recommended OW swim
 

I swam yesterday in the Maryland Swim for Life in the Chester River, five miles or so from Chestertown, Maryland -- really a beautiful swim: pretty place out in the country, clean salty river, and you can choose your distance -- one to five miles. Course is spacious and open, and not crowded. My swim buddy and I did two miles -- I had one pretty good head-bang from a one-mile swimmer but otherwise no contact -- wonderful swimming after the first half-mile, I wished I'd done three. This is recommended -- it's well-organized and accessible, and a very low-stress introduction to open water if that's what you need.