming up before me, a symbol of power and stability, a tower of strength. As we approach another swimmer sights porpoises playing just beyond the bridge, " soon we'll be joining them" I think!
The waters below the bridge are uncontrolled, random swirls of water mixed in with swells that tilt the boat to one side and the other without any choreography..it is blind random.
 The boat pulls up under the bridge, to the right there is a whirlpool wider than the boat, it looks like a huge invisible wooden spoon is stirring the water in a giant cauldron, the water seems to be screaming out to us on the boat" I'll get you my pretties ha ha ha ha haaaaa ".
Leslie is scanning the water for a JUMP zone for us, " we are moving back to the other side of the bridge, with the Tsunami hitting the West coast last Friday the water is unpredictable".
 The boat motors back under the bridge and we stop, " 10 minutes to jump time" Leslie shouts over the wind gusts.




" 10 Minutes to JUMP"

  "OK,  time to get sorted", I think to myself, but what first, it does not seem like a good  idea to stand here in my black one piece suit counting down the seconds for 10 minutes, (on the other hand I might be so uncomfortable by then that the prospect of being in this water just may be better than shivering on the boat!)
I decide to start with cap, goggles and ear plugs....there done. OK, now shoes, socks and fleece leggings off.... easier said than done, I am swaying from side to side in an attempt to navigate lifting up my foot to get my shoes off, after 3 attempts I manage to get my shoes off and into the plastic bag, next up the ice breaker New Zealand super toasty socks, darn those sock are legendary and now they are rendered useless in the bag. Just a few minutes to go, vest off, the only thing left is my Burton aqua blue zip up under layer....it's staying on right to the last few seconds!
 I home in on instructions from Leslie, " the waves are big, you won't be able to see the support boat but we'll be there", then she shouts " do we want to do this?", a bit of a pause them some shouts YEAHHHH.... "best not to process that question", I think to myself, " I am taking the plunge and you can be darn sure I am making it to shore one way or another!"

 I look over at Dave Barra, he is on my boat and I am happy about that, I recognized his name from the list of swimmers that was emailed out a few days ago, and also from the 10 mile Greater Kingdom Lake swim held in Lake Memphramagog, Vermont, he swam the event in July 2009, I swam the July 2010, our times for the course are similar, I am hoping we will be of similar pace, he has much more OW experience than me and I am pleased he is in my pod.
" Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two ,One" Leslie counts us down, it is time to take a leap of faith, I JUMP!

Check out some of the other pod swimmers jumping off the boat here.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTJebEl96VY

 There are hectic shouts to the kayaks, YOUR SWIMMER IS THERE, BARRY YOUR SWIMMER ARE OVER THERE", then it is just a blur of wind, rain and waves..... head down and I am off, " let's get this show on the road" I think, time to bust it to shore, " where are the other swimmers in our pod, I see Dave and Christian, we are underway!
 I do a body scan, hmmm nothing feels miserable or cold, the rough conditions help me to feel good, it always seems to warm me up and it makes it feel like an adventure, I feel good. I laugh to myself, " out of all the issues I have right now the cold is at the bottom of the list, here is the unofficial list:
# 1 Current
# 2 Waves
# 3 Swell
# 4 Seal Lions
# 5 53 degree water
 ...... I laugh again, no issues, I am on a mission to the shore, game on.

  It is challenging and exciting all rolled into one, the water is turbulent, I feel the current thrusting me forward, it feels like someone has pushed the fast forward button on the remote control and I am the movie being fast forwarded, it is a frenzy of activity, I am EXCITED!
 I look over to my right Dave B and I are stroke for stroke, I like swimming alongside him, his experience shines through as he navigates the waves with long relaxed strokes. Every now and then a swell picks me up and Dave is gone, then I sight him again and a swell picks him up and he disappears, this happens over and over.

 I breathe to my right and take in the Golden Gate Bridge, I command myself to "NOTICE" the bridge and not my unofficial list of issues, just this moment and the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge, how fortunate I am to not only see it but to be swimming under it, I choose to live in the moment and it feels great!



The Bridge

    Before long I notice Alcatraz while breathing to my left, " I must be making it down the shipping lane" .
 I am chasing the yellow kayak and starting to set my eyes on the land mark that is my cue to begin the turn towards the opening to Aquatic Park, you know the one that Leslie told me NOT TO MISS.
  I am not getting very far very fast, " Holy Crap Dog", this current is not pussy footing around, I dig my hands deeper and pull hard, " I AM NOT MISSING THIS OPENING!".
 I feel my obliques straining as I pull, I kick hard, I sprint giving it all I have got, I fight and finally make it to the opening of Aquatic Park.
 The yellow Kayak guy says " Well done fighting the current", I relax and start thinking about that hot shower at the South End Rowing Club. To my left is the bow of a ship, I notice it as I breathe to my left while picturing the steamy HOT shower, good times, good times!
 I take 20 more strokes and breath to the left again, hang on.......didn't I just pass that ship? I did, it is now infront of me, the penny drops...I AM GOING BACKWARDS! The current has got a hold of me and is pulling me back towards the open water of San Francisco Bay, I instantly begin to sprint once more, pulling hard, spinning my arms fast and fighting to get to shore, I feel the bottom and pull myself to my feet and make a beeline to the hot shower, ....WOW feels like a million bucks!
 I shower and I shower, finally I pry myself out of the shower and into the sauna, it fells wonderful. After an extended bake in the sauna I pluck up the courage to get out and dressed, I regroup with some of the  other swimmers in the entry way of the South End Rowing Club long enough to catch a photo and swap a few stories, they are all off to breakfast together and kindly invite me I would LOVE to join them but the clock is ticking and I have a conference to attend, we say our goodbyes and head off in differnet directions.
 My clothes are drenched, my suit is trashed and I am exhilerated....what a great morning!



Me, Julie and Amanda at the South End Rowing Club after " The Swim"


Next up? Karlyn Pipes Neilson in Stowe
 Back East and back in the pool, in less than 2 weeks my friend, swim clinician and coach Karlyn Pipes Neilson is coming to Stowe visit, I am excited to see her and if I am lucky we will catch a swim or two, she is as fast as a phone call with over 200 World records, a world class swimmer and teacher, when I swim with her I practice " Monkey see, Monkey do.... I can't wait!

How will it feel being back in the Pool at 82 degrees? I'll keep you posted!

Sea Lions, Rough Water & Alcatraz: San Francisco at it's finest

Date: Friday March 18th, 2011
Weather: Storm Warning, 7.0 wind speed with 11.1 knot wind gusts, Rain
Air Temperature: 46.2 F
Water Temperature:53.6



Alcatraz March 18, 2011



AWAKE EARLY
 3:00am, my phone squeals impatiently for me to wake up, I reach for my phone confused, "I have set the alarm for 5:30am not 3:00am", then I realize it is a call from work, navigation complete by 3:25am, OK still 2 hours to get some rest before " the swim". I snuggle safely under the covers....sleep does not come, my mind is racing, going over last night's swim in San Francisco Bay and the upcoming Golden Gate swim. " Why did the water feel so cold last night for the first quarter mile?" I ponder the question, the Dolphin Swim Club swimmers I chatted to after my swim last night told me about the water in the Bay, " currents under water pull in cold water", they were also talking about their plans for the weekend, there was a Saturday Swim planned but with the storm warning for Friday neither were considering venturing out. I can hear the wind whipping outside and the rain pelting the window panes, I am expecting to receive a call phone from Swim Art who are organizing the swim  saying that it the expedition is cancelled, the call never comes..

UP AND READY TO GO
5:30am I bolt out of bed, I laid out all my gear last night......warm clothes to put over my suit to keep me warm in the boat, including a hat, fleece pants, turtle neck, down vest, ice breaker socks, a hot thermos of tea, a peanut butter sandwich and Lara Bar. Also a plastic bag of warm dry clothes to change into after the swim.
 I get my suit on, next up navigating slopping on some baby oil on my arms, back of my neck, my upper back and shoulders, I usually have help with this and it is a bit of a stretch to reach by myself, I tip a little extra over my shoulder for good measure, hoping it will hit some part of my body and then decide to slop it over my legs as well...." at least I will think I am warmer", I giggle to myself.
 Warm clothes on, bags ready, time to go over the instructions I received from Swim Art by email 3 days ago:

7:00am = meet, dressed to swim at Aquatic Park
7:05am = check in
7:10-7:20am = briefing
7:25 = walk to the dock to board the boat- about a 10 minute walk
7:35 = board the boat
8:00 sharp = jump in time

 TIME TO MEET 

  It is pouring with rain, I arrive at Aquatic Park, my feet are drenched  from navigating the puddles of water, I walk to the South End Rowing Club, it is next door to the Dolphin Swim Club which I visited last night, the SERC welcomes guests for a $6.50 fee on Fridays, I check in, it has the same feel as the Dolphin Swim Club, lots of photos lining the walls, it is lathered in history and memories of those who have been here before me.

 I search out what I think is the ladies locker room, I open the door ready to head into the depths of the locker room when a towel clad gentleman strides out the door before I can get in, (I was regretting not having the luxury of a tour like I had last night at the Dolphin Swim Club!) I was kindly redirected and was relieved to arrive at the women's locker room, I laid out my gear, checked out the showers, sauna and how to get from the beach to the locker room, I want to make sure that it is a bee line for me into the shower when I land after my swim.

 Now off to check in,  I meet the swimmers, they are all present an accounted for " I guess this is really going to happen", I think to myself.

 

TIME TO CHECK IN

  " Hi, Leslie, I am Charlotte", Leslie checks me in and I " fall in", to an unofficial line up of swimmers, some with wetsuits under their warm clothes and some like me without. I focus on Leslie's instructions, the wind is gusting making it challenging to hear but I hang on to every word she says.
 " We will ride two Zodiac boats out to the Golden Gate Bridge, " Tango" and " The Camera Boat", you should already have your boat assignments", I acknowledge with a nod, thrilled that there was something I had down! "You will jump off the boats together and swim back to Aquatic Park in groups of 2-6 swimmers, each group will have it's own Kayak escort. The swim is run with the incoming current and should take between 45 minutes and one hour fifteen minutes.

ANY QUESTIONS?
Then comes the " Has anyone got any questions?", "Hell yes", I am thinking  feeling the wind gusts, the rain and catching a glimpse of the angry San Francisco Bay waves in the background ,but know better than to blurt it out. Instead after a long dramatic pause, " Yes I have a question, are there any landmarks that are good to sight off that you can point out before we go"
 " Great question" replies Leslie, she then points out a number of buildings, other swimmers familiar with the Bay offer their landmarks too, it is a big help and I am pleased to have a picture in my mind that I am swimming towards.
 " Time to head to the dock and load the boats, after the jump in you will swim down the inbound shipping lane, you will be swimming with the current, the hardest part of the swim will be making it into the opening in Aquatic Park, the current will be pushing you straight to Berkeley"

 Gulp, mission is now firmly ingrained in my mind MAKE IT to Aquatic Park...MAKE IT TO SHORE! We walk down to the dock, time to split into our two groups, I am on " Tango", I follow the Pilot, the kayak is loaded onto the Zodiac, swimmers in and we are off.

 

 
OUT INTO SAN FRANCISCO BAY OR IS IT NEW ZEALAND?

  San Francisco Bay, I've read about it, the currents, the cold, unpredictable waters and mysterious Alcatraz ...... now here I am right now! Any apprehension melts away, I am only aware of the thump up and down of the boat as it hits and launches off each wave, I am firmly holding on as the boat lunges forward, smacks down, lurches up, smacks down again, water sprays over us all, I am drenched and can taste the salt in my mouth and I LOVE IT!
 Memories come flooding back, the kind of memories that you only get from a long lost feel, taste or smell that rattles a distance memory from long ago and then it all comes flooding back as if the past was the present.
  Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand 1973, it is a wild, rough day with dark clouds in the sky, it is the type of day that you wrap up inside on, or a " Hold onto your hat day", as we'd say in New Zealand. My brother and I are walking on the rocks along by the boat ramp, the rocks are sharp, each time we take a step to a new rock we let our foot gently check out the new rock surface before we commit our body weight, our mission today pulling star fish off the rocks and seeing if they will "man up and swim" while we wait for Dad to launch the speed boat, his mission today to go FAST, he is practicing for a boat race in the harbor and race day could bring any conditions for the competitors...rough or calm, in New Zealand we don't cancel stuff for rough weather. Well Dad is going to be well prepared for any weather on race day because today is rough, REAL rough and me and my brother Hamish are going to be right there right now.
 PANTHER GT is a smart green race boat, she has a white outboard motor which I like because there is a picture of a horse head on it, it has a deep V of a hull which makes it exceptionally good at slicing through the water particularly when it is rough. Boat launched, Hamish and I jump in and crawl up and under the front of the boat, it is dark, I have my knees pulled into my chest and I'm hugging them with my arms, Hamish is beside me, you'd think I'd be scared but I'm not I've got Hamish beside me and he looks out for me, I'll be OK. We pull the boat cover up over ourselves, I am not sure if we do it for warmth or protection but it feels good to clasp onto to it. The 130 Horse Power Motor roars, I love the smell of the engine, we are off, the boat angles up at first and then as she gains speed we are launched into the air, I hit the the top of the boat with my head, we are right up in the nose of Panther so not much room to be knocked around, with each wave the boat pounds onto there is a shot of sea water that sprays into the back of the boat, as the boat pitches up and down the water begins to run to the front and back of the boat, Hamish and I are wet, we are cold, we are tossed this way and that, smashing into the boat and we are LOVING IT!
I've spoken to my Dad about that particular day, he remembers it well, " How old were we Dad" I ask, " Awe you'd be 6 or 7 years old, it was rough water that day, real rough, you two were up under the front of the boat so you wouldn't get flicked out, no way you'd be able to hang on in the back with the size of those waves, I imagine you'd be getting a good jostle around up there", then he said " It was all on that day!
 Suddenly I am snapped back, the boat is no longer smacking the water, the engine is quietly idling and I am back in San Francisco Bay, " do you want to take a picture of Alcatraz" the pilot asks, " sure do, this is my only chance to do the tourist sightseeing thing while I am here in San Francisco", it was kind of him to stop, or maybe I had been making him nervous holding on with one hand and taking pictures with my phone with the other hand since we left the harbour. I got my shot, tucked my phone back in my pocket and then did a double take, " someones dog is out here in the middle of the bay, a chocolate brown lab, how did it make it all the way out here we must be nearly a mile from  shore?". " Hey see the seal lion", someone shouted from the boat. Everything my brains knows told me it was a dog, when I looked a little closer I saw huge brown expressive eyes, whiskers and an over sized head, just hanging there in the water amongst all the waves checking us out with a " come on in, the water's fine!" look on it's face........GULP, guess I am not swimming alone today.
Will there be any other sea life in the water when I " jump in" under the bridge? I 'll keep you posted.