2013 Samaritan Plunge

Once again, as has become the Clubs Tradition, the members got together on New Years day to watch those few people who believe that swimming, surrounded by snow on a cold ass day is fun. The crew got together at Goldys in New London for breakfast, then as the time approached they jumped on their trusty steads, or in their motorized climate bubbles and headed to the beach in Groton, Ct.

The "Run, Splash, and Panic" usually takes place at the mouth of the Thames River at Eastern Point beach, but this year, due to Super Storm Sandy, there wasn't really any Eastern Point beach to do that. So the event was moved slightly east to Avery Point, home of the University of Connecticut's "Get your feet wet" facility. (I believe they refer to it as Project Oceanology ("O" for short)).

So with the temperature hanging just around the freezing line or so, and the waves crashing in, the participants came out of the heated buildings after registering, and sporting all sorts of decorative outfits, began their native dance.The dance included swing arms, jumping up and down with vocalizations referring to, I believe, how damned cold it is, and when are they going to start this thing so they can get it over with and back to the heat of... anything.

Just before the appointed time the entire contingent headed into the Long Island Sound, looking much like the annual Red Crab march to the sea. 

They dove into the waves to find that the entire area was inundated in red seaweed. They flittered about screaming, yelling, shrieking, hooting  and hollering  as the cold assaulted their bodies and the kelp wrapped around them like slimey, algae covered, toilet paper, then with looks of surprise (like they thought it might be warm), they came running out of the sea to the waiting arms and towels of their smarter, drier and warmer support teams.

The Club had two of it's members make the dash this year, those being Dave "My horns are frozen again" Adams and Miss Kaitlyn "My bottoms have come untied" Perkins. 

After the soaked and low tide smelling duo were retrieved most of the Club headed to the five corners and Dunkin for coffee before breaking up and heading home.

So, once again, the Club has proven that not every member is wrapped all that tight, and, that the rest of us enjoy the sight of people doing damned foolish things.

The End...

Until the next group makes the Penguin Plunge in March...

and of course..

We show back up next year for the New Year's "Oh My God, there's Shrinkage!!!" run.

klay

Photos (All 359 of them) provided by your new Sargent of Arms, Doug Young.

If anyone else has some photos they wish to share, feel free to forward them to me.