Cold water cold?

I am sitting here after a restless night with that most aggravating of maladies, the spring cold. After surviving the entire winter in excellent health here I sit with a stuffed up nose, scratchy throat, and low grade fever. This brings up the age old question: can you get a cold from being cold? My mother, grandmother, and all other female relatives certainly were convinced of that fact. They also were certain that if you went swimming in under an hour after you've eaten, that you would be afflicted by stomach cramps and drown immediately. When my Reed tuliq arrived last week I immediately took it out and rolled the boat in some nice, cold, non chlorinated fresh water. Was it cold? Hell yes. I was out last Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The water and the sky were clear, a fingernail moon sat in the western sky, and my forward stroke was slowly coming back. On a couple of the days it was so warm with the tuliq that I rolled every 5 minutes or so. The cycle of uncomfortably warm then cold repeated itself dozens of times, much to my satisfaction. When I mentioned Wednesday to my buddies that I felt a cold coming on they were unanimous. "Of course you're getting a cold Olson.....only a moron would repeatedly submerge himself in 45F water". While that may be true I don't think it can cause a cold. I've got a pretty good idea where the cold originated but I ain't pointing any fingers. So on a beautiful Saturday with forecast highs of 75F, a light breeze, and blue skies I'll be sitting here with Kleenex, orange juice, and zinc tablets watching playoff hockey and...........like hell I will, I'm going paddling!