Thinking about starting open water swimming?

Swimming 10km without a support crew? Were there boats on the water? No motor boats and hardly sail boats. Lakes in Austria offer great opportunities for open water swimming. How did you eat/drink? Your body needs fuel after an hour ... The water in Austrian lakes is crystal clear and clean as fountain water. I drank approximately 3 Liters of water on my way, without getting any stomach problems. I tugged a bar of chocolate underneath my bathing suit but I never needed it. May be, because I felt too warm in my 3mm neoprene Jacket, I didn't use up a lot of energy. Did you notify anyone of your swim, expected time and route? ... I told my wife I would call her immediately after finishing which I did. What was your plan should the weather turn, or if you got a cramp etc? ... I swam the long side eastward. The average width is less than 2 K. Most of the time I was within a 10 minutes reach from the shore. This is a picture of Wolfgangsee looking eastward. In the open water, all swims be it training or racing (10kms or longer), must be done with a support crew ... My swim was barely above 10k. I agree with You that I will need a support crew for longer swims in the future. Thanks for Your input :) cheers Gerald

Swimming 10km without a support crew? Were there boats on the water? No motor boats and hardly sail boats. Lakes in Austria offer great opportunities for open water swimming. How did you eat/drink? Your body needs fuel after an hour ... The water in Austrian lakes is crystal clear and clean as fountain water. I drank approximately 3 Liters of water on my way, without getting any stomach problems. I tugged a bar of chocolate underneath my bathing suit but I never needed it. May be, because I felt too warm in my 3mm neoprene Jacket, I didn't use up a lot of energy. Did you notify anyone of your swim, expected time and route? ... I told my wife I would call her immediately after finishing which I did. What was your plan should the weather turn, or if you got a cramp etc? ... I swam the long side eastward. The average width is less than 2 K. Most of the time I was within a 10 minutes reach from the shore. This is a picture of Wolfgangsee looking eastward. In the open water, all swims be it training or racing (10kms or longer), must be done with a support crew ... My swim was barely above 10k. I agree with You that I will need a support crew for longer swims in the future. Thanks for Your input :) cheers Gerald