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Santa Barbara Channel swims 2012
evmo
Sydneydev
The Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association is pleased to announce our first successful swim of the 2012 season. The HTC Relay swam from San Clemente Island, around the western edge of Catalina Island, to San Pedro @ Cabrillo Beach (a shortest-line distance of 52 statute miles) in 25 hours, 48 minutes. They are the second relay team to accomplish this feat. The first, "Swim for Hope," completed the crossing in 2002, in 33 hours, 8 minutes.
The HTC Relay is comprised of Tina Neill, Forrest Nelson, Emily Evans, Steve Lowe, Kent Nicholas, and Mike Mitchell. Congrats to all!
Note: The above map shows the shortest-distance course, finishing at Point Vicente. The HTCs chose to swim a bit further, finishing at Cabrillo Beach.
The HTC Relay is comprised of Tina Neill, Forrest Nelson, Emily Evans, Steve Lowe, Kent Nicholas, and Mike Mitchell. Congrats to all!
Note: The above map shows the shortest-distance course, finishing at Point Vicente. The HTCs chose to swim a bit further, finishing at Cabrillo Beach.
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We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
@Walter, feel free to share pics here if you get the chance!
Water temperatures were a very agreeable 66 degrees throughout the entire swim. There was little swell, chop, wind, or currents. The air temperatures climbed to 72 degrees, making a pleasant day for the swimmers.
Captain Bob Andrieux of the 42 foot long Tuna Thumper provided the backbone of support for these successful swims. With his deckhand Mike Bewley, he once again safely provided escort for a channel crossing.
From aboard the Tuna Thumper, Sue Hird and Dan Lawton supported Mike and Walter with feedings and encouragement. There was no paddleboarding or kayaking support for this swim. The observers for this swim were Dave Van Mouwerik of SBCSA and Carol Sing of the Catalina Channel Swim Federation.
We encountered a very large pod of dolphins about two thirds of the way through the swim—possibly 50-70 dolphins. We also saw several sun fish. And throughout the swim, Mike and Walter swam through very large numbers of small salp, as well as some jelly fish.
Congratulations to Mike and Walter for their excellent performance today on this channel crossing.
I'm not very popular around here; but I've heard that I'm huge in Edinburgh!
I did a long write up over on my website with pictures. It also has some rad videos by @LynnKub including us riding monster boat wake from a speeding container ship!
http://robaquatics.com/2012/08/cherie-swims-anacapa.html
Well, one member of the relay team - triple-crowner Tina Neill - just did it as a solo swim. This has never been done before.
No fanfare, no circus. Just enormous quantities of guts and skill. And INDEPENDENT, objective verification by two of the most trusted observers from the CCSF, Don Van Cleve and Carol Sing.
You won't hear Tina tooting her own horn, but I will: This is the most impressive achievement (EDIT: i.e., in a single swim) of the year in our sport. Congratulations, Tina!
"Tina Neill makes an incredibly challenging marathon swim seem easy: 52-miles from the north tip of San Clemente Island to Terranea Cove on Palos Verdes. Very likely the longest solo swim in Southern California. Certainly the longest swim connecting a Channel Island to the mainland and the very first time for a soloist to make this crossing.
Conditions were favorable: Tina remained relaxed the first evening with a large south swell and consistent wind (but it never crested above 10knots). Daytime swimming was carefree, as Tina stuck to her feeding plan and had not a single issue with her health or stamina. Her training, sometimes logging 100k of open water swimming in a week, prepared her for any contingency. The only stress Tina showed in 28hours and 41minutes of swimming was facing a detrimental current near the mainland when she could see the lights of Palos Verdes -- only 3 miles away but not getting any closer -- as the water temperature dropped to 61 degrees (from a high of 71). Also, she expressed disbelief that her team captain (cough Forrest cough cough) had not followed her detailed instructions and delivered her chocolate milk at the prescribed time. As a celebratory drink, she poured herself a tall glass of chocolate milk.
Among her support and observer team was swimming legends David Yudovin and Carol Sing. Also experienced kayakers Neil van der Byl, Tony Chapman, and Beth Yudovin. Don Van Cleve was lead observer aboard Outrider."
Certainly no drafting etc...
TX, Tobias
@evmo can answer better than I, of course, but I'm pretty sure tandem swims are legal. There were a couple guys earlier this year, if I recall correctly, who did a tandem swim of one of the channels in California.
EC and CC soloist Jim Neitz crossed the channel in challenging conditions on Saturday in 8:58. This was his fourth successful Anacapa crossing, giving him the unofficial title of "King of Anacapa" (or at least "Mayor").
Then on Sunday, first-time channel swimmers Nick Vargas (17 years old) and Zach Jirkovsky (31) crossed in much more benign conditions. Nick finished in 4:58, breaking the 4-year old course record by 5 minutes. Zach finished in 5:59.
Numerous dolphins, mola-molas, and playful sea lions were encountered.
When I swam Catalina, I failed to execute my sleep plan and paid the price through the night. I am a night owl and would have no problem swimming into the night. I have been told that I can jump whenever I want. I have spoken only to the pilot's wife that runs the business with him, and their experience with channel swimmers appear top be crossings from Anacapa. As the swim from Santa Cruz is typically to Oxnard, I don't know how much info is out there.
Also are their any tidal issues that should be considered which day you swim when swimming from Santa Cruz as there are with Catalina? I am ready to book my date and have the contract in hand. I just want to make sure I have the right time reserved.
- For a Santa Cruz swim, you will increase your chances of success by jumping at night. That's because there is a higher probability of high winds & big seas in the afternoon and early evening, compared to late-night and morning. Of course, on any given day there can be crappy conditions at night, or beautiful conditions in the afternoon.
- If your boat pilot has only escorted Anacapa swims, he may not be familiar with the notion of night-swimming. Anacapa swimmers can afford to leave at first light, because their swims generally finish before the afternoon winds.
- One difference between swimming due south from Santa Cruz rather than ENE (toward Oxnard) is that the prevailing winds will be coming across you rather than from behind you.
- If there are tidal considerations for Catalina, then they would be roughly similar for this swim.
- From personal experience, I don't recommend swimming on a new moon.
http://santabarbarachannelswim.org/islands/santacruz.html
http://santabarbarachannelswim.org/conditions.html