Swam it yesterday off Belle Isle Beach. One + mile in good chop.
Beautiful day. Water was a refreshing 72. Clarity was very good with a beautiful aqua blue hue. It tasted perfectly fine. I was pleasantly surprised. The weed beds looked healthy and clean.
What a wonderful experience.
Had a cold Oberon with my wife at the Detroit Yatch Club at a luncheon put on by the Event Sponsor afterwards.
Motor City Mile, looking forward to next year.
Wait a sec, Detriot has a river? I thought that was a sewage runoff… 
if you look at the Great Lakes , you will see Lake Huron to the North of the Detroit River. Lake Huron runs south into Lake St. Clair…via the St. Clair River…which moves enough water to refresh the entire lake every seven days. So you are looking at an enormous amount a fresh water working its way through the Detroit River …explains why millions of Walleyes are running again. Now I have not swam south of Detroit, down river of the City…that could be a different story…but it is much better than it was. I have swam the Hudson and Potomac…they have a long way to go …and don’t have the Power and Volume of the Great lakes to clean them up.
I swim daily in the St. Clair River, its about 69deg right now but beautiful. I pee a lot, so that is probably why your up to 72deg.
can’t beat it over the pool. Fish to keep you entertained is much better than a black line.
I’ve never thought of going down to Belle Isle to swim. That’s a heck of a lot closer to me than Island Lake or Stoney.
I’m looking on Google Maps right now trying to see where you start off from. The only “beach” area the map shows is Lake Muskoday.
Could you point out on a map where you swim at?!
-Adam
I’ve done the Motor City Triathlon three years in a row and haven’t started glowing yet.
I realize for the Motor City Mile it was a marked course, but the rest of the time I believe there is a buoy-ed off swimming section. Think you could get a decent swim sticking to the edge of the buoys?
Lake MI just hit 71 in Holland. So tomorrow I may do my first OWS (outside of a race). There have been a lot of rip current warnings but those are no biggie to deal with.
I’ve never thought of going down to Belle Isle to swim. That’s a heck of a lot closer to me than Island Lake or Stoney.
I’m looking on Google Maps right now trying to see where you start off from. The only “beach” area the map shows is Lake Muskoday.
Could you point out on a map where you swim at?!
-Adam
I’ve never thought of going down to Belle Isle to swim. That’s a heck of a lot closer to me than Island Lake or Stoney.
I’m looking on Google Maps right now trying to see where you start off from. The only “beach” area the map shows is Lake Muskoday.
Could you point out on a map where you swim at?!
-Adamgoogle map it and look just west of the Yatch Club.
I’ve done the Motor City Triathlon three years in a row and haven’t started glowing yet.
I realize for the Motor City Mile it was a marked course, but the rest of the time I believe there is a buoy-ed off swimming section. Think you could get a decent swim sticking to the edge of the buoys?i really have no idea, I do know it is very shallow for a ways out…you would have to check it out…but an interesting trip, could be worth your while.
if you look at the Great Lakes , you will see Lake Huron to the North of the Detroit River. Lake Huron runs south into Lake St. Clair…via the St. Clair River…which moves enough water to refresh the entire lake every seven days. So you are looking at an enormous amount a fresh water working its way through the Detroit River …explains why millions of Walleyes are running again. Now I have not swam south of Detroit, down river of the City…that could be a different story…but it is much better than it was. I have swam the Hudson and Potomac…they have a long way to go …and don’t have the Power and Volume of the Great lakes to clean them up.
Being a Michigan native but living in Virginia since 93’, I tell people all the time they could only wish that Potomac & Chesapeake looked like Lake Huron & the Detroit River. My wife was totally shocked by the beauty of Lake Huron during our trip thru the Straits of Mackinaw - East Coasters have no idea!
The swim starts at Belle Isle Beach. Its the same place the Motor City Tri swim starts. There is a roped off swim area at the beach that is not super large (about 150 yards wide). I think they have life guards so not sure what the enforcement situation would be on a regular day but it would be a great place to swim if they let you go outside the ropes. Its shallow enough you can still stand up at least 50 yards off shore.
As for water quality, because of the current (not bad if you stay within 100-200 yards of shore), the water off Belle Isle Beach is actually the cleanest water in Southeastern Michigan based on department of health tests. It is much cleaner than your average little inland lake.
Belle Isle is a stellar place to bike too.