Went up yesterday to Clark's Bridge and the Rowing and Canoeing Club which is about 10 miles up the lake from VP and the other places we sail. My beloved wife and 2 of her friends thought it'd be a good idea to participate the Lanier Canoe and Rowing Club's Polar Bear Swim, the idea being to go for a dip in just a swim suit on New Year's Day.

Suffice it to say, there really is a good reason to wear your wetsuit at this time of year. The winner of the "best jump" contest was a teenager who did 2 belly flops from an 8 ft. platform. Okay, so the first one would have been youthful bravado and an attempt to impress the judges but the second? His chest and stomach were still red an hour later.

The facility up there is remarkable. One of the few lasting contributions of the Olympics to the local sporting community, it is a huge building of two levels holding 30-40 different craft including a number of 8 person rowing shells which are really long (and one antique windsurfer). The club is quite competitive and they have posters showing members who are national champions in various disciplines each year. The 2003 list must have been 20-30 names long.

Also, heavily discount any information from the wind talker up there. The area is in a narrow channel, set in a valley with tall trees all around. It'd be as accurate as one on top of the restrooms at Van Pugh.