I'm guessing the boat can't go in any closer. He must have hit the beach by now. It looks like a nice beach to finish on as well. Congratulations to Craig and his crew.
I'm still reeling from the monumental athletic feat I witnessed yesterday. It was marathon swimming at its absolute finest.
Watching Craig @uss_lenning jump off the boat in the pre-dawn darkness into Fisherman Bay, with the shadow of South Farallon Island looming above -- birds screeching, pinnipeds barking, violent death maybe (or maybe not) lurking beneath the surface -- was the single most terrifying thing I have ever seen.
I'm putting together my observer report, which I will post here along with the original logs. @Jamie took a shit-ton of photos & video, too, which will add color & depth to the documentation. Stay tuned.
I had the honor of accompanying Craig into Muir Beach. It was so foggy that we would not have been able to see him clear the water from the boat. A random local who had been following the SPOT tracker was there to greet us, and guided us in with a flashlight (very helpful in the fog!).
The local guy was super-enthused about Craig's swim, and presented him with a hat from the local firefighting group. Craig had nowhere to put it so he asked permission to stuff it down his swimsuit
Very nice interview....after knowing of Craig's accomplishments and spending time with him and his Colorado team including the great Sarah Thomas on out 24 hour swim...I knew that if the Shark Gods and the Farallons were cooperative that he would make this swim....there are very few people I would say this about....Great swim Craig!!!!
Gotta love Bialla Productions and VITO is one of the best escort pilots around! Very attentive to the swimmer at all times and I mean a focus like no other! Congratulations again to Craig as I would fully agree with the ABC sentiment that he is by far one of the greatest marathon swimmers of our time and someone I am glad to call a friend! There's a reason Eri calls you her Golden Boy!!! Well done sir and my swim cap is off to you! (literally and figuratively)! Great job Evan and Jamie for taking care of him out there and to Dave H of the Night Train Swimmers as well!
Great report Evan...I have been told by two very savy rowers that used to frequent these waters (Norm Peterson and Gordy Nash) that once inside the potato patch on the north side of Point Bonita, and in deeper water that there is a prevailing north to south current (runs on ebbs and floods and generally doesn't run south to north) toward Pt Bonita...it would be interesting to study this...was this the back eddy Craig encountered??? Would be good to know for future swims.
Dang...the video of him getting out is a little shocking. He was all smiles and dancing after 44 miles and 24 hours in Tahoe. Gives you an idea how incredibly tough this swim is. Craig is amazing.
@ssthomas, you're right, this swim is no joke but will haunt one forever til they accomplish it once they've witnessed the majesty of this part of the world! My background on my phone is a constant reminder that the challenge still lies ahead of me one day! Craig showed that this swim is possible with enough grit, hardwork, and determination! Hard Flippin Core! Great Vid @evmo!
As a noob, Im in complete awe of that swim. Having swum a few years back at Half Moon Bay when we lived on the peninsular, until I could not feel my feet anymore, this is so impressive!
@leonard_jansen:
Turnover may be slow, but he makes one heck of a wake. No fun sharing a pool lane with him, but open water drafting is incredible. I'm sure he could tow a barge with the power he has in that stroke! :-)
Wow! Congratulations to @uss_lenning and thanks @evmo and Vito and crew for providing detailed observer data and imagery from a great swim. I'm in awe at his cold tolerance and with how consistent his stroke rate was.
I have spoken to Napa Bob Roper, Norm Peterson and Joe Flahaven in brief clips over the years about the South End/Dolphin Club relay from the Farallons sometime after Ted did his swim. This event should be written down and archived before we loose that history....I spoke to Norm at the pool yesterday briefly about this again..(I guess Norm is 89 now)...The swim started at the Devils teeth in the middle of the night and skinny Bob Roper leading the relay (coldest part of this swim) for the South End (after an hour of swimming he nearly went insane shivering down below according to Norm....They were not very prepared just having towels to warm up with. The Dolpin Club picked the better route going north and the South End went too far south and ran out of tide...The Dolphin Club apparently finished under the Bridge...that is about all I have and can remember...but certainly a part of the Farallon swimming history
I am delighted to report that Joe Locke today completed the first solo swim from the Farallones to the Golden Gate Bridge (29.7 statute miles) since Ted Erikson in 1967. His time was a new record, 13 hours 58 minutes. This was his seventh attempt.
I was the observer on the swim; more details to follow.
Skip to content
Comments
GO CRAIG!
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
Penny Palfrey
http://www.palfreymarathonswims.com/cuba2012/
Many congratulations Craig! Amazing achievement.
loneswimmer.com
Keep moving forward.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
Watching Craig @uss_lenning jump off the boat in the pre-dawn darkness into Fisherman Bay, with the shadow of South Farallon Island looming above -- birds screeching, pinnipeds barking, violent death maybe (or maybe not) lurking beneath the surface -- was the single most terrifying thing I have ever seen.
I'm putting together my observer report, which I will post here along with the original logs. @Jamie took a shit-ton of photos & video, too, which will add color & depth to the documentation. Stay tuned.
I had the honor of accompanying Craig into Muir Beach. It was so foggy that we would not have been able to see him clear the water from the boat. A random local who had been following the SPOT tracker was there to greet us, and guided us in with a flashlight (very helpful in the fog!).
The local guy was super-enthused about Craig's swim, and presented him with a hat from the local firefighting group. Craig had nowhere to put it so he asked permission to stuff it down his swimsuit
Milko
https://db.marathonswimmers.org/p/milko-van-gool/
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/north_bay&id=9498655
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
http://dolphinclubchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/05/toughest-swim-of-all.html
https://marathonswimmers.org/swims/2014/lenning-farallons
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
Hey, whatever works...
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
Turnover may be slow, but he makes one heck of a wake. No fun sharing a pool lane with him, but open water drafting is incredible. I'm sure he could tow a barge with the power he has in that stroke! :-)
Re-published on MSF with personal permission from Ted.
http://marathonswimmers.org/resources/history/farallon-islands-swims/
Gigantic!
Athleticism itself; defined.
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
I was the observer on the swim; more details to follow.
Quiet and sneaky this time.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
"I never met a shark I didn't like"