First thing next Saturday (23 October) Salford watersports centre runs the last open water swim of this season. Today the water temperature is 16.5 - 2 degrees warmer than when we swam there three weeks ago, so I think we'll nip down and do a couple of laps to bid farewell till April...which, sadly, seems a long way off, now that the days are getting shorter...
The session takes place in Ontario Basin. I found this beautiful poem that references the two great lakes that the other basins at Salford are named after. Up above is the bridge where one basin runs into the other.
The Huron
I swam the Huron of love, and am not ashamed,
It was many saw me do it, scoffing, scoffing,
They said it was foolish, winter and all,
But I dove in, greaselike, and swam,
And came up where Erie verges.
I would say for the expenditure of love,
And the atrophy of longing, there is no cure
So swift, so sleek, so fine, so draining
As a swim through the Huron in the wintertime.
from Women's Work: Modern Women Poets Writing In English ed. Eva Salzman & Amy Wack, Seren
Always a bit sad when a swimming season comes to an end. Winter swimming at Wylies is over, so it will start to get crowded now. However, the season is just starting at Balmain Baths, so lots of early morning swims to look forward to. 16.5 Celsius is actually pretty good - it's only just got up to 17 C here. 14.5 Celsius (from your previous swim), however, is decidedly chilly. That's the temperature it was for my last swim in San Francisco Bay, and I berated myself for not packing a swim cap.
ReplyDeleteYou'll know next time! And yes it's sad when the season's done, but I think we're going to have some lessons over the winter to get the old front crawl working more efficiently, then before you know it, the water will be open again!!
ReplyDeleteAnd being a solitary type at heart, I do prefer it when the crowds aren't around...so maybe a couple of lake swims in the winter are a possibility...