Suit Test Goes Swimmingly

The wetsuit test went well. I went to Paradise Cove with my girlfriend and met Burl there, who was ready with his kayak. Nancy from LCC was also there to watch. As I put on the wetsuit (4/3 mil), I went over some basic hand signals that Burl could give me if he needed to talk to me, direct me or stop me.

As it turns out, the water is not nearly as cold as we expected. The cove is rather sheltered and it was a sunny calm day, I reckon the water temp was around 50F. So the suit performed really well. I was nearly hot.

I talked with some fishermen to see what the latest temps in the Lynn Canal were like. I was told that the water is a couple degrees warmer than normal – they put it at around 47-48F. This is good news. It may be possible for me to use a thinner wetsuit! Boy, that would be great.

So, I contacted Brad at NEOsport. They are sending our a couple wetsuits, some gloves, a hood and an insulated cap. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have them helping us out. They’ve been sharing their expertise with us and have really helped us with the technical aspects of this swim. They are sending surf suits so it will remain to see how well I can swim in them. I’ll let you know when they arrive.

I also order a triathlon suit from ProMotion. Their suits were used by Christopher Swain; he swam the Columbia River. So they should be good for swimming, I will have to test it for fit, comfort and warmth once it arrives. There is a lot going in to getting the right suit. But if I am going to swim 100 miles, I want to be in what fits best and works best.

On Tuesday, Burl and I will also be contact HotLine to see if they have any suggestions for this swim. I am told they make some great suits. We plan to talk with their designer. He should be able to recommend what is best for swimming in.

Talk to you again soon.