Open Water

Creek Swimmers Brave Cold Monterey Bay August 1-2

Thirteen WCM swimmers competed in the August 1-2 Santa Cruz Pier Rough Water swim and/or the 2 mile Cruz Cruise. Three intrepid teammates swam both races: Kildine Harms, Dave Matthews, and Peter Guadagni.  Winners in their age brackets included Don Brown, Donna Monroe, and Peter Guadagni. Our fastest swimmer was Chris Bond, who raced around the pier in a fast 18:48. This year the water temperature was noticeably frigid.

Aquatic Cove Swim Sat August 29th

We are planning an open water fun swim for a limited number of WCM swimmers at Aquatic Cove in San Francisco Bay (below Ghiradelli Square.) The date is Saturday August 29; and we plan to hit the water at around 9:00 am. The plan is to swim for no more than 45 minutes to an hour. We have made arrangements to warm up and shower after the swim at the nearby Dolphin Club facility (there will be a modest $6.50 fee for using the facility - well worth the cost.) Car pooling will be arranged for interested Creekers. The Dolphin Club can accommodate up to 15 WCM swimmers on this day, so we must limit the participation to this activity to the first 15 swimmers to reply to me. (If there are more than 15 swimmers interested, we will arrange for additional swims at later dates.) So if you are interested please reply to me, and I will add your name to the list. A sign up list will also be posted at our Clarke Pool Team bulletion board. If you have any questions, you may contact me or Pat McGarvey (who is a member of the Dolphin Club and who has graciously arranged for us to use their facilities) at Pat@py.com.

Open Water 101 - July 26 (Enrollment is now closed)

Want to learn about open water swimming, but not sure how to start? Concerned about cold water, crowded starts, open water culture? Pacific Masters Swimming is sponsoring Open Water 101 - a clinic for new and developing open water swimmers. It will cover breathing and sighting, coping with panic, pack swimming, water entry and exit, and mental preparation. There will be dry land talks by Suzanne Heim-Bowen, Suzie Dods Trevor Gillis, and Lisa Hazen, as well as other local, national, and international open water swimmers. This event will take place at Lake Del Valle near Livermore.  There is a limit of 50 participants, so sign up early if you are interested. Get the details at http://pacificmasters.org/comp/09pmsow101.pdf.

All Five Creekers Place In Lake Mendocino Open Water Swim

Five swimmers from our team competed in the June 27 Lake Mendocino Open Water Swim near Ukiah.  Lisa Ward finished 2nd in her age group, closely followed by B.J. Henry (3rd). Karen Takua finished 2nd in her age group. In the men’s division, Dave Matthews finished 2nd, and Jim DeLacy 3rd in their age groups. Well done!

Seven Creek Swimmers Compete in 2009 Parkside Mile

WCM swimmers competing in the Saturday April 25 Parkside Mile included Peter Guadagni, Dave Matthews, Robert Young, Kildine Harms, Carol Loflin, Michael Becarro, and David Chong. Peter was the top finisher for the Creek, finishing 8th overall, 6th among all men, and 1st in his age group. Next PMS open water event is at the Spring Lake near Santa Rosa, on May 16.

2009 PMS Open Water Schedule

The following is an updated list (updated July 20) of remaining 2009 Open Water Swim Events from the PMS Website: