"An opportunity has arisen to do the Earnman swim tomorrow" read a late communique from the Otter.
Course it was a different story standing by the side of the black waters of the loch at four in the afternoon with a fresh westerley breeze.
"I just can't imagine swimming that far" I said peering down the lochside to some point miles away.
"It's bloody miles away!"
"Well it is - two miles exactly,"
"It'll be dark at this rate."
"Well I'm not that fussed about doing it at all, I'm quite hungry actually, what benefit is there to be gained from doing this?."
"It was your idea!"
"Yeah but think how nice it would be if it was flat calm."
"It's not going to be flat calm in the sea at Nice."
The question is what to think about during what amounts to an isolation tank experiment, the earplugs, the misted up goggles and the gradual numbing of the entire body.
Uppermost in my mind was 'It can't be far to that bloody fish farm' or 'Where is that bloody fish farm?'
The fish farm smelt pretty fishy, so that sense was still operating.
On arrival at the end point a bit past the fish farm I couldn't stand up being more hyperthermic than the Otter. Then had difficulty steadying one hand to get the key in the car door.
In retrospect it was maybe a bit late in the season for open water swimming.
6 comments:
I don't think your second last paragraph accurately describes the condition we were in at that time.
I told some other friends about that activity and they all shouted at me.
What do they know?
How about the Baffin Island aquathon and fun run (survival suit and snow shoes compulsory) ?
Even Google doesn't know about the Baffin Island Aquathon, so it can't be well attended.
One of my other friends is a very keen fisherman. Presumably water temperature has an impact on fishing. He estimated the temperature of Loch Earn to be about 5 or 6 degrees. Of course he could have just made that up, but I believe him.
Regardless - the other danger of getting sucked under can be further explained by this little gem of local knowledge.
Quote" Loch Earn is unusual in having it's own 'tidal system'. In fact these are not true tides but is seiching. (A true tide is driven by the sun and moon). As a result of the persistent prefailing wind blowing along the Loch there is stress applied to the water surface. This causes a slight slope on the Loch! As with all damped mechanical systems, applied pressure can result in an oscillation called a seiche. In the case of Loch Earn this has a period of 16 hours. The water moves back and forth along the Loch - not in a raging torrent, of course - but the effect can be observed and measured. The currents can result in complex turbulance as an upper warmer layer of water mixes with the lower cooler water near the Loch bottom.
Other fresh water bodies which experience this effect ( seiches ) are Lake Geneva, Lake Garda, Lake Erie and Lake Baikal."
Fancy a trip to the Med?
Or The Lake Baikal Long Distance Swim held early feb in the wake of a Russian ice breaker - not for the faint hearted.
I remember divers recovering a lorry from the depths of Loch Earn a good number of years ago. Although it was early summer there was still large blocks of ice mixed with stones and mud on the loch bed.
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