Australian Tammy van Wisse raises her hands with Megan Masa (left), 14, and Christel Murray, 13, both of Middletown, after her record-breaking swim from Battery Park to Sandy Hook.
Posted on 07/25/2006 9:46:18 PM PDT by Coleus
In a storied long-distance swimming career, Tammy van Wisse has conquered the English Channel, Scotland's frigid Loch Ness and some of the world's most treacherous ocean straits in and around her native Australia. Along the way, she's collected a passel of world records and victories in grueling swim marathons, including a record-breaking loop around Manhattan in 1997.
Yesterday, the 37-year-old van Wisse returned to local waters to retrace the strokes of her childhood hero, pioneering swimmer Ger trude Ederle, the first woman to make the 22-mile crossing between Lower Manhattan and Sandy Hook. Ederle's record time for the crossing -- 7 hours and 11 minutes -- stood for 81 years. Until van Wisse smashed it. The Aussie waded ashore at Sandy Hook shortly before 12:30 yesterday afternoon, completing the swim in 5 hours, 6 minutes and 47 seconds.
She then paid tribute to Ederle, who achieved swimming greatness -- setting records across the world -- without the benefit of modern training methods or accurate weather forecasting. "I can only imagine the amount of fortitude it took in those days," van Wisse said. Van Wisse began her journey in Manhattan's Battery Park, where a crowd gathered about 6 a.m. While munching on bagels and sipping coffee, the fans glanced at photos of Ederle's swim in anticipation of van Wisse's attempt to break the record. Many fans hugged van Wisse and had photos taken with her.
Nancy Schnarr, van Wisse's trainer for more than 10 years, said she was excited to see her friend embark on the swim. "It's a lot of fun," Schnarr said. "Tammy's always this bubbly and bright. If anyone can do it, Tammy can do it."
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Sandy Hook has a very large "Clothing Optional" section. There's even a nice volleyball net there.
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