Posted on 05/01/2010 8:37:54 AM PDT by Oztrich Boy
Jessica Watson, 16 year old solo RTW circumnavigator took the following picture while she was "sheltering" from rough weather further south
Through no fault of my own, years ago I found myself making that swim. At the time, I had just graduated from college where I set conference records in the freestyle events. The distance to shore was three miles, and just months earlier, I was swimming twice that distance every morning before class.
When the boat rolled over, I told my friends to stay with the boat and I'd swim ashore and get help. No problem. I was the tough college jock.
But in a college swimming pool, the water is flat and a great deal warmer.
Those waves kicked the $#!t out of me. If there hadn't been someone on the beach, watching me crawl out of the surf and fall down, my two friends would probably still be out there somewhere.
Yea, those swims look easy in calms sees but now that you mention the added factor of swimming in rough seas, you are of course correct.
I’ve made some long distance ocean swims. Started with the junior lifeguard program where they would take us out in a boat and have us jump off and swim to shore.
I’ve swam out into big surf, the kind where you to get out to someone you have to continual dive under, find the bottom and grab sand as the wave breaks above, surface to get air, then to the bottom again just before the next waves breaks on you.
By the time you get through a big set like that you are really tired - then you get to the swimmer in distress and all they want to do is climb on you and push you under so they can get above the water.
Again, you make a good point. Glad I’ve never had to make a swim like you did.
Just keep it right side up, my friend, and I hope it never happens to you.
Why does everything have to be in support of anything?
Did I even SAY it WAS in support of Breast Cancer???
I wondered aloud if perhaps she was in support of Breast Cancer.
Since PINK is the color used I just thought perhaps that might have been why she did it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is this young woman took on a giant task and for that she is to be commended for it no matter if her boat is pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, red, blue or whatever.
Why does everything have to be in support of anything?
Did I even SAY it WAS in support of Breast Cancer???
I wondered aloud if perhaps she was in support of Breast Cancer.
Since PINK is the color used I just thought perhaps that might have been why she did it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is this young woman took on a giant task and for that she is to be commended for it no matter if her boat is pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, red, blue or whatever.
Not to mention hypothermia, which doesn’t care if you are an all-american or a SEAL, and ocean currents faster than any swimmer. Even a few 100 yards from shore, you can be taken for a swift trip offshore.
I've been in more than one rip tide. You have definately got that one right.
Bottom line on this conversation is do not underestimate the sea.
You got that right. The ocean is pitiless and will roll on long after we’re gone.
Oh, those old movies are so good. Father Goose was just release for streaming on Netflix, might have to watch it tonight after Nascar.
And I may have overreacted. It's that I've been recently perusing various forums (fora? Fori?) from six months ago and there were an amazing number of killjoys determinated to not be impressed, it's not like she was working for charity or helping hoboes (that may have been "the homeless")
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