The Cement Ship

Last Saturday morning I hauled myself over to Seacliff State Beach to meet up with a small group of women for an ocean swim. The idea was to get our feet wet (ha ha!) with a practice swim around the Pino Alto. We have all signed up for the Mermaid Triathlon.

Pino Alto. That’s the christened name of the half-sunk, stinky, crumbling, flat-out-ugly cement ship now used as an excuse for a fishing pier. It juts out into the Monterey Bay about 200 or so yards. (The triathlon includes a 400-yard swim - 200 + 200 = 400.) You can see it on the Calif. State Parks site: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=543

I’ll be honest. I was scared to swim out that far. Also, it seems creepy to get anywhere close to the cement ship, the fishing line and hooks draped over the side, and the seals and birds that hang out there.
Bright idea! I’ll bring my boogie board and just paddle. I talked my dear friend Connie into this seemingly great idea, too. We can’t die out there if we have big-old boogie boards to hang on to.

Within seconds of hitting the water, I knew the folly of my plan. It is MUCH TOUGHER to push a fat, thick board forward than it is to just plain swim. Arms are the key, baby. You can’t efficiently use your arms to pull you through the water if you’re holding on to a boogie board! Our mermaid sisters, swimming, quickly distanced themselves from Connie and me. We could see their tiny heads bopping up, making their way straight out to sea.

As it turned out, one swimmer, amazingly a bit older than I, was not making much progress. In fact, she was having trouble. I assumed the role of lifeguard for the rest of the journey, staying near her, and sharing the flotation device. She and I made it around the cement ship, talking our way through bouts of hyperventilation and fear. The others, including Connie, were happily chatting on the beach while they waited for us to safely arrive on shore.

So you see, the boogie board turned out to be a good thing in the end.