Penny swims from

Santa Barbara Island to Point Vincente

September 24 and 25, 2009.

 

Having decided to visit LA to swim Catalina, Penny had to decide what she was going to do. Whilst I (Chris) was quite happy with a Catalina crossing, Penny wanted more of a challenge. She thought briefly about doing a two way Catalina, but that had been done before, so she started looking at other options. We knew of the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, having already done a couple of swims from them, and really enjoying that experience. And according to the map, it appeared that the distance from the smallest of this island group, Santa Barbara Island, to LA was roughly the equivalent to a double Catalina.

 

Penny ran her plan past a couple of people, and knowing her ability, they thought the swim was doable. So the plan was in place. That was exactly twelve months out from the swim. With a major undertaking like this, it was important to have some recognition. Our friend Forrest Nelson from LA said the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation (CCSF) would provide observers for the swim, but would not officially recognize it, as its charter only included Catalina swims. But Emilio from the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association (SBCSA) would be pleased to recognize the swim. So we officially registered the attempts with both the CCSF and SBCSA, and paid the required fees. The next priority would be to get a boat. We contacted John Pittman, one of the sanctioned pilots for Catalina swims. And he readily agreed to pilot both of us on our swims, although in the early stages, we suspect he thought we were crazy for even considering a swim like this.  

 

Santa Barbara island is located in the Outer Santa Barbara Channel, approx 64 klm (40 miles) due west of Santa Monica, on the northern side of LA. The island is tiny and appears as only a dot on a regional map. The swim course would take a north easterly course to Point Vincente, which is also the finishing point for Catalina swims. Straight line distance, as advised by John Pittman was 40.2 statute miles. Pt. Vincente was chosen as the landing point (as compared to Pt. Dume, near Santa Monica, which was 2 miles shorter) because any current and wind, should give Penny some assistance, whereas heading towards Pt. Dume she would be pushed sideways by both.

 

Santa Barbara island to the coast had never been attempted by a solo swimmer. There had only been two successful swims launched from that island. In 2006, a relay of 6 swimmers (including Forrest) did it in 18 hours 44 minutes. And a year later, a relay of two people swimming in 3 hour shifts, did it in 33 hours. So Penny figured it would take her around 20 hours. Her longest swim to date was just under 15 hours so she was under no illusion as to the difficulty of the task ahead. SB islands main inhabitants are a seal colony, so Penny arranged to get 2 shark shields for the swim. They would be attached to the two kayaks and would be used throughout the swim, especially near the island and at night.

 

One of the best things about the Santa Barbara island swim (and marathon swimming in general) is the people you meet and the support you receive from people keen to help you reach your goals. Three months out from Penny’s swim, Anne Cleveland from the CCSF, emailed to introduce herself as Penny’s observer for the swim. Penny already knew of Anne from the Channel Group (EC online chat group). Anne has the distinction of being the oldest person to do an English Channel two way crossing (in 28 hours) and one of only 20 people who have so far achieved this feat. Anne offered to give any advice and assistance which Penny might need. And so Penny asked many questions, since this would be her longest swim (Anne had already been in that territory), and Anne was extremely helpful.

 

Anne also played a big role in assembling an excellent crew. David Clark was the second CCSF observer, and was very experienced, both in the role of a kayaker and swimmer. Jesse Gros from San Diego would also kayak. As would John and Tony, professional kayak guides in the channel island group, based out of Santa Barbara. And Forrest was Penny’s handler for the swim. A more skillful and experienced group of people would be hard to find. I (Chris) would not be on the boat, as I was swimming Catalina only 3 days later.

 

Penny flew into LA a week before the swim so as to get over the jet lag and acclimate to the cooler temperatures. But the weather was a pleasant surprise for us (hailing from the warm tropics). Throughout our stay, the days were warm to hot, the evenings mild, and the water temperature was a comfortable 68-70 F (20-21 C). We stayed at Long Beach, not far from San Pedro harbour and our boat. And we found a condo right on the beach which was very convenient for our training swims.

 

The days passed quickly and there was lots of last minute preparation to do. The plan was to meet at the dock at midday on September 24^th, in order to cast off by 1.00pm. They wanted to get to the island (4 hours traveling time), get set up and start before sunset. Conditions according to the online Storm Surf weather model looked very good, with a very light, almost variable breeze. And she was swimming at the bottom of the neap tide. So any tidal influence would be minimal. It was a fairly smooth trip out to the island, allowing Penny and most of the crew, the opportunity to rest.

 

Upon reaching the island, it appeared little more than a large rock poking out of the North Pacific. There was no beach or easy landing point. After scouting around for a while, they chose Penny’s starting point. A rock ledge just clear of the water, where she would be able to climb out without much difficulty. The observers wanted the swim to be authentic in every way, so she would start by climbing up on the rocks and exiting the water. To ensure she didn’t cut herself on the barnacles, Penny borrowed gloves and shoes from one of the kayakers, jumped off the duckboard and swam the 20 meters to the ledge. She actually had to climb out a few meters away from her chosen spot, as whilst she was getting ready, a baby elephant seal had climbed out onto her ledge. And mum was no doubt close by so Penny didn’t want to cause any aggravation.

 

She started at 6.10pm, about half an hour before sunset. After handing back the gloves and shoes she was away. For the first twelve hours of the swim, there would be two kayakers in the water with Penny at all times. And she had two shark shields. One would be deployed at all times from a kayak, whilst the other was charging on the boat. Penny was very glad to have the security of the shark shield when, only 200 meters into the swim, she clearly saw a large shark below her. She only saw it from the dorsal fin back but was certain it was a great white. It simply cruised by, it was an awesome sight, Penny describes the moment as surreal and incredible but she didn’t feel afraid at all, probably because she was so focused on the job ahead of her and the peace of mind afforded by the shark shield made her feel much more at ease she never saw it again. Also shortly after leaving the island, Penny received a few minor jellyfish stings, but we are used to that coming from North Queensland.

 

Penny’s main priority in the early stages of the swim was settling into a steady pace and rhythm. The water temperature at the island was 66F (19 C ) but it warmed up slightly to 68 F where it stayed the entire night. The breeze was less than 5 knots and seas were slight. And best of all the sky was clear. As it became dark, the stars came out and the bioluminescence started. Penny said it was like having stars above and below. It was amazing. Penny felt good and was making good headway until around 10.00pm. At this time, the wind seemed to change direction and she had three hours (until 1.00am) of an annoying chop, which made it hard to keep a comfortable rhythm.

 

From 1.00am, the wind died and the sea once again flattened. Penny received a lift a couple of hours later, when even though still very dark, she could make out the silhouette of Santa Catalina Island way off to the right. She could clearly see Catalina for a couple of hours and it signified she was around the half way point. She also used other things to give her positives to look forward to 4.00am was significant as that is the time we get up to go training every day. Then there was sunrise at around 6.15am. Then entering and passing through the shipping lanes, before counting down the last few miles.

 

At around 5.00am, Penny copped another jellyfish sting on the quadriceps area. This one was extremely painful and took a ½ hour to settle down. As she approached the shipping channel, just after sunrise, Penny could hear dolphins singing underwater. This gave her a big lift although she couldn’t see them.

 

Ashore, myself and others who were following Penny’s swim, were on the edge of our seats. Our friend Lynn Kubasek from Laguna Beach, had agreed to update Penny’s Face Book page with her progress. And she would receive information at regular intervals via txt from Anne Cleveland. But her cell phone was out of range and we heard no word from the time they reached the island until 7.00am. Lots of people were asking how she was going, and all I could say was that she was not home, and that no news is good news.

 

So when Lynn received an update from Anne, I just had to phone John Pittman. She had 9nm to go and was swimming strongly, averaging around 2.1nm/hour over the last three hours. He sounded very confident and thought she would finish at around 11.30am. wow. She was actually going to do it. Anne Cleveland’s text’s indicated the crews excitement. Comments like, “she smokin’ it”, “swimming sooo strong”, and so on. I  had better get a move on to get to Pt. Vincente in order to see the finish.

 

Looking out to sea from the Palos Verdes peninsula, the weather was glorious. Warm, sunny and flat calm. I could see the Outrider, tiny at first, slowly approaching land. It appeared as they got closer, and the crew confirmed this later, that Penny was copping a slight head current over the last 3 klm. As the boat got closer, and I could make out the people on deck and penny in the water, I checked her stroke count. It was 75-76 and she still looked strong and had good technique. Amazing after almost 18 hours of swimming.

 

The upwelling off the coast had caused the water temperature to drop to 66 F (19 C). Penny was still in really good shape at the end, with energy still in reserve. She finished at midday, after swimming the 40.2 statute miles (65 klm) in an official time of 17 hours 53 minutes and 41 seconds. The swim crew and kayakers had done a great job, preparing her drinks, keeping her spirits up, and guiding her. John Pittman and his crew also did a great job. Penny’s course, as plotted on the chart, was quite straight, with only a few divergences off a straight line, probably caused by the effects of current in certain parts of the swim.

 

Whilst Penny has done one swim of longer distance, this one was by far the longest in terms of duration. And it was done without any real assistance from the natural elements. Penny wondered before the swim how she would handle swimming throughout an entire night, and for so long without sleep. But she coped well and found the reserves required. And post swim, with the help of some lemonade to give her a pick up, she even managed to stay awake for the afternoon meal with the crew.

 

Our thanks go to all the crew. Forrest Nelson did an outstanding job as coach/handler. Anne gave much helpful advice and support. David Clark with his wealth of knowledge and organizational skills. And the skills of Jesse, Jon and Tony were excellent. Jesse also took some fantastic photos from his kayak whilst off duty from paddling. Thanks also to the CCSF, who helped in quite a few ways with Penny’s epic swim, even though it was not within their charter.

 

Both Penny and I had successful swims and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Southern California with some truly great people. We would not hesitate to recommend this part of the world (Catalina and Santa Barbara) to any prospective marathon swimmers.

Penny has again been nominated as one of the worlds top ten female open water swimmmers.

To vote for Penny go to the link below and click on Penny - thank you!

http://www.thewaterisopen.com/polls/2009_woman_of_the_year

Chris swims San Pedro Channel

Catalina to mainland

September 28, 2009.

 

Los Angeles is not a place we would normally contemplate for a holiday. The urban sprawl and busy freeways definitely don’t appeal to us.

 

But LA has Catalina (USA’s answer to the English Channel) right on its doorstep. And for marathon swimmers, Catalina should always make the list of possible swims to attempt.

 

We have done swims out of Santa Barbara, a little to the north of LA, and had great experiences there. And we have built up a friendship with Forrest Nelson, who lives in LA. Forrest is one of a number of people involved with the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation (CCSF), which controls and sanctions all crossings. So, with positive recommendations, and several contacts, it seemed logical to put our names down to swim.

 

The CCSF has undergone a transformation in the last couple of years to lift its standards and improve the service offering to swimmers. Behind the scenes, the CCSF recruits volunteers to act as kayakers and observers. These people (some of whom hope to swim the channel themselves) undergo structured training in safety, first aid, swimmers’ needs and the rules. This is all very good for enhancing the prospects of a successful crossing.

 

Having decided to swim, we sent off the application forms and medical (the application process is explained on the CCSF website). And independently of this, we contacted the support boat pilot. The CCSF currently have two sanctioned pilots. Whilst we understand that both pilots are very good, we chose to enlist the services of John Pittman and his vessel “Outrider”, based of several recommendations.

 

Due to high demand for EC crossings, it is essential to book your pilot a year or more in advance. And even then, you find yourself in a queue with other swimmers for your selected (neap) tide. But because Catalina is not (yet) as popular, the process is much easier. We contacted John twelve months prior to our swim. He took our names and preferred dates and said “Call me in January 2009 to book in”. That we did, and got our dates without any problem. Like the EC, we paid a deposit to secure the booking.

 

The other really pleasing thing about a Catalina swim is the weather. Often times in Dover, you wait days or weeks hoping for good weather in which to swim. Summer weather in SoCal is a lot more predictable and settled. So you book a day for your crossing, rather than a place on the tide. And it is quite unusual for a swim to be scuttled on account of bad weather.

 

Three months before our swim, we received an unexpected surprise. The observers appointed for our swims contacted us. For my crossings, they were Claudia Rose and Dorothy Thomas-Reid (both have successful crossings under their belt). Claudia emailed me to introduce herself, and offered to answer questions or lend assistance if I needed it. It was great to bounce ideas off a fellow swimmer with local knowledge, who knew where I was coming from. Claudia also offered to source kayakers for me. The two kayakers (Ralph and Bob) volunteered their time and craft, and would paddle for me in three hour shifts.

 

All planning was pretty well in hand, so Penny and I just had to concentrate on our training.

 

Santa Catalina Island lies south of, and directly off the coast from LA. The body of water separating the two is the San Pedro Channel. The straight line distance at its closest point (from Arrow Point on the NW side of Catalina to Point Vincente on the Palos Verdes peninsula) is 32.87 klm (roughly 21 statute or 17.5 nautical miles). You can swim in either direction, but most people go from Catalina to the mainland.

 

Whilst definitely an easier crossing than the EC, Catalina is still very challenging. The water temperature during the crossing season (July to October) is generally around 18-20 C (mid to high 60’s F). But 3-5 klm out from the mainland, a phenomenon called upwelling occurs, whereby colder water from the depths is pushed up to the surface, causing a drop in water temperature. This temperature variation changes from day to day, but 2 C would be average. If a swimmer is cold and depleted when he/she reaches this point, it can easily mean the end of an attempt.

 

The other main challenge with Catalina is that most swim attempts take place at night. This is because, under normal prevailing summer weather patterns, winds die off late at night and the sea remains fairly calm until late morning, when the sea breeze starts to build. The prevailing wind direction is westerly (cross wind) and coming straight from the north pacific ocean, a swim undertaken during a fresh breeze would be very tough. So most people swim at night to get better conditions.

 

Whilst winds are a bigger factor in Catalina than tides, just about all attempts are made during the (weaker) neap tides, as currents also mostly flow from west to east. With both wind and currents pushing you from left to right (as you swim from Catalina to the coast), any unfavourable aspect to the conditions can add considerably to the swim distance.

 

Since we live in the warm tropics, we flew into LA a week prior to our respective swims. This would give our bodies time to adjust our internal clocks, get over jet lag and acclimatize to the cooler water. The acclimation was hardly necessary though. The days were warm to hot, the nights mild, and the water temperature was quite pleasant (20-21C / 68-70 F). We chose to stay at Long Beach because of its close proximity to San Pedro harbour and our boat. Long Beach was nice and we stayed at a condo right on the beach, which was very convenient for training swims.

 

The days passed quickly. Penny’s historic swim from Santa Barbara Island came and went and now it was my turn.

 

The plan was to meet at 8.oopm on Sunday 27^th September, in order to cast off by 9.00pm. The boat crew consisted of John Pittman, relief skipper Jeff and engineer, Dave. CCSF observers Claudia and Dorothy. Kayakers Ralph and Bob. And my coaches/handlers were Penny and Forrest Nelson. After loading the boat, the CCSF guys went through the rules of the swim to ensure we would have a fair, and hence officially recognized crossing. After that, most of the swim crew went below deck for a sleep. Outrider travels well through the water, and the trip across was pleasant.

 

The weather outlook for my swim was pretty good. The storm surf weather model on the internet showed a 10-12 knot westerly crosswind for the first couple of hours, slowly abating to almost nothing in the latter stages of the swim.

 

We arrived at the island around 11.30pm. Our departure point was Smugglers Cove, a few hundred meters to the east of Arrow Point. I felt calm, and took my time getting ready. Forrest and Penny were very good. Not in my face, but ready and willing to help as needed. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit apprehensive about swimming at night. But I’d done quite a few practice swims in the dark, and I knew the water temperature wasn’t a problem. But getting going was easy. John had the boat facing aft towards the beach 50 meters away, with his powerful deck lights shining in that direction. And Bob had launched the kayak and was stationed between the boat and beach. So my nerves were relatively settled as I jumped off the duckboard for the short swim to shore.

 

In accordance with the rules, I exited the water completely. I didn’t want to clown around at this point. My biggest concern with Catalina was hypothermia. So I wanted to keep moving. I raised my arms to signify I was ready. The hooter came from the boat, and we were off at 12.09am. As soon as we left the cove, it became quite choppy, with that breeze and a 2 -4 foot (1 meter) swell. It took almost two hours for me to feel really comfortable in the water. A combination I think, of the chop, the sensory deprivation, and worrying that I was going to collide at various times with either the kayaker or the boat. But as the breeze and the chop abated, I felt progressively better. Knowing that conditions were improving gave me a psychological boost and I also started to find a good rythym. The bioluminescence all through the night was amazing. Every time my hand entered the water for a stroke, it created a mini light show.

 

Looking back now, the 6 hours of night swimming seemed to pass by incredibly quickly, and uneventfully. I fed every half hour from the boat, and that gave me my only real concept of time. And I knew exactly how long I had been swimming by the types of carbo drinks that were given to me. The crew did an excellent job with the feeds. They held up the “5 minutes” sign, so I knew it was coming, then there was the activity on the back deck, preparing the warm drink. John brought the boat in close to me, and then Forrest or Penny lowered the drink to me (a plastic bottle attached to a rope). I drank, dropped the bottle and swam on, and they simply pulled the rope in to retrieve the bottle. All but a couple of the drink stops were less than 30 seconds.

 

I only had one incident at night, and it scared the daylights out of me. At 4.00am, and pitch black below me (bioluminescence aside), I suddenly saw what looked to be a plastic bag, as my right hand entered the water, but this thing took off and squirted ink into my face. I had almost collided with a fairly large squid. I stopped bolt upright and strained a muscle in my hip region in so doing. The crew said later that there were dolphins around us feeding on these squid.

 

The first faint hint of daylight started at around 6.00am, and with it, I could see the glorious conditions I now had. There was a bit of light fog and the sea was now almost flat calm. I was quite cool now, but no too bad. So at the 6 hour feed I asked for two things. One was for a volunteer pace swimmer and the other was our secret weapon against hypothermia. Porridge!! Penny and I never eat anything on our swims because it takes too long to chew and digest. So Penny came up with the idea of having warm sloppy porridge on her 18 hour Santa Barbara swim. She raved about it, so I thought I would give it a try. It was heaven. Porridge warmed me up, settled my stomach (I get so sick of carbo drinks after a while) and gave a deliciously different taste for a change.

 

Claudia jumped in at 6.30am and stayed in for 1 ½ hours. The company was fun. Her swimming alongside gave me something to think about and broke the swim up nicely. And it actually helped to lift my pace slightly, without my even noticing.

 

David Clark, a very experienced observer who was on Penny’s swim, gave me a bit of advice before the swim. He said don’t look ahead at Point Vincente, as it looks like it’s never getting closder (and this can be discouraging to the swimmer). But when Claudia got out at the 8 hour mark, I snuck a quick peek. Man, it didn’t look far away to me! A few minutes later, Forrest held up a sign “4.5 nm to go”. Wow, only 8 k’s, and less than 2 ½ hours of swimming. This really gave me a lift. At the 5 ½ hour mark, I was told I was half way, and figured that I would be heading for a 11.15 swim. Now, it was starting to look more like 10.30 and a negative split. Also now, Penny was holding up messages of support from all over the USA and elsewhere. Our friend Lynn Kubasek from Laguna Beach, had kindly offered to post a commentary of my swim (which Penny would txt through to her) on Penny’s face book page. Lynn was also txt’ing back all the positive comments and cheering. It was around this point that I knew I had the swim in the bag.

 

But I still had the cold water upwelling to get through. It had been a constant 68 F (20 C) and I did feel it getting a little cooler in the last few klm, but it was just a gradual drop down to 67 F (19.5 C), so I guess I was lucky. But I never really felt cold at any point during the crossing.

 

Catalina has a reputation for marine life and my swim was no exception. Apart from the rogue squid, the crew said they saw quite a few dolphins and seals (although I never saw any of either). Also, when we were only a mile off Point Vincente, a 50 foot (15 meter) blue whale surfaced and spouted less than 400m directly ahead of us, but apart from the crew going bananas, pointing and holding up signs, I saw nothing. But I did have an escort from a couple of cormorants in the closing stages of the swim. They took up station first to my left, then behind me, then in front, and did several impressive acrobatic displays when they dived below me.

 

The last few hundred meters was a bit surreal. The crew were all smiling and cheering. I got emotional for a few seconds, but these thoughts were pushed to the background by my desire to do everything right to ensure a fair swim. I had already seen Penny finish, so I knew exactly where to leave the water and what to expect. The finish is at a small beach beneath the Terranea resort about 1 nm east of Point Vincente. There is no sand, just rocks that you have to clamber over. And you must time the exit with the swell which pushes up on the rocks. If you get it wrong, at best it will be embarrassing and you might end up with a couple of bruises. The best thing is to beach yourself on the rising swell, and then waddle up on all fours. No dramas in my case.

 

But I had one thing left to do. Successful crossers customarily souvenir a rock from the beach to keep as a momento. At some stage during the night, I came up with the idea that I would like the crew to sign my rock. So it needed to be BIG. Upon finding my rock (more like a Fred Flintstone tablet) I set about shimmying feet first on my bottom, back into the water. There were quite a few people on the beach watching my finish. And one of them, George, was close by as I was struggling with my piece of real estate. Just then, one of the aforementioned rising swells knocked me clean over, somersault style. I had plenty of sore bits from the swim, so it didn’t hurt a bit. But George ripped his shirt off and offered to swim my rock out to Ralph in the waiting kayak. On the boat, the general concensus was somewhere between surprise and amusement, to “Lose the rock!”. I never thought until later about carrying the bloody thing in my hand luggage, and getting it through security at LAX.

 

I finished at 10:39am, with the official time of 10 hours 30 minutes and 29 seconds, which I was quite happy with. Apart from the negative split, the fact that I had plenty (of energy) left at the end, and didn’t feel cold, were the main positives I took from this crossing. Exactly a year ago, I experienced a failure in a similar crossing from Santa Cruz island to Oxnard due to hypothermia (albeit in colder water), so it was very satisfying to notch up a success this time round.

 

Penny and I both very much enjoyed our swims. The boat and its crew were great and the people who helped and showed us hospitality were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in LA and our trip down to Laguna and La Jolla cove.

 

The CCSF has developed a model service model for swimmers which is probably the benchmark at the moment in the world of marathon swimming. We have no hesitation in recommending Catalina to any swimmer who wants a real challenge.

Penny nominated as one of the top ten female open water swimmers of the year!

Click on the link below to cast your vote.

http://www.thewaterisopen.com/polls/2009_woman_of_the_year

Penny’s Hawaii Alenuihaha swim has also been included in the 2009 Great Open Water Swims of the Year, click on the link below to vote.

www.thewaterisopen.com

Palfreys pull off another big swim

NATALIE PEUT

October 1st, 2009

TOWNSVILLE’S aqua queen Penny Palfrey has added yet another huge achievement to her career by becoming the first person to swim solo from Santa Barbara to Point Vincente on the Californian coast.

Palfrey began her 64km feat at 6.10pm on September 24 and finished at noon on September 25 in a time of 17hrs 53mins.

The distance has been completed by groups of swimmers on two other occasions. In one effort, six men swam the distance in one-hour rotations in a time of 18hrs and 45mins. Last year two men swam in three-hour rotations to finish in 33hrs.

”I was fortunate to have great weather conditions during my swim and an amazing support team,” Palfrey said.

”I always say that while marathon swimming is an individual sport it is always a team effort.

”We had a great team and it was an awesome effort by everyone.”

To top the trip off, husband Chris completed his longest marathon swim to date late yesterday.

Swimming 33km from Santa Catalina Island to Los Angeles, Chris began his swim at midnight on September 28 and reached dry land at 10.30am yesterday.

”I am about the 170th person to do it and the fourth Aussie to achieve this feat,” Chris said.

”It was great and the crew said they saw blue whales, lots of dolphins and seals during my swim.”

The Palfreys will now enjoy a well deserved rest in the United States before heading home on October 3.

Penny’s swim started from Santa Barbara island at 6.10pm on Thursday 24th September. Since she swam according to channel swimming rules, which required her to start clear of the water, she had to borrow the support kayakers gloves and booties, so as to closely climb up on the rocks. 200 metres into the swim she saw a BIG shark below her. She only saw it from the dorsal fin back, but it was very big. She thinks it was probably a great white cruising around in wait for seals which call the area home. The starting water temperature was 65F, but it warmed up as she moved away from the island. Throughout most of the night, it stayed around 69F and only dropped again to around 65-66F for the last 3 miles. The weather was great for all but 3 hours during the night, when it bacame choppy. Although it was still quite dark at around 4.00am, Penny could clearly see the Catalina island off to her right which gave her a boost, knowing she was about half way. Whilst many mornings during our stay in LA have been foggy, Penny enjoyed a beautiful clear sunny morning. also, just on daybreak, Penny was joined by dolphins who it seemed, were singing to her. With flat seas and the sun on her back, she made great progress. Her skipper, John Pittman, said her pace never dropped below 2.1nm/hour during the entire swim, except for the last couple of miles, when she copped some head current. Her landing point was the same one used for the Catalina channel crossings, a small rocky beach, below the Terranea resort, near Point Vincente. She finished the 40.2 staute mile (65 klm) swim in 17 hours 53 minutes and 41 seconds, becoming the first solo person ever to complete the swim.
 
I started my crossing from the traditional starting point for Catalina crossings, 200 metres west of Arrow Point (about 2nm west of Isthmus Cove), at 12.10am. A westerley (cross fro left to right) current was expected throughout the crossing. and for the first 2 hours of the swim, we had a 10 knot westerley breeze. this made it more difficult to settle in and find the rythm needed for night swimming. After 2.00am, the breeze started to die down, and the sea got progressivly flatter. Swimming in the dark went very smoothly and uneventful, except for a near collision with a fairly large squid. it squirted a cloud of ink almost into my face. i don’t know who was scared most, me or the squid. at daybreak, the sea was flat calm, and swimming was so much fun. It felt like being in an enormous pool, but without the lane ropes. Claudia, my observer, joined me in the water for 90 minutes just after dawn. the company was nice, and it helped to lift my pace just a little. My main concern before the swim was the water temperature. but for most of the swim, it was 68-69F, dropping down to 67F with 2 miles to go. it was easy to handle. on the boat, the crew saw dophins, seals and a 50 ft blue whale when we were only a mile from shore. the whale was only 400 yards away. all I saw was two cormorants, performing acrobats all round and underneath me, but that too was fun. i finished my 21 statute mile (33 klm ) crossing in 10 hours 30 minutes and 29 seconds.
 

whilst Penny and i have both achieved our goals and have had a great time, we need to thank the people who made it so. Forrest Nelson crewed for both or us and did an absolutely superb job. Anne Cleveland also crewed for Penny and her help and support was invaluable. the other kayakers and crew (with Penny - David Clark, Jesse, John and Tony and with me, Claudia and Dorothy (observers) and Ralph and Bob (kayakers)) all did an outstanding job. And John Pittman and his crew aboard Outrider would be amongst the best pilot boats in the world of open water swimming.
We would thoroughly recommend Catalina to any open water swimmer as a great and fun swim to do.