7:40am (ish) jump -- 38:39 to St Francis Yacht Club beach 3.5 knot ebb tide.
With Waterworld Swim. 26 people - a few with no wetsuits
We met at Hyde Street Pier at 6:45 - 7:15am. Had a detailed briefing and then headed down the dock to the Dauntless. I used my windshield wipers on the drive over.. heavy mist? light rain? didn't matter, because the solution was the same.. turn on the wipers even though it's the middle of summer. Dog days??? I'd call the weather we've been having a "huskie's delight". Brrrr. But the good news is that the water is slightly warmer than the air.
We approached Alcatraz by 7:35 or so, and quickly filed through the ladder and jumped in to the Bay. The water was rough, sky was gray but visibility was great.. We headed towards the Fontana Towers.. then Fort Mason, then the Palace of Fine Arts Theater near the Exploratorium. I ended up sort of staying with a few people. I breast stroked, I back stroked and I free styled. The Ebb Tide seemed pretty darned strong, and once I passed the "A" bouy, I stopped trying to stay with anyone else, put my head down and swam for the beach. It seemed to take a long time to get there, and seemed to take a great effort.. but once I was on the beach, I felt great.. we all stood around comparing notes before swimming back to the Dauntless. Getting in the water the second time was kind of hard.. even though it was a very short distance to the boat.. we picked up the rest of the swimmers and headed back to the Hyde Street Pier. On the way back, I got very cold.. I, once again, didn't really bring the right clothes.. I Should have brought 2 towels, (one for the bay water and one for the hot shower after reaching shore), and an extra set of really warm pants and shirt and hat... live and learn!
All in all, a fun and safe crossing on a screaming ebb tide.
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