Soldato
So I'm taking my first foray into open water swimming this summer!
I've been a pool swimmer for a long time, from a young age and through my teens as a competitive swimmer to now, where I swim for fitness and although I've done a bit of open water swimming on holidays and stuff, I've never done it 'Properly'.
I found a club called Ye Ambitious Ancients Bathing Association (YeAABA) up here in Dundee that have been going swimming in and across the Tay for the last 130 years so signed myself up with them and took a dip in the Harbour in Broughty Ferry on Sunday for the first 'training' session of the season. I say 'training' because it was really a quick 6 or 7 minute dip to start acclimatising myself to the cold! The club has strong traditions which means wetsuits are not allowed - trunks and swimming cap only! The water must have been less than 10 degrees!
I'm looking to sign up for a swim across the Tay (1 mile) and maybe the double Tay (there and back - 2 miles). The distance doesn't bother me - I swim 2 miles in the pool before work a few times a week - It's the cold! and also the fact I have terrible orientation in open water; It's not hard to swim in a straight line in the pool but put me in a river/lake/sea and I'll quickly be going round in circles!
I think we probably have a few members here who do it - especially the triathletes. Where do you swim? what have you done? Any tips?
I've been a pool swimmer for a long time, from a young age and through my teens as a competitive swimmer to now, where I swim for fitness and although I've done a bit of open water swimming on holidays and stuff, I've never done it 'Properly'.
I found a club called Ye Ambitious Ancients Bathing Association (YeAABA) up here in Dundee that have been going swimming in and across the Tay for the last 130 years so signed myself up with them and took a dip in the Harbour in Broughty Ferry on Sunday for the first 'training' session of the season. I say 'training' because it was really a quick 6 or 7 minute dip to start acclimatising myself to the cold! The club has strong traditions which means wetsuits are not allowed - trunks and swimming cap only! The water must have been less than 10 degrees!
I'm looking to sign up for a swim across the Tay (1 mile) and maybe the double Tay (there and back - 2 miles). The distance doesn't bother me - I swim 2 miles in the pool before work a few times a week - It's the cold! and also the fact I have terrible orientation in open water; It's not hard to swim in a straight line in the pool but put me in a river/lake/sea and I'll quickly be going round in circles!
I think we probably have a few members here who do it - especially the triathletes. Where do you swim? what have you done? Any tips?