Cock-Buoy Swim

The rule

Exit the breakwater for far swim and you hitch. Padded ring on the cock, short line to the buoy, desk stamp on the channel board. No hitch, no outer water—Shore Patrol from Hot Rack Anchorage will turn you back or fine the loose ring later if they catch the swim on camera.

Buoy is pale on purpose. Night swims still run a dull glow bead. Rescue looks for float color before they look for your head.

Resistance tiers

Buoy drag is intentionally heavy. Desk offers three stamps: light tourist pull for postcard laps, mid training drag for men who want a real workout through the root, mean high-resist for protocol sadists who booked the heavy core. Same padded ring. Different ballast in the float.

Aftercare is honest: sack ache and root burn head to hospital kick-shock or bag balm if you overdid the mean tier. The channel does not pretend the drag is free.

Duo hitch

Two men may share one buoy—twisted lines, both rings, one pale float—or tow each other with a short partner line while each keeps his own buoy. Share means tangled Heat and harder steering. Tow means one man sets pace and the other eats wake plus drag.

Body-sail men sometimes warm up here before the windward cut at Body-Rigged Sails—same cock-as-control joke, wetter and slower.

Fail states

Loose ring — fine at the pier desk, public chalk on the board, optional light display lap. Rescue-hook — lifeboat snags your buoy and tows you in while the harbor watches; you ride the line cock-first behind the float. No drown theater. Plenty of laughter.

Verbs the channel uses: Buoy-hitch, Drag-swim, High-resist, Rescue-hook.

House rule

Eighteen and up; men only on the hitch line. Yield and cut-free on partner tows always work. Cold contrast lives north at Frostbare if you want ice instead of salt drag—same honesty about the body, different climate. Solchute keeps the sun and the heavy buoy.