Andrew Tyndall, a friend of Jill’s, and now an honorary member of the Split Rock Swim Team, sent us this lyrical description of the swim. It definitely helped remove mental hurdles some of us newbies had before the swim and it is beautiful:

First, even though you all will have swum the same distance doing laps in a pool, the experience of open water swimming can make a person nervous that we will never get to the other side. Don’t worry, of course we will. I break the journey down to four markers so I reassure myself that I am making progress: first the last white mooring buoy of the anchorage which is directly in line with the rock…second when you pass the end of the bluff on your left…third when you come level to the water flowing out of Annie’s Creek…last when you come level with the meadow with the white dovecots.

Pass the meadow, and you know you are homeward bound. You are in the shadow of the conservancy so you will be protected from the wind and the water is the smoothest it will be on your entire journey. Smooth and clear and green and wonderful.

Remind yourself of what you already know. Saltwater is marvelously buoyant. If you get tired at any point you can stop and rest and the water will support you without having to expend any energy treading water. I remember what my swim coach taught me back in the day: your lungs are like a lifevest inside your chest. If you keep them full of air your lungs become a flotation device. When you are resting do not breathe normally. Exhale rapidly followed by a deep quick intake and you will create that lifevest and not have to tread water at all.

Rest assured, the water is no worse in the middle of the crossing than it is at the beach. No greater amount of jellyfish nor seaweed nor grass. And, as I said, the water on the last leg approaching Split Rock is best of all.

Last, even if the weather is cool, you will not get cold as you swim. Your body knows to keep its core healthy, so even if your fingers and toes feel chilly that is only because your body is transferring warmth from your extremities to your vital organs. It is very easy to warm yourself up after you finish even if your extremities are tingling.

Go for it, swimmers! Once you have made the trip once, you’ll want to repeat it over and over again. All the best — Andrew