Swimming Practice in the Ohio
Aug 24th, 2007 by craigdos
Today we had an open practice swim in the Ohio. A few notes about the Ohio in August.
- It’s just as gross as you would think. Brown water that you can see about 6 inches in, and just overall, doesn’t feel clean.
- It’s HOT. The YMCA pool, which they keep exceedingly warm for the elderly is usually at 81-82 degrees. The Ohio was 86 this morning. I take showers that are much cooler than that.
- The current, due to storms upstream, was at 0.6 knots yesterday. Fast enough that it would be tough to swim upstream like in the original course. So they have changed the course to be a majority downstream.
- Today, one day after the swim course change, the current was twice as fast, at 1.2 knots. I tried swimming perpendicular to it, and got pushed so far downstream, a guard in the kayak had to come to my aid. Then I tried to head back to shore, and ended up 85 meters downstream.
Because of the high water temperatures, no wetsuits (which aid buoyancy and make you faster) will be allowed.
Therefore, the next best option is to shave. Come Sunday, I’ll be slick as a little baby seal.