We know I can do better as I swam my 16km trial swim, so you must know the water had to be pretty ruff! and it was! wind coming from the SW blowing over the lake building up high waves even before we set off from the boat launch making my zodiac crash and bumping into the dock.
But lets back up first with last night, I went to bed at 8pm so I would be fresh getting up at 4am, Well as you know before most events you get some anxiety and most people have a hard time getting to sleep. Well I do to sometimes. lol To make matters worse it was a cool humid night, so under the covers I get to hot, over the covers I'm to cool, so I tossed and turned for a while before finally getting to sleep.
Then a storm blew in with heavy rain lightning and heavier rain, which work me up out of my light sleep. All I could here is shhhhhhhhhhh of the heavy rain which kept coming and coming. I fell back to sleep and before I knew it, it's 4am and my alarm go off.
I jumped out of bed and quickly look outside the window to check the weather. The rain stopped and the skies are clear. next I'm thinking and hoping to myself I hope the winds stay calm. I checked the weather report and it said the winds will be SW at 10-20 mph!! Oh Oh, this is not going to be good?! that means I will be swimming into the wind and current. DAMN!
So now I'm getting all my gear and food coolers together with Joanne helping into the boat and car while waiting on Ted and Nathan to arrive at 5am.
On cue Ted and Nathan arrive as I'm getting the last bit packed up and we are on our way.
We get to Carthew Bay by 5:45 or so and I back the boat up on to the boat launch to drop her in. As I was on the launch I push the zodiac off the trailer and it starts to float away so I jump in the water to retrieve it and as I do I step on a rock hard! I limp around passing off the zodiac to Nathan and go park my car and limp back to the dock. Ted asked did I hurt my foot? I said ya, I think I broke it, lets go!
I show Nathan how to run the motor while Ted gets set up in his kayak all the while I'm saying whats with these waves! as the zodiac keep banging and bumping off the side of the dock. I give Nathan a push off and I jump gingerly jump off the dock with my sore foot.
Here we go! I set off into the wind current and waves, bouncing around like I've never bounced before. I say to myself this is not going to be good! So I set into my pace stroke after stroke weaving and bobbing waves crashing over my head and loosing total site of Ted in the kayak every bob!
I get through the first km in 20min before taking on my first feed and drink, my plan is to drink some and eat some every 20min, I find this is best to keep my energy level up.
Then next 20 min I'm getting used to the heaving and waves crashing over me by this time they are 2-3 feet but I'm feeling the strain of keeping my pace so I relaxed my stroke more and kept going after my drink.
3 km in the waves and wind is getting stronger I feel like I'm on a roller coaster now with the 4ft swells crashing over me and dropping me down, having fun! but not really! lol
Every so often I have to hold my breath an extra few strokes because the waves kept throwing my stroke off and rather then grab a mouth full of water I hold my breath to or three extra stokes to catch the wave right to get my breath! I'm not having fun now!
I kept plugging away and knowing in my head I can't keep this up, this is to intense! 3-4 footers and white caps all the way, as far as I could see I think it's time to call it and wait for a better day.
Joanne asks am I ok, I said yes I'm fine, it's these waves that are not ok! as I look at my garmin and see Im at 5.2k, She say's well try for a bit more and see how you feel. So I set off and keep going until I checked my garmin and told Nathan and Joanne that I'm only going as far as 6k
I hit 6 km and stopped and said Ok, that's it, time! ...2:30 to swim 6km in this the heaviest water I ever swam in, with a 2:30/100m average, so I was moving but what a workout!
I jumped into the zodiac while Ted got tethered to the boat and we went back to Carthew bay pulling Ted in his kayak in toe!
When we go back to the dock I step on my foot and say Oh Oh! and check it out, it's all bruised and swollen from stepping on the rock. I hobble to my car only to find a ticket on my car for not having a permit to park there? Crap, great! We get the Zodiac on the trailer, barely as the boat launch was really uneven and not deep enough for the trailer to submerge properly. I pull it out and off to the curb were we unloaded the supplies motor and tank off so we could lift the zodiac onto the trailer properly and secure it, then putting everything back on including the kayak.
Then We ate, having those great subs Joanne made and drinks. Then we headed home.
When we got home I thanked Ted and Nathan and unloaded with Joanne as I hobbling all the way.
All I can say is you can't fight mother nature! no matter how strong you are! next time hopefully the winds will be in my favor.
BTW on top of all that I brought the camera but forgot it in the car after hurting my foot. Grrrrr! lol
These are the only pictures I got after the swim. But Joanne took some shots with her phone, I just have to figure out how to post them here, but I will.
Ted and Nathan after we pulled the Zodiac out of the lake..........
:)
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