For months, my friend Chris has been making reference to this 6-mile open water swim that he's been training for. I was both impressed and intrigued as is my normal response when I learn of anyone attempting a feat that requires both mental and physical stamina. I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go and watch the event (which would be a bit tricky, since it's out in the ocean) so when Chris sent me a text message, asking me if I could pilot his kayak for him, it took me about 2 seconds to reply: yes!Shortly after arriving in the lovely town of Santa Barbara, we made two stops. First, we went to the start of the race, the Santa Barbara pier. As piers go, it was pretty swell with the usual assortment of beach collectibles. We got a good look at the water and decided it was quite promising for favorable conditions; then we went to the finish where Chris did a practice swim and I went for a little jog. I know this blog entry is supposed to be about Chris' race, but I would like to just give a shout out to the jogging trails of Santa Barbara. Top notch. Well done, SB.
We went back to the hotel and vegged out for a little while, watching a special on the weather channel about the rescue mission for that woman in Antarctica who had breast cancer. Being a pilot, Chris was sure to educate me about how it really wasn't dangerous at all and that the pilots were a bunch of pansy dorks. I pointed the remote control at him and pressed "mute". Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Chris spent some time getting his gear organized for the next day. He had a satchel of food (for me and for him), both hot and cold fluids, and some dry clothes for the finish line. There was some debate over whether he would wear his squid lid and he decided that he'd make the final call in the morning. The water was around 64 degrees. Chris had some gear for me as well: a compass, because we didn't know if it would be so foggy, we wouldn't be able to site. And GPS in case I didn't want to use the compass. I was a little disappointed when the conditions were perfect and I didn't get to use either. Being a long-distance open water swimmer, Chris also had a waterproof casing for an ipod, which he had brought for me. This was by far, the best gear I've coveted in awhile. Before we get onto the race itself, I have to give a shout out to The Ramada, Santa Barbara which was a fantastic little hotel. Serious. And right across the street from the Ihop, which led to an experiment. Chris and I pondered: we spend all this money on fancy race nutrition: Cliff bars, Powerbars, Mojo, Sharkies, etc. What's wrong with a good old fashioned Snicker's bar, or a stack of pancakes to carbo load? In yet another act of bravery, Chris decided to give it a try. 7am race morning, we were at the International House of Pancakes (which was surprisingly crowded) sampling the syrup varieties on our short stacks.
Aside from a strange dialogue with the Ihop waiter:
Chris: Are there bananas in the fruit cup?
Waiter: What do you mean by that?
Chris: I think I mean that I want to know if there are bananas in the fruit cup.
...the Ihop breakfast was a successful and enjoyable nutrition prep for the race.
We arrived at the pier and started organizing the gear and meeting the other swimmers. It was a friendly crowd, only 32 swimmers, most of whom seemed to already know each other. We were like celebrities, having traveled all the way from the "big city" for the race. It was also a pretty casual environment, the race director Jane pulled everyone together at around 8:45 to give some general guidelines on the swim, and then the kayakers got in the water, paddled out to the end of the pier and waited for the swimmers.
I haven't done much kayaking in my life, let alone ocean kayaking, and I really wasn't sure what to expect. Chris and I had done a test run at Aquatic Park the week before and conditions were pretty crap: super choppy and a strong headwind. Down in the fairytale land of Santa Barbara; however, all was serene, and I finally understood what made this activity so great. There was so much life in the water, dolphins, otters, seals, and I think I even saw a mermaid. I rocked out on the ipod to my new favorite musician Xavier Rudd and had magical moments feeling one with nature. 
Chris, by the same wave of good vibes, was having a great race. The water was calm, the temperature was perfect, and he had that extra reserve of energy from the pancakes. So he swam, I paddled, I occasionally asked him how he was doing, he occasionally made a request. And at around mile two, he decided to go commando, throwing his speedo into the kayak. "Things don't get much better than this", I thought, as I transitioned from Xavier Rudd to Hall & Oates. 
The finish line came sooner than I expected. I saw the buoy in the distance but it was 45 minutes earlier than what Chris had estimated, thanks to the favorable current. We made our way and then turned in and headed for shore. The rest of the swimmers and a few spectators cheered Chris in and there was a party that the race Director's mom had set up with muffins, coffee, bagels and fresh fruit. We met some nice, down-home people and enjoyed the warmth of the mid-day sun. I truly felt honored to have been asked to participate in this way and am grateful to have had the experience. At the finish line, there was a flier for a "Santa Barbara 10-mile" swim in September. I saw Chris stuff one of the fliers into his bag.
