Sun. May 18 is Get Back in the Cold Ocean for a Brisk Open Water Swim Day

May 8, 2014 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

The ocean temp is nearing 50 degrees, which means it is time to get back in the water, or time to congratulate those of you who never got out (Helen, Ted, and others).

While I’m sure there will be swimmers out at Nantasket starting this Sunday at 8am (all are welcome), the regular swims are returning Sunday, May 18, at 8:00 from the same place in Nantasket Beach. If you need directions or have questions, feel free to email me. It’s been an exceedingly long and cold winter so it’ll feel good to get out of the pool and back to the expansive Mass. Bay.

More details will be forthcoming on the memorial day swim…

Enjoy the weekend.

2013 Barnacle Splash

August 20, 2013 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

As expected, cold yet clear and calm waters for the Barnacle Splash. A tremendous thanks goes out to the kayakers, shuttle drivers, and Hull’s famous restaurant Toast, which served up hot and tasty post-swim breakfast. For your enjoyment, here are some of the photos of the pre- and post-swim entertainment. If you have photos you’d like to share, send them along and I’ll add to the post. And if you missed the swim this past weekend, there are still plenty of remaining swims between now and Thanksgiving each Sunday (and most Saturdays for that matter).

Vic’s infamous random shot

The whole group

Trust me this time, I know what I’m talking about

Stretch them muscles

The shark’s mouth was this large

Why are we doing this again?

I swear to Crusty, I did not inhale

Swim route at dawn – what lurks below?

That was fun, what is next?

The swim was tiring, I’m just going to walk the rest of the way.

If I have to go back into those cold waters one more time…

My my houlder hurts after that swim.tiff

I deserve a shoulder massage after this swim

Let’s do that again!

That was noth’n.

I will not blink first

Larry, Moe and Curly of swimming?

My job here is done

I’m not feeling so well

Grandpa stealing a moment with grandson

What every self-respecting annual swim needs, bright red shoes with checkered flag laces. But do you know who this famous person is?

Annual Barnacle Splash Sun. Aug 18

August 13, 2013 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

This Sunday will mark the 3rd Annual Barnacle Splash Swim starting at 7:00 AM. This year we’ll be swimming from the usual starting spot at the entrance to Nantasket heading south east along the rocky coast, out and around Doctor Island, and into Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. This is 1.5 miles. If you’re winded, in need of food, or suffering from caffeine withdraw, we’ll have a car bringing people back. If however you want to continue, you can turn around and swim back, which makes the route a nice 3 miles. The tide is perfect for the swim and conditions as of now appear to be ideal.

This will be a supported swim with kayakers or paddlers along the route guiding the way and keeping an eye out for the south shore’s own indigenous venomous jumping lobsters that are starting to cause havoc on the traps. One was spotter swimming with goggles and a speedo taunting beach-goers just last weekend. Go figure?

Importantly, breakfast will be ordered. If you plan to swim, send an email to swim@crustybarnacles.com and let us know if your bfast preference is eggs, pancakes or french toast. Our friends at Toast (the restaurant) have offered to deliver. Also, Barnacle Splash Swim Caps, made up for just this occasion, have arrived. They’ll be available on Sun. for a nominal fee.

For those interested in swimming during the week, people are swimming from the usual start location at around 5:30 as the sun is rising later. Also, there have been requests for afternoon swims. If you are interested, email me at the CB address as I’m happy to put you in touch with others looking to swim. It’s always more fun in a group.

Enjoy the photos from our swim last weekend and see everyone this weekend. By the way, we’ll still be swimming Sat., with groups starting as early as 6:30 am.

July 4 wknd review & Aug. 18 Save the Date

July 8, 2013 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Sunday’s swim was perfect for concluding the holiday weekend – we had perfect conditions all four days. As usual, we had many familiar faces, but we also had some new swimmers along with drop-ins from former regulars who now reside from as nearby as Pittsburgh and as far as Paris. The random photo as seen below never gets old and our model Ted looks good in the new Crusty Barnacle hoody that he wasn’t afraid to don in the hot sun. If you placed an order for one, contact Steve to make arrangements to pick it up and if you still would like one, given the demand a second order will be going in soon.

Looking ahead, it’s time to start planning the 3rd Annual Barnacle Bash Swim, which will be held Sun. Aug. 18th this year starting at 7:00 am. Mark your calendar, as we’re doing a few things different this year to make it a bit more entertaining. First there will be two options, swimming from Nantasket to Black Rock Beach going around Doctor Island (about 1.75 miles) or Nantasket to Sandy Beach (about 3 miles). We’ll have transportation back to Nantasket from both locations along with food and drinks to re-fuel after the swim. The 7am start time is to ensure we’re finished before parking or lifeguard restrictions go into effect.

Also, if anyone is interested in early morning weekday swims starting at around 5:30 am, there will likely be a group of people throughout the week greeting the sunrise. Email tom_k_baker@mac.com if you are interested so we can make arrangements.

Lastly, be on the lookout for some future changes of venue as we will occasionally be taking the sunday swims on the road.

In the meantime, enjoy the week…

July 21-22 Open Water Swims @ Nantasket Beach

July 18, 2012 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Welcome to all the new swimmers who joined the swims this weekend. Congratulations to all those who participated in the Swim Across America one mile charity swim at Nantasket on Sat and for all the awareness for and contributions to such a great cause supporting cancer research and prevention.

Also, kudos to Chris D for bracing the frigid waters on Sat. in York Maine for the Nubble Light Challenge, a 2.4 mile swim to support the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. We have confirmed from two very reliable sources he completed it sans wetsuit.

Swimming times/locales are the same for this weekend and as mentioned previously, are merely guidelines as we know how busy everyone’s schedules are. To remind everyone, Sat, we meet and try to quickly get into the water around 7:30 ad Sun meet around 7:45 and get in the water around 8:00 am. Sunday’s have been known to have fresh fruit, pastries, bagels, animal crackers and coffee available following the swim. We will try a swim either Sat. or Sun to Gunrock Beach to change things up a bit depending on conditions.

The water temps right now are reportedly 72 degrees, which is unusually warm this time of year and if they hold, make it easier to head out swimming without a wetsuit. However, we strongly encourage you swim in whatever makes you most comfortable and we are in no way sole adherents to the bare skin doctrine adopted by other admirable but masochistic open water swim groups.

To maintain our fearless leader/swim recruiter Vic’s tradition, here’s the “random” photo from last weekend taken by none other than a friendly officer that checks in on us from time to time to ensure we’re safe.

Quote of the day:

“Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?” Anonymous (or I’m too lazy to research who said this – anyone know?).

Upcoming Swims/Save the Date: Aug 12, 2012

July 9, 2012 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Upcoming Swims:

Weekend swims for July 14th and 15th remain the same – meet around 7:30 AM on Sat. morning and around 7:45/8:00 am Sun. Both days we start from the Southeast end of Nantasket Beach (take your first right into the beach parking lot where you’ll see Beach Fire restaurant). I promise fins casting long 10 foot shadows will remain south of Cape Cod.

Another option for this Sat (July 14) is the Swim Across America one mile swim in Hull starting from the Mary Jeanette Murray bathhouse. It starts at 9:00 am with a post-swim celebration at the Red Parrot. To register or to support a swimmer click here. The Crusty Barnacles has it’s own team this year and it’s looking for more members.

Save the Date

August 12, 2012 is the 2nd Annual Barnacle (Mass) Bay Bash at 7:00 am. This is an approximately three mile fun swim where we plan to have kayaks and paddle boards escorting us from our usual meeting place in Nantasket to Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. We had to change venues from last year’s swim from Black Rock to Sandy Beach and back due to limited parking at BR Beach and very vigilant lifeguards at Sandy (we would pose a liability to the town if we swim in during life-guarding hours).

This is purely a fun swim only and is NOT a race. There are two coves along the way swimmers can stop and either rest at or turnaround from. The early 7:00 am start and day were selected for the 8:00 am high tide on Aug 12, allowing everyone to swim with safe clearance over breakwater rocks on the way there and back that will significantly shorten the swim distance.

Limited edition 2nd Annual Mass Bay Bash shirts will be made available for a nominal price, so RSVP as soon as possible. More details to follow…

Swim Caps

The first run of bright orange, can’t miss you swimming from a mile away, Crusty Barnacle Swim Caps has been depleted and we have had requests for more caps. We’ll be placing a new order shortly, but to help get the most accurate number of caps, email us at swim@crustybarnacles.com if you think you would like another, don’t have one and would be interested in keeping your noggin warm, or you know someone else who just likes to wear bright orange with blue accent caps out and about.

Quote of the Day

“When life gets you down, do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do? Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming”, as spoken by the modern day philosopher extraordinaire/blue fish named Dory from Finding Nemo. I admit I stole this one or perhaps received inspiration for it from the book “Swim” by Lynn Sherr, which I had promised to review but have not yet finished on account of travels with an infant which is a comedy of errors the precludes one from staying focused on any one task greater than 15 seconds. Stay tuned or just go out and get the book (it’s available on those Nooks, Kindle and Ipads if it’s easier, as The Old Colony Library Network was an extended wait-list). But seriously, does swimming not make your day all the better compared to those days you don’t swim?

Lots of Happenings: New Summer Hours…

June 25, 2012June 25, 2012 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Unseasonably warm waters made it a perfect weekend for swimming for the Crusty Barnacles on both Sat and Sun.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Cohasset Tri and/or Mile Swim Off. See the photos below (if you have more that you want posted, send them along or if possible upload to the comments section). Sufficed to say we had a good turnout and even a first place finish in the swim for Andy Strehle.

Too early to predict next weekend, but we are now enacting our new summer hours – this means meeting around 7:30 AM at Nantasket on Sat. morning and around 7:45/8:00 am Sun. Of course, these are merely guidelines and we encourage everyone to show when it’s convenient as there are sure to be swimmers coming or going. Just arrive before 8am, as that’s when the parking lots begin charging. But no worries if you arrive before 8am and leave your car. They will not charge for parking once you’re inside the gate.

Summer Reading: NPR had an interesting interview today with an author of a new book titled Swim: Why We Love the Water. I can’t speak intelligently about the book, but the interview is worth reading or listening to. here’s the link – http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/06/25/swim-lynn-sherr. I’ll post a review if someone else doesn’t beat me to it. For anyone who does swim, I suspect it’ll be something we can all relate to in some way.

Enjoy the week…

Quote for the day: “I’d far rather be happy than right any day.” Douglas Adams

And now some of the photos (reminder: send more if ya got ’em)

Disclaimer: The image with a likeness to Senator Brown may or may not be him and if it were him, which we’re not saying it is, doesn’t swim with us, but he would have an open invitation. That said, this website takes no political position nor does it affiliate itself with any political party, other than as a generalization based on no scientific fact we would venture to say the political leanings of the collective organization are fanatically moderate.

Impromptu Sat. Swim @ Nantasket 7:30 AM

June 22, 2012 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Given the water conditions and the wonderful weather, we’re having an impromptu Sat swim (June 23 just in case). For those interested, and assuming no t-storms are present, swimmers will be meeting at 7:30 am at the usual place in Nantasket. We’ll either go along the coast or if interested, we can head south to Gunrock Beach. Round trip, this swim is about one mile depending on the tide.

Also, those who are not participating in the Cohasset Triathlon or one mile swim, folks are still meeting at the same time and place on Sun (7:45 AM from the start of Nantasket). Sorry about any confusion on that. We may however not have the usual supply of coffee and bagels, but you never know.

Enjoy the weekend…

Weekend Swim Reminder; Swim Across America Team Forming for July 14

June 22, 2012 / Tom Baker / Leave a comment

Reminder that folks will be swimming both in Hull Sun meeting at 7:45 am (or thereabouts) from the start of Nantasket, and in either the Cohasset Tri or One Mile Swim. If you would like to participate in the one-mile swim, space if available and you can register by clicking here.

The Crusty Barnacles have also formed a Swim Across America Team for the event in Hull, MA on Sat. July 14. It starts at 9:00 am with a post-swim celebration at the Red Parrot. To register for the team, click here.

The water temps have definitely risen, now up to 64 degrees, where it’s comfortable going without wetsuit (at least on the surface). But as we all know, this can change quickly. Otherwise, forecast is for flat seas, which is no fun for surfing, but excellent for swimming so get out and swim.

Crusty Barnacles

Open Water Swimming on the Boston South Shore

Dorchester