A cold wind from the South

The sea temperature rose again today. OK, only by 0.1 of a degree, but it was up to 7.4 degrees. So what took me completely by surprise was just how cold I felt after I got out of the rather lumpy and lively sea. I expected the swim to be hard work but the Afterdrop I encountered was a bit of a shock. The wind was pretty strong at around 18 mph and it was coming straight off the sea. Even so, as this was my 9th day in a row I expected to have acclimatised somewhat.

In many ways this highlights the beauty of the various conditions that make up most if not all of our experiences. We can become complacent and expect to know exactly how something will feel, based on previous experiences. But, the conditions are never the same. From the physical to the psychological, there are always subtle differences, often undetectable unless we are truly aware and paying attention.

One of the reasons I thought this may be an easier experience was that I am now about to take a short break from swimming. Tomorrow I will be supporting the Literary Festival Event (being run as part of and alongside Winterfest), which is titled “Meet the Authors” and will be taking place at the Colne Yacht Club. We will be treated to the presence of six local authors, who will be reading extracts from their novels and also be available for those attending to meet informally and answer questions.

Following this the high tides on Monday and Tuesday will be in darkness, or at least in light that is too low for me to contemplate swimming alone. So my next swim will be the early morning of Wednesday at 07:49. I wonder what conditions I will meet next time.