Finding Time In The Day

I've been on a tear lately. I've gotten out of bed each day this week at 5 a.m. and have been in the bay by 6 a.m. I'm trying to log as many Polar Bear miles as I can before I go on vacation.

I'm fond of telling folks there is always time for your interests, just get out of bed earlier.

The typical response is, "I'm not a morning person." To which I respond, "You've traveled to the East Coast right? After a day or so of jetlag, getting up at 8 a.m. wasn't a problem was it?"

In theory, this holds up pretty well, your body ought to adjust to the new schedule and you should get along fine. That said, if I'm honest. . . I'm pretty tired today.

Brian's Song

My brother-in-law, Brian, indulged in his first bay swim yesterday. Brian is in town visiting from NYC. He was a competitive swimmer in high school and quickly agreed to join me for dinner and a swim. We swam together out to the 'opening' of Aquatic Park and arrived just in time to see the sunset on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a short .5 mile - 16 minute swim, but it was so cool to introduce a brave soul to bay swimming. We thought the temperature was 51, but later discovered the water was only 49. I know 2 degrees doesn't sound like much, but at the 50 degree mark it makes a world of difference.

Brian was strong at the start, but the cold soon began to take effect. Breathing became labored and by the end of the swim his arms became 'stumps'. In the sauna, he smiled as he shook uncontrollably for several minutes before regaining control. We rewarmed with a steak and crab dinner. His last word on the swim. . . "that was actually. . . FUN"

Stay tuned for Brian's account of the swim. . .


Leanne, me, and Brian


Yeah! Me in the white cap, Brian in the black thermocap


Dialing in our swim time on my Kobold watch


Swim briefing


Off we go! The surprised looks on the faces of the rowers was worth the dip.


The reward. Thanks for the swim Bri! I'll never forget it!

Polar Bear 2008 - 2009

Why would anyone swim 40 miles without a wetsuit during winter in San Francisco Bay?

For one of these baby!!!



Polar Bear 2008 - 2009 began on December 21st and ends March 21st. I’m struggling at 13 miles right now. The water temperature, which was in the high 40s, broke into the 50s this morning. This is a promising sign. However, there are no guarantees. . .

There are 8 weeks left of winter. I’ll be away on vacation for 2 weeks. So, I’ll have to average 4.5 miles a week to get it done. The first 13 was no walk in the park! I’ll add a current mileage count on the top right corner of the blog.

A Fish Out of Water - 1st MTB of 2009!

(Ed, me, and Rick)

Last night Ed, Rick and I revived the Wednesday night mountain bike ride tradition. 2 years ago I had a standing mountain bike ride every Wednesday night. I had a couple takers here and there, but my friend Dave was a constant. He wasn't always prepared, but he always rode. In fact, one ride he forgot his MTB shoes and rode the 12 mile loop in wing tips! Dave moved to Florida and the rides stopped.

It was great to be back on trail. The weather was comfortably cool. We saw and heard tons of deer and a family of raccoons. The trail was well groomed but a bit dusty due to the lack of rain.

Rick was the powerhouse - I don't think he ever got off the bike. It was Ed's first night ride, he was wide-eyed the whole ride. I battled with my bike, which was in dire need of a tune up, but I still had a great ride.

After the ride we warmed up with some homemade chili and beer. I forgot to mention, Rick is a Miller Genuine Draft sponsored athlete - which makes him a good dude to know. MGD 64 is awesome!

If you are local and have a MTB feel free to join us anytime!

Jellyfish Dad! Jellyfish!

Last week Nobu and I did a rare daylight swim. It was a beauty of a day so the family came along too. In certain areas of the cove there were more jellyfish than usual. During our morning swims it is pitch black and you feel the jellies but never actually see them. I'm not aware of anyone ever being stung by a jellyfish in SF bay so I don't worry about it too much. As far as I can tell there are two species that we run into on a regular basis - call them the big ones and the smaller soft ones. I swam out and snagged a small one to show my little guys. They loved it! Here are some photos.


The kids started out in the crows nest of the Dolphin Club


The sun made it so cozy


The bay was a frigid 48 degrees, but it was a bit easier to get in during the daytime


Of course, the kids hit the beach as soon as we took off swimming


Two 'Phins heading home


Me and Nobu, slightly hypothermic but happy


Jellyfish Dad! Jellyfish!

(you probably need to click the photo to actually see the jellyfish)

Swimmer loses sight due to hypothermia

Yikes! After the New Year’s Day Alcatraz swim I remember seeing this guy who was really shivering. He seemed pretty out of it and was shaking uncontrollably. I just found out that he was so hypothermic that he actually ‘lost his sight’ for a period of 3 hours after the swim. I’m told he is fine now. I’ve never heard of this happening before, but it is a reminder that cold water swimming can be very dangerous.

Swim within your limits.

New Year's Day Alcatraz Swim

The New Year’s Alcatraz swim has the reputation as the coldest and most dangerous swim of the year. The temperatures of the air and water are both below 50 degrees. Since the event must occur on New Year’s Day the conditions are always unpredictable. A 1.5 mile, no wetsuit, qualifying swim is required to participate. I swam the qualifier in December, but until I jumped off the deck of ‘Lovely Martha’ on New Year’s morning I hadn’t completely committed to attempting this swim.

All New Year’s Eve I hedged my bet. “Well, there is a swim tomorrow (sip), but it’s pretty early (sip). . . I may do it, but (sip) it depends. . . Hey, this champagne is pretty good. . ” At midnight we took the kids out on the deck, shouted “Happy New Year!” and watched the fireworks over the bay. A cutting cold wind ushered the kids back into the house and I thought, “I'll just sleep in. . . I’ll set my alarm just in case, but there is no way. . .”

New Year’s morning came quickly. My alarm rang out at 5:30 a.m. I sat up, silenced the alarm, and pulled a blanket around my shoulders and stared at the clock. The house was cold and quiet. 10 minutes passed. I was so tired I didn’t have any coherent thoughts of ‘should I stay or should I go’ – I just sat there.

A few hours later I was aboard the ‘Lovely Martha’. It was a long, windy, cold ride out to Alcatraz. When we reached the island a horn sounded and folks cheered “Happy New Year!” and hurled themselves over the side of the boat. As I peered over the rail and into the grey waters of the bay, I paused to observe the chaos. White splashes, muffled shrieks, audible gasps of air, wide bulging eyes framed by swim goggles, cheers from the pilots, the smell of sea air. . . then without any forethought I was in the water. It was like some invisible force pushed me over the edge.

Survival instincts took over and I swam hard toward San Francisco. I soon found myself in a pod of swimmers. Rather than the usual bumping and clawing for position, they were chatting it up. . “Hey Joe!” “Happy New Year!” “Isn’t this great!” “2009 baby!” “I heard there is a keg on the beach.” I pulled through and spun on to my back. “Happy New Year’s fellas!” Four red faced swimmers smiled back. I took in the panoramic view of San Francisco bay and turned back into the water.

I heard the cheers on the beach long before I touched sand. It was raining now. The spectators wore winter coats, hats, gloves and huddled under shared umbrellas. I stumbled once, regained my balance and headed toward the stairs of the club. I was aware of the pats on my back put couldn’t feel them. There was a bottle of whiskey in the sauna and indeed a keg of beer on the beach. It was an awesome way to start 2009!


Happy New Year!!!


Alone at Fisherman's Wharf at 6 a.m.


Rub the crazy bird statue for luck!


Pilots preparing on the beach. Notice the wind in the flags and the lucky bird statue on the left.


Our 'Ace Pilot'.


Nervous swimmers below deck.


A harbor SEAL. Looks like he had a long night.


A Kobold SEAL aboard the Lovely Martha.


Our destination.


It was a long cold ride out to Alcatraz.



Almost there, time to stow the camera and get wet!