But he may have to rethink the habit after repeating the morning plunge at Otago Yacht Club this week.
"It’s quite a bit different," he joked of Otago Harbour’s bracing temperature yesterday.
Mr Schelker (68), a "retired" professional sailor, is among hundreds of maritime cruisers expected in New Zealand waters this summer.
He and friend Lydia Sturzenegger (56), a sailing novice on her first ocean voyage, departed French Polynesia in October and have since made their way through the Pacific Islands to New Zealand.
They arrived in the Bay of Islands late last month and have since been hopping down New Zealand’s east coast, reaching Dunedin earlier this week.
Mr Schelker told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he had spent a lifetime sailing, including racing competitively in Europe, before opting for the ocean cruising lifestyle.
"It’s my thing. It’s really my way of living," he said.
He bought his yacht, a 32-foot Ovni sloop named ’Ata ’Ata, in French Polynesia two years ago, and Ms Sturzenegger joined him on board last year.
The pair had been living on the yacht, at a marina in French Polynesia, until casting off on their adventure in October.
The experience was nothing new for Mr Schelker, who has crossed most of the world’s oceans over the years.
But it was all new for Ms Sturzenegger, who said she found the cramped sailing environment "quite hard" but the close proximity to wildlife rewarding.
That included visits by dolphins, and whales that dived right under their yacht close to New Zealand.
While the weather on their journey south had been kind, with winds not topping 30 knots, Mr Schelker said gales and storms at sea could be a challenge.
"For someone starting, it’s very frightening, of course. It’s very big seas and it’s all wind and the wind noise is very loud.
"But if it’s your job or it’s your life ... it’s a normal thing."
Mr Schelker said he was yet to cross the Indian Ocean or circumnavigate the globe, but he was non-committal about any plans to sail around the world this time. The pair hoped to visit Stewart Island and Fiordland before sailing up the West Coast but beyond that, only time would tell.
"It’s the start of I don’t know what yet. We will see."
