Water temperatures barely above freezing and a bitter northwest blast conspired to cancel penguin/polar swims in Tiverton and Westport last year (some ignored the edict), but this New Year’s Day promises gentler conditions.

Back Eddy awaits

Fresh from a water thermometer check at the Back Eddy’s Westport River dock on Thursday, owner Sal Liotta offered a favorable long range forecast.

His thermometer read 46 degrees, not bad for late December and a whole lot better than the 36 degrees he measured last New Year’s Day.

He figures the temperature may drop another two on three degrees over the week to come. Paired with an early New Year’s Day prediction of 46 degree air temperature and rain, “that could be nice, a real treat compared to last year.”

Some people say they like it rainy, he said. They believe it helps ease the shock of entry (Back Eddy penguins leap straight into deep water — none of this jogging down a beach stuff) and rinses off the salt water in advance of free brunch.

Mr. Liotta is predicting a good crowd of swimmers this year, perhaps approaching his 300 free brunch limit — swimmers dine for free, spectators pay $30.

He said he has noticed a trend of timidity. Back when this all started, the ratio was about 50-50 — swimmers to spectators.

But now it’s more like 80-20 — way more people willing to pay for their New Year’s brunch than those brave enough to take the leap.

The much refined plunge system will be pretty much unchanged this year.

But there will be one change, one very big change, that he hopes nobody notices.

In addition to frigid temperatures, last year’s plunge was disrupted by a plumbing catastrophe.

The Back Eddy’s septic pipe froze solid just before the event, forcing closure of the bathrooms and all sorts of other headaches.

“But for this year we have replaced 80 feet of septic pipe — it’s all brand new. I’m feeling pretty good about that.”

The job was not cheap. They had to import the special ceramic-coated iron pipe from France.

“It can’t just be PVC, it has to be copper and iron for this sort of commercial application,” and copper pipe of that dimension and thickness would have cost a fortune.

During last year’s freeze-out. A few people crunched through shore ice to take a dip at the boat ramp next door — others went in just down the road at the yacht club beach.

Meanwhile in Tiverton ….

Due to ongoing construction at Grinnell’s Beach in Tiverton, this year’s New Year’s Day Penguin Plunge will be held at Fogland Beach near the south end of town. (Though several miles further south, the water will assuredly be just as cold).

The Tiverton Yacht Club is sponsoring its eighth annual plunge on Monday, January 1, 2019. “Penguins” will gather on the beach at around 11:45 am and take the plunge into the river at noon. As in previous years, the Penguin Plunge supports the Tiverton Public Library through donations from participants and from supporters who watch the event from the shore.

Cancelled in 2018 due to extreme cold, they’ll try again this year.. All are welcome, and New Year’s hats, colorful holiday pajamas and good tidings are encouraged.

Though not required for participation, penguins are encouraged to obtain pledges for library donations in advance. Pledge forms are available at the Tiverton Public Library on 34 Roosevelt Ave (GPS Muse Way) or online at www.tivertonlibrary.org.

All pledge forms and donations should be brought to the beach at the time of the event, and donations in any amount are appreciated. Please make checks payable to Tiverton Library Foundation. All contributions are tax-deductible. For more information, contact the library at 401-625-6796, ext. 1 or Greg Jones at jonesgb@cox.net.