Grease

Bottom line: Use grease/lube for saltwater swims to prevent chafing. I never lube up for freshwater swims, but women might want to if their suit rubs. Use Body Glide for swims of 90 minutes or less. The convenient deodorant-like applicator is worth the cost of admission. For 2+ hour swims you'll need something with more staying power, like vaseline or lanolin. Vaseline is softer than lanolin (easier to apply) but has less staying power. Lanolin stays on forever but is tougher to apply. Therefore, "channel grease" generally calls for a 50/50 mixture of vaseline and lanolin, which retains the best qualities of both substances. I've heard of some people using Crisco as grease, but as a dear friend of mine once said, that's like "wearing food." There's a persistent myth that generous applications of grease provide thermal protection in cold water, but this is false. Or more charitably, "there's no evidence" for it.

thanks for the quick replies!

you'll find people using desitin too - the cream for baby rashes / diaper changes... for chafing and sunscreen. desitin has a high zinc oxide content. i simply cannot stand the smell of body glide... don't imagine i'll be happy with lanolin or crisco. good luck

Yes, it's legal. There's some info about it in the following links: Maria Cleveland's FAQ's on crossing the English channel www.doversolo.com/channelqs.htm Evan Morrison's race report on the Tampa Bay Swim Marathon. Check the "Hail of Bullets" section and the comments section www.freshwaterswimmer.com/.../