Is anyone interested in going to the cove for a New Years Day swim? If so please respond and I can meet you there.

I like the idea - not sure I'll be up for the implementation but the idea's a good one.

I went wading, not swimming, but wading in the Atlantic Ocean about 4 days ago - Wildwood New Jersey. That was cold - 40 degree ocean water. Really made my feet ache just to wade ankle deep. Swimming wasn't seriously considered - well I did think of it but not for long.

I did go swimming at the Cove last January - I think on Jan 18th, an exceptionally warm day we had around the 18th of Jan 2003, There's a message in the Board archives from last Jan about it so I'm nuts enough to consider it again.

Stay in touch -- do be careful. I went alone myself but guess I'd recommend have a buddy or budette along as safety watch and witness to the event.

Dick W.

Here's the forecast for Jan 1st from the NWS ...


New Year's Day: Rain showers possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.


Actually that's chilly but relatively mild for the date. Water temp via the Corps' website was 34 degrees on Dec 23rd - last time that info was updated.

Now that's cold - 34 - an ice cube would be right at home in 34 degree water.

This is one of those things - a Polar Bear Swim - that you either do or don't do and the actual "readings" don't enter into it too much. Well, a little. If it was to be 16 degrees with a 35 mph north wind then the hwhole enterprise would seem pretty iffy. This approaching New Year's Day - doable.

Anybody for a Cove trip - aside from the polar bear swim - it's a "possible" day for just laying out if you can find a spot out of the wind - should be in the 60s today -- I've been on lots of beaches at that temperature.

Anybody? I may try to make it up there arond 1 pm - any later and the low sun doesn't have much ooomph to it but 11 to 1 is pretty good timing if the sun's out at all today.

No promises but if I can get some other things done I might be up there - I'l take a trash bag to clean up some of the stuff that's drifted in over the past couple of months.

Dick 1-2-04
rjw at kcsky dot net