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THURSDAY MARCH 31 5:34 AM….

Tahoe’s weekend is going to be preceded by a couple of balmy days today and Friday as a ridge of high pressure allows temperatures to warm to 10 to 15 degrees above normal. With highs int he 80s in California’s Central Valley, the mountains will see daytime highs in the 60s at lake level and the 50s at the mountain passes. We probably won’t see lows below the freeing point tonight or Friday.

By late Friday, however, winds should be picking up ahead of a trough of low pressure moving out of the Gulf of Alaska. This system seems certain to lower our temperatures and bring some cloud cover, with a good possibility of rain and high elevation snow by Saturday afternoon.

Although the forecast models remained in conflict this morning, it does look like we have a decent chance for accumulating snow in the Tahoe region Saturday night and early Sunday morning before the storm moves east. Snow levels should drop to below 6000 feet as the front moves through.

Sunday should be partly cloudy as things begin to dry out, though we could see a brisk north wind. Monday looks dry with warmer temperatures.

Tune in to www.tahoeloco.com for daily updates.

Temperature forecasts:

Tahoe City:

Thursday 58
Friday 63
Saturday 49
Sunday 45

At 7000 feet:

Thursday 56
Friday 58
Saturday 43
Sunday 41

\Regional radar with rain/snow mix:
9

TahoeLoco.com

Whatever type of boat you are buying, the same general rules apply. Follow these principles and you can buy your boat with confidence.

When buying from a private seller, the boat will usually come with no warranty, so you need to check it carefully to avoid making an expensive mistake. Many brokers and dealers sell used boats as well as new, and may offer a limited warranty. Whilst this may provide some peace of mind, the dealer’s commission is usually reflected in a higher price.

Before inspecting the boat there are some checks you can make so you don’t waste your time and effort:

Check out the builder of your chosen boat. Is it a highly regarded brand? Are they still trading? If not, getting replacement parts may prove difficult.

Why is the boat being sold? This can be an indication of how well the boat has been looked after. If the boat is a repossession, it may indicate that the boat has not been looked after; if the owner didn’t keep up payments to the financer, then he may have shown the same lack of care for the boat’s maintenance.

If the boat is being sold because the owner is upsizing, this might indicate that the owner is a real boating enthusiast, and thus may have taken greater care in the boat’s upkeep. If the reason for selling is that there’s a problem with the boat, then be aware that if you buy that boat, you will be the new owner of that problem!

Is there a maintenance log for the boat? This should list all services, repair, and oil changes. If it’s missing, it can be hard to tell how well the boat has been looked after.

Is all the equipment you need present? For example, navigation, lights, winches etc. If not present, you will have to buy some equipment separately, so build this into your budget.

What was the main use of the boat? The use of the boat can affect its condition. For example, boats used mainly for fishing often run up high engine hours.

Inspecting The Boat

It is recommended that you use a surveyor to carry out a detailed inspection.

At the moment, anyone can call themselves a marine surveyor, so it is important to make sure that yours is accredited by the relevant authority. Some examples are listed below:

The Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association, The International Institute of Marine Surveying, The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS), The National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS)

Using a surveyor will give you peace of mind, and your finance and insurance companies may insist upon it. You should never rely on an old survey – new problems may have occurred since it was carried out.

If you are experienced and confident enough, you may be able to perform an inspection yourself. Here are some things to look out for:

Has the boat been looked after well? Examine obvious features such as the gel coat, woodwork and upholstery. If these haven’t been maintained then there’s a good chance the rest of the boat has not had much care either.

Check all wooden decking and interior woodwork for any soft spots.

Are any parts of the exterior paintwork poorly matching? This may indicate a previous accident.

Check that all the control cables (for steering, throttle etc.) are in good working order. The steering and transmission should move freely.

Look for water lines inside the boat or on the engine. These indicate that the boat has flooded in the past.

Open and close all the hatches and sea cocks to ensure they’re in good working order. Water marks inside the hatches would indicate that they are no longer water-tight.

You should test all the systems such as, bilge pump, winches, freshwater system, lights, heater and air conditioning, generator, stove etc.

Check that all hardware is attached firmly, and that electrical items and connections are free from rust.

Examine the hull all over, taking note of its general condition and looking for any dents, cracks or chips in the gel coat if applicable. Tapping a fibreglass hull lightly with a rubber hammer, listening for voids, can help reveal any blistering or delamination. Any fittings that go through the hull should be checked to make sure they are tight and won’t leak.

Find the hull registration number, and make sure it is present, doesn’t look like it has been tampered with, and matches the number on the boat’s registration and title documents. Missing or altered hull registration numbers indicate that the boat may be stolen. It is crucial that you ensure that you are not buying a stolen boat; if you do, you risk losing the boat and your money.

Although it may not be practical to do so, viewing your boat out of the water is very useful, allowing you to check the hull below the waterline. Check that the keel runs in a straight line from fore to aft, and that the propeller, shaft and rudder are straight; do they show any signs of a collision? Look for signs of cavitation which manifests itself as an erosion of the surface of the propeller blades – an indication of poor performance. Make sure that the propeller and shaft do not wobble.

On a sailing boat, check that all sails and rigging are in good order.

If possible, contact the previous owner to get any further information; as they no longer have any interest in whether the boat is sold or not, they can give you an impartial viewpoint.

Engine Checks

Unless you’re an engine expert, it would be best to get a mechanic to look over the engine for you.

Look out for the presence of oil in the bilges – a sign of an oil leak.

Inspect the gaskets and hoses for oil leaks.

Inspect the level and condition of the oil. A milky appearance signifies that water may be leaking into the engine. A burned smell or grit in the oil, are indications of mechanical problems, whilst a chalky residue on the engine or drive signals that the engine has been running hot.

Pull out a spark plug and examine it for age. If it’s old, perhaps the engine hasn’t been serviced as often as it should.

Examine all hoses and belts. Are they cracked or degraded? Smell for fuel leaks from hoses, and check that the fuel tanks are sound.

Are the engine mounts sturdy?

Do the sacrificial anodes (if applicable) need replacing?

Compression check the engine.

Sea Trial

If everything is up to your standards, take the boat for a test drive.

Before starting the engine, check if it is already warm; if the engine has trouble starting or smokes a lot when cold, the seller may have warmed-up the engine prior to your arrival to disguise such problems.

Check the bilges at the start and end of the trial; looking for evidence of an oil leak.

See how the boat manoeuvres. Is the steering responsive? Hit waves from different angles, looking for excessive pitch or roll. Try out these factors whilst above and below deck.

Test that all the instruments are working correctly, and run the engine for long enough to see if it’ll overheat.

If it’s a sailing boat, put the sails up, and see how she manoeuvres under sail. Try out different points of sale. Examine the mast and rigging under load.

If the boat does not pass on any of your tests, you do not necessarily need to rule it out, as long as you are willing to put some time (and money) into putting things right. Any imperfections can be used as bargaining tools to negotiate a lower price.

Get It In Writing

If you decide to purchase the boat, you should get a Sales Agreement. This should state the terms and amount of payment, and detail any pre-sale repairs that have been agreed on – making clear who is responsible for carrying them out and paying for them. It should also list which accessories are included and the delivery and payment dates.

Beware Of Fraud

Does the price seem too good to be true? If so, it probably is. The boat may either be stolen or the seller may take your deposit and never be contactable again. Make sure that you get the real address of the seller; you should be suspicious of anyone who only uses a PO Box.

Verify all the contact details of the seller. If there is an email address, make sure you can get a reply from them. Get a telephone number for them and make sure it works.

If the boat is in a different country to the seller, be extra cautious, and take even more care if either are outside of your own country.

If anything just doesn’t seem right, don’t dismiss those feelings until you’ve checked them out. Often your instincts are correct.

About The Author

Simon White

Further information and boats for sale classifieds can be found at: http://www.theyachtmarket.com

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Learning To Sail

The sport of swimming has seen many innovations over the last few years, some of which we have covered here on the Swimator Blog (new full body suits, technique improvement related swimming equipment or new insights on how to swim faster). However, one aspect of swimming that is being pushed to the background is the safety of the sport. When was the last time you heard about some new swim safety equipment being introduced around the swimming pools? If you think about it, there are numerous designs of life vests, floating rings from many materials, arm floaties (inflatable arm bands) for children, the long stick that a lifeguard extends to a swimmer in distress, lifeguard rescue tubes and swimming safety belts. All of these pieces of safety equipment are great to help a person to stay afloat, however, they all are either impossible to swim with or make swimming quite difficult.

Bottom line is that personal safety during swimming does not get as much attention as it deserves, however, this is about to change. A new revolutionary swim safety device was introduced to the open swimmer community which keeps you safe if you need it to, but it also does not hinder your swimming capability as the other swim safety tools do. Say hello to the “Swim Safety Device (SSD)“.

What it is the Swim Safety Device (SSD) and what does it do for you?

I have already very briefly mentioned this product in the drowning prevention post earlier. As the name indicates, the Swim Safety Device keeps you or your children safe during most swimming activities (be it in the pool or open water). It basically works as an inflatable float which is attached on a band to your waist and is carried in the current behind you. Now you might be thinking, well, that is not that revolutionary. You are right, this simply is not, however, the beauty comes in the fact that the device does not cause you to swim slower due to its resistance behind your body. When you swim, your body creates sort of a turbulent wave channel behind you with water moving in the direction of your swim. In more scientific fluid dynamics terms, this turbulent wave creates vortices which in turn produce a low pressure area behind the swimmer which causes the water to move along in the direction of the swimmer’s swim. The Swim Safety Device takes advantage of this water flow and is basically moved in the direction of the swim on top of the wave with very little resistance. It is very similar to the idea of when cyclists or swimmers are drafting behind each other in their road/open water races. The second cyclist/swimmer always works a lot less than the first who has to plow through the air/water to create the forward moving channel.

Apart from its main function as a safety device, it also has an in-build dry bag-like storage compartment. In this dry compartment you can store and take items with you for a swim that you’d normal have to leave behind in the car or on the beach. So, whether you bring with you your clothes, towel, phone, car keys, sunglasses, spare goggles or sun protection lotion, they stay nice and dry and you mind can be focused on swimming instead of worrying whether someone is going through your stuff on the beach. If you are out for a longer swim, perhaps you might want to bring some nutrition and hydration products along, so you can replenish your energy levels and have a good workout. If you are into swim trekking or open water orienteering, perhaps a map sealed in a zip lock back is in order, so you don’t get lost.

Another great feature is the bright orange color of the float. Being seen in open water swimming is a must, so any boats will go around the area you swim in. Open water swimmers usually wear a colorful swim cap to accomplish being seen, however, those caps are quite small and with the head being in the water and waves going around your body, this is not ideal. The Swim Safety Device with its 50cm long and about 20cm tall (when inflated) body makes a perfect statement in the deep blue since the orange color is hard to miss.

The Swim Safety Device does not, however, have to be used only for swimming. Since it floats in a wake your body creates behind you, it is bound to float behind your kayak or a canoe, so if you are running out of space in the boat compartments or you just don’t have any, why not take the Swim Safety Device along, fill it with the items you need to keep dry and let it float behind your boat while you paddle to explore near by coves.

What are the specifications of the Swim Safety Device?

The product is made out of very durable rubber material which supposedly even withstands an adult person standing on it while inflated. The inflation with your mouth is done via a small external tube which has a wonderful self-seal opening which will hold air in very well. It is much better than the valveless opening like we see on most common air filled floats. There is also a small handle on the float which can be handy when you are walking into the water or it is even more useful in the situation when you are using the float to rest during your swim. When you wrap your hands around the float, it could happen that you will slip if there is some slime built up on the float from the swim, however, if you grab the handle, you will get a much more firmer grip.

The device comes with an adjustable waist band, so one size fits all solution is present. The waist bend has two nice big buckles, so putting it on is easy even for people with bigger hands. There is also a sliding clip on the belt which is attached to a short non-adjustable connector which in turn attaches the belt to the float’s handle. If you position the belt buckle to the side (instead to the front as normal), you will notice that you have a smooth path for the belt clip to move from your back to the front, so if you need to switch from freestyle to backstroke and vice versa, nothing is hindering your movement.

How to use the Swim Safety Device?

To assemble and put into use the product is as simple as 1,2,3. It takes about 1 minute of your time, including filling the dry bag with your desired items. Here are the simple steps:

1. Store all the items you’d like to keep dry in the storage compartment
2. Roll the top of the bag over a few times to create a water tight seal and buckle the main bag buckle. One thing to note here, make sure to start the roll of the seal towards the inflator tube, otherwise, the bag will have a bit of a more resistance since it won’t be as smooth on the side which is in the water.
3. Inflate the device with your mouth and close the inflator tube
4. Adjust your waist belt and the and put it around your waist
5. Have an enjoyable and most importantly a safe swim

Storing the Swim Safety Device is very easy as well. If you swam in salty water, I’d suggest rinsing the float first, so you prolong the life of the material and not let the salt eat its way through it. Take your stuff out of the dry storage compartment, slowly deflate the float by inverting the inflator tube cap into the tube and when fully deflated and properly dried (ideally not on direct sunlight), fold it over a few times to get it into a manageable size. Now you have a very small, pocket size item which you can store in your car’s trunk or a swim bag which is ready to be used next time you are out for a swim.

How many ways can you use the Swim Safety Device?

1) Open water swimming – if you are an avid ocean, sea, lake, pond or river swimmer, I’d strongly encourage you to check out this safety device as you never know what currents, cramps or other irregularities could occur in your swim. As they say, better be safe than sorry.

2) Swim lessons – if you are a novice or a beginner swimmer who is either afraid of water or not as confident, this device could be the answer to your uneasiness. Simply attach it to your waist and get into the pool to do your swim lesson exercises totally undisturbed by the floating device. When you feel scared or tired, just grab onto the float and you are safe.

3) Children – safety around the pool should belong to a basic education for any child during their younger years. Many swimming lesson programs do very well with teaching children about safety, however, nothing is 100%. So, if you are worried to let your kids swim on their own or if you would like to improve your child’s swimming skills, the Swim Safety Device could be a good answer to this. Instead of your child using the arm floaties or a kickboard where they have a horrible positioning of their body for swimming, they could use the Swim Safety Device and thus have a backup solution if they need to take a rest. However, note that you should never let your kids swim unsupervised if they are not good swimmers, no matter what floating devices they have on.

4) Snorkelling – now everyone can enjoy the peaceful floating above the coral reef without the fear of not surviving a fatigue and drowning. Just strap the safety product around your waist and get yourself lost in the wonders of the underwater world.

5) Swim trekking, island hopping, open-water orienteering – even if you are an advanced swimmer who is pushing the possibilities of the sport of swimming, taking with you the Swim Safety Device is not a bad idea. Even if it is just for the sake of having some dry items with you, the safety feature could be just a plus as you never know what could happen.

Summary: Pros and Cons

All and all, the Swim Safety Device is a great addition to the swimming or snorkeling gear kit for anybody who wants to feel safe in the water.

Pros:

• easy to use and assemble
• no or very little hindrance on performance
• dry bag feature addition
• self-sealing inflator valve
• easy and small storage capabilities
• price is very reasonable .95 USD
• easily spotted color

Cons:

• dry bag feature cannot be used on dry land with comfort as there is no strap to be put around your shoulders
• the waist belt and float connect is not adjustable
• only one color available

Final rating: 4.5

• usability/effectiveness – 4/5
• material – 4/5
• look and feel – 5/5
• price/value rating – 5/5

Mar 21, 2011

See more swimming related articles at blog.swimator.com.

Swimator Blog

We had a blast putting this Ocean Navigation Discussion video together. The big time fun part was coming up with the dialog. By the constraints of the program to create it we had to use an astronaut and Napolean. Take a view of the video and let us know if it was at least mildly [...]
NauticEd Blog

Swimming is a sport that one can usually do all year round, however, depending on where you live on our water covered planet, you might have varied swimming conditions during the course of the year. Therefore, it might be necessary to do another alternative sport activity to supplement your swim training.

(Note: you should always do more than just swim if you want to improve and build core body strength). Same applies if you have only limited time to get into the pool during the busy work week. Having an alternative exercise which also helps you in swimming is a key to success. During winter, one such alternate activity could be cross-country skiing.

The northern hemisphere is now recovering from a beautiful snowy winter, so the minds of the swimmers are more geared toward sunny days and outdoor swimming pools, however, we can’t forget our brothers and sisters down under on the southern hemisphere who are now slowly transitioning into their fall and winter time, so talking about cross-country skiing at this time still feels appropriate. Actually, most of the skiing exercises can be done on roller skis or roller-blades as well, so winter is really not needed, but it is more fun.

I am not implying that cross-country skiing mimics the same movements you should do in the water when swimming with the right technique, however, there are some similar muscle groups being worked. As you might know there are 2 major types of cross-country skiing styles: classic and skate style. Different skis are usually needed for each, but if you have classic style skis, you should be able to perform skating style for a short distances no problem. If you are interested in learning more about cross-country skiing in general, go here.

One of the main body elements that gets utilized over and over during swimming is your core body. So, having a strong core is a must for a successful swimmer. First, it helps you to keep your body in line, second allows you to rotate your hips much easier and third, your kick relies on it as well. Now, in cross-country skiing, the first skill you need to acquire is a balance on the skis. So, the more you ski, the easier it is to glide on the skis and not feel like you are on a balance board. Guess what? This is exactly the right type of strengthening of your core you need for swimming.

Other muscle groups that are majorly used during swimming are your shoulders, lats and triceps. Similar concept applies in cross-country skiing when you use the ski poles to help you move forward. In the classic cross-country ski style, you can move your arms and legs in alternate directions or you can move only your arms in a parallel movement to propel yourself forward. Does this sound familiar? Hint hint, freestyle vs. butterfly arm motion. Now, here goes the disclaimer again, in swimming you work on not dropping your elbow and having a high catch, in skiing, this is not so much as you drop your elbow, but your shoulders and lats get definitely a workout. You can consciously keep your elbow high, but the power generated here is not as big, so it is more of a drill exercise which should be done with care. If you pay attention to your arm movement and finish your ski pole push all the way, extending your arms fully behind your body, both of your triceps will sing in harmony the next day. Finally, if you want to make it a bit more interesting, why not work on your oblique ab muscles and more of your core body. Instead of pushing with your poles on each side of the skis, just hold them together and push with both of the poles only on one side of the skiing trail. This way, you are also introducing a rotation of your upper body (sort of a cross over woodchipper exercise in a gym).

It is a well known fact that swimmers over-utilize their arms when they cross-country ski and forget about the kick they should have with their legs to help them go forward. So, next time you are skiing, also employ a powerful kick backwards with your legs and don’t just rely on your arms to do all the work. For this to work, you need to make sure your skis are waxed right.

During the skate cross-country ski style, your legs move in a V shaped pattern which makes it a pretty good alternative to breaststroke, especially if you remove the use of the ski poles and only use the legs. All the major muscles in your legs get a good workout after climbing up a few hills with the skis. You will also notice that the upper part of your foot might be sore from holding the tip of the ski up, same happens in breaststroke when you swim for a longer time while working on your breaststroke ankle angle. Disclaimer here again though, in breaststroke you should focus on pushing water behind you with your feet and legs, so don’t think that breaststroke is swum the same way as the cross-country skate ski style where you push down with your foot.

So as you can see, cross-country skiing will work on all the good swimming muscles starting with your core, shoulders, lats, triceps and ending with your legs. However, as any dryland activity, cross-country skiing also strengthens your ankle, which is not really ideal for swimming since your ankles need to be loose to create propulsion and eliminate drag. So, make sure you keep up with those stretches each time after you get done with skiing and before you go swimming.

And there you have it, if you live in a country where snow covers the ground for a part of the year, you now have an excuse to dust off those old cross-country skis from the cellar and enjoy the benefits of this wonderfully enjoyable winter sport. If you are less fortunate and don’t have the pleasure of skiing on the white powder, why not use ski poles with your roller-blades next time you are out for a skate. You will love it.

See more swimming related articles at blog.swimator.com.

Swimator Blog

You’ll notice a new NauticEd sailing school widget  next time you login to NauticEd. It’s a quick snapshot of your Sailing Certificate Progress through the ranks and levels. The widget views your completed NauticEd theory experience and your practical experience logged in your NauticEd online logbook. It runs an algorithm against that data and presents a [...]
NauticEd Blog

Last weekend we met up with our friends Chris and Christine Ellsay in Nelson New Zealand. Chris and Chris, with their three kids aged 10, 8 and 6 are sailing around the world and it was refreshing to hear them say – “I don’t know how long we’ll take”. They’re 3 years into it and [...]
NauticEd Blog

There is no question about it, each specific niche community, be it formed around a sport such as swimming, arts or other hobbies, has its own code of conduct and non-written rules that the insiders follow and the outsiders trying to get in stick out like a sore thumb if they are not aware of

these guidelines. What I am talking about could range from special attire, body mannerism or any other specific thing that is embraced by that particular community. The members that have been in the community the longest don’t even think about these behavioral changes they have undergone when they first joined in, it just seems natural now. An outsider could be totally oblivious to the community code of conduct or on the other hand they might just find the behaviors very weird. Which sometimes they totally are.

How does this pertain to a swimming community? Let me put together a list of swimming community specific behaviors or codes of conduct which are embraced by majority of competitive swimmers around the world without even thinking about them. On the other hand, a regular lap swimmer might not even realize they stick out like a sore thumb in and around the pool because their behavior deviates from the community’s. Please take the below items with a grain of salt as this is not meant to embarrass anybody or put down the swimming community or the individuals that are learning to swim. The purpose of the below list is the opposite. To help bridge the gap between the lap swimmers and non-swimmers and the competitive swimming world, so we all understand each other better.

So, are you ready to awaken the inner swimmer within and explore the world of swimming through a different angle? Here is a list of swimming related behaviors that I’ve observed, witnessed and experienced in and around the pool.

1) Goggles around the neck – I put this to number one as this is the most obvious sore thumb like behavior a non-competitive swimmer can do. Swimmers never wear goggles around their neck. It is childish, it is hard to get them off the neck later and it just looks so weird. If you want to put them somewhere, stick one of the eye cups or the strap under your suit, they will hold just fine. What type of goggles you use is another issue, but that is not as clear, so I will refrain from comments on this topic at this time.

2) Swimming with a watch – whether you have ever done this or not, I am sure you have seen a person swimming with a watch. Unless, the watch is a computer which helps you with your stroke rate, stop watch (if there is no other), or a heart rate monitor receiver, there is no reason why you should keep the watch on. First, it creates a lob sided stroke as one arm weighs more than the other which could cause shoulder injuries. Just think how many strokes you do in a workout – it is a lot. Second, it creates extra drag when you extend your arm in front of your body. Third, it is just plain silly.

3) Showering before going to the pool – the pool operators are probably tearing their hair out about this, but competitive swimmers rarely shower before they go into the pool. There are several reasons for this. Usually, there is a stretching session before one gets into the pool and doing your stretches when you are wet and cold is not nice and even not very safe. Another reason could be that, most swimmers dread the split second moment when the body temperature changes from being nice and warm to cold when water hits the skin, so they try to prolong this moment until it is totally necessary. Thus, waiting until they actually jump into the pool to experience this dreadful feeling. If you don’t understand this, try swimming 2 times a day, 6 times a week and see how long you can last taking showers before you get in .

4) To pee in the water or not to pee – that is the question . Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but most competitive swimmers don’t even bother thinking about this question and just do it. The chemicals and the sheer amount of water in the pool will dilute it and eventually absorb it. So, if you are now very disturbed and you hear this for the first time, don’t worry. It is not as bad as it sounds and it never hurt anybody. Just think of how many kids are in the pool every day. Do you think they get out to pee? Of course not. To put your mind at ease, every swimming pool has a functional filtration system which keeps the water clean and many chemicals that are put into the water just for the purpose of diffusing the stuff that is not suppose to be in the water.

5) Using jammers or a full body suit in practice – I am not sure if this item still holds true since the jammer style swim suit is so popular, but I think it does. Swimmers do not use jammers or full body suits in practice, unless they are practicing their race speeds. Jammers are usually seen on smaller kids and there is probably at fault the parent as they don’t really know what to buy for the kids to swim in practices. Or there is a common problem in America where boys and many males are embarrassed to be seen in public in a skimpy swim suit, so they think jammers will fix it and they feel like they are in shorts. So, please, next time you buy a swim suit, forget jammers, unles you are competing. Jammers just look silly when you swim your regular laps.

6) Swimming with a locker key around your ankles – In some swimming pools it is necessary to lock your locker with a key or some kind of a magnetic thing. Many lap swimmers choose to put these on their ankles or wrists to keep them safe. This makes sense if you are really in a crowded place where thievery occurs, but usually it is pretty safe in swimming pools. Swimmers do not put these keys on their body. Keep it outside of the pool on your water bottle or in a bag. Or if you swim with a drag suits over your regular swim suit, just attach it to the string on the outside suit, so it doesn’t not dangle around and slow you down or keep you off balance (if it is on your ankle or a wrist).

7) Brushing teeth in the shower – Next time you are in the pool for a morning swim session, try it! You will never want to brush teeth anywhere else again. It feels so nice and free to brush your teeth in the shower and it saves you some time. This is a common behavior in many swimmers after morning practices, so don’t be afraid and don’t worry that other people thing it is weird or disgusting.

Faster swimmers have a right away – It is the most annoying thing if a slower swimmer does not yield a right away to a much faster individual. In swimming practices and in open swim hours, there are usually lanes which indicate the speed swimmers swim in them. This keeps the order pretty much most of the time, however, once in a while there is the occasional rogue lap swimmer who does not know the conduct that he/she should not swim in the middle of the lane and not let anybody pass or that he/she should not push off the wall right when the faster swimmer is coming in for a turn. This causes frustration, probably in both involved parties, which could result in a confrontation, mouth full of water for the slower swimmer or a black eye for the fast swimmer from the slower swimmer kick. So, slower swimmers, don’t take this the wrong way, it is amazing that you are in the pool and doing your laps (you are better for it), however, now you know the rule about faster swimmers and have no excuse to obey by them next time you are doing your laps.

9) Swimming with paddles – swimmers do not swim with paddles all the time. It is a big misconception amongst lap swimmers. Usage of paddles depends on a particular coach, however, the majority of swimming is done without them. Paddles are only used for some drills geared towards a specific goal like better catch or in sprinting etc. So, if you are guilty of using paddles for majority of your swimming workouts, because you think this is the way to do it, think twice and let your shoulders rest a little. You might prevent an injury or two.

10) The infamous goggle spit or lick – if you hang out around your local pool on weekly or daily basis, chances are you have probably seen the goggle spit or tongue lick ritual performed on many occasions by the seasoned swimmers before they get ready to jump into the pool. Sometimes, it even seems like a bad fetish as some swimmers have their goggles attached to their mouths at all time and their tongues perform a sexy dance on the inside the goggle material. This behavior, however, does have a very good purpose. The spit actually serves as one of many proven anti-fogging solutions. After licking the inside of your goggles, they will be fog free. If you use goggles and they fog up, lick them good before you get into the pool next time and see if it works. If you are on a hunt for anti-fog goggles, don’t bother. There is no such thing, even though all the goggle companies keep advertising their goggles as such.

11) Relaxed swimming stroke – the last item on the swimming community code of conduct is smooth and relaxed swimming. Many beginner swimmers think that they have to fight the water as fast as possible to get to the other side and then they are proud of themselves. Or many swimmers think that they always have to compete against the person in the next lane. If this is you, don’t do it. Real swimmers relax in the water and try to be one with the water and not fight it. As far as racing your neighbors, this is great in a certain swimming sets, but most of the time you should be concentrating on your technique and how the water feels instead of the person next to you. I know, to be relaxed in the water is easy to say, but very hard to do for beginner swimmers. Don’t worry, you are not alone and with following the proper drill sequence and applying your mind to it, you will succeed.

There you have it. Agree? Disagree? Well, either way, maybe you learned something new:). Feel free to add more into the comments.

See more swimming related articles at blog.swimator.com.

Swimator Blog

SATURDAY MARCH 26 7:14 AM….

A low pressure system that moved onshore this morning is bringing yet another round of snow to the Tahoe Basin today. The storm brought about 6 inches overnight at 7000 feet and has the potential to dump another 6 to 12 inches today as it moves through the region. Snow levels will be about 4000 feet today. Winds will pick up later today as the front moves through, and gusts of up to 50 mph could cause white-out conditions.

This will be the last major storm in this series. Another system approaching California on a track to arrive by Sunday looks likely to mostly miss Tahoe to the north. It still has the potential to bring some light snow showers to the region late Sunday but accumulations will be light. We can finally start digging out from what will be one of the snowiest seasons on record for the past half century, with more than 700 inches of snow recorded at the mountain passes.

By Monday a ridge of high pressure will begin to develop across the west, blocking additional storms and bringing a warming trend to the region.

That pattern should hold for most of the week. The early forecast does show the possibility of another storm by Friday and into next weekend.

Temperature forecasts:

Tahoe City:

Saturday 38
Sunday 40
Monday 43

At 7000 feet:

Saturday 29
Sunday 31
Monday 38

\Regional radar with rain/snow mix:
9

TahoeLoco.com

Sailing last weekend reminded me of this tip so here it is. Often times when using a roller furler head sail you’ll find that if you’re furling it in really high winds, there is not enough furling line in the spool. And this has the potential problem of damage if you’re not watching what you [...]
NauticEd Blog