applying a thin coat of vasoline to the core + arms is messy i'm sure, but does it help when wearing a wetsuit??
Former Member
cantwait4bike
English Bay, do you live in Vancouver? Do you swim here www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/.../index.cfm
Cold water first place it effects is the head which seems to knock the wind out of you.
Then the hands go rigid.
Then the feet start to have no feeling.
george, no i have to swim in english bay. everything you described is happening. do you know if there is a safety agency in vancouver, who would try to talk some sense into race management about dangers of swimming in this cold of water......
I don't think you are going to find the water in English bay that cold in July and August. I will find out for you.
If you contact Dr Fast's wife she is listed as one of the organizers I am sure she can teel you about safety concerns.
There is a safety link on the web site.
http://www.vowsa.bc.ca/
That is soon. English Bay is very cold at the moment. We have had very cold weather. We have really felt the cold and we are heading back to Mexico.
Who is running the race?
cantwait4bike
Cold water first place it effects is the head which seems to knock the wind out of you.
Then the hands go rigid.
Then the feet start to have no feeling.
George
Did you swim the Channel?
I seem to remember (waaaaaaay back when Abou heif and Co were doing it) that they used to coat their bodies with grease as a means to fight the cold. Do you recall? Did you do it?
Abou covered his body from head to toe with Lanolin, he was quite dark and lanolin is white. He used to use it in any water under 65 degrees.
No I never swam the English Channel my brother Tom did it twice. He just used a little vaseline any where he rubbed.
In coldwater I tried vaseline on my body and a coating of capsicum grease, it it kept the body quite warm. It kept the blood near the surface of the skin and felt very warm but I do not suggest it in case the blood cools off and causes the inner core temperature to drop. I was never to effected by cold water.
This is something I posted on a tri site - Make sure you keep your head warm and covered, major heat loss from the top of your head. Are you allowed to wear the wet suit in the race. Soak the wet suit in hot water before you put it on, or let the body heat up the wet suit before the race. I was never allowed to wear a wet suit in a race and the water I raced in was nearly always in the low 60s sometimes in the 50s. Just relax and you should be fine. Some of the swimmers have worn a wool hat under the bathing cap.
George
Did you swim the Channel?
I seem to remember (waaaaaaay back when Abou heif and Co were doing it) that they used to coat their bodies with grease as a means to fight the cold. Do you recall? Did you do it?
I just talked to Roxanne Fast she told me her husband has been swimming in English Bat for the last week. He comes home with all the problems that I mentioned about cold water. He said he could barely feel his feet. The water is very cold.
1. Cold water first place it effects is the head which seems to knock the wind out of you.
2. Then the hands go rigid.
3. Then the feet start to have no feeling.
International Triathlon Union is running the race. They don't care if someone dies in the cold water or going down the steep, baghdad bombed out roads in park. They may have doctors there to euthanize athletes on the spot like the Kentucky Derby.
