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Old Guy Attempts the English Channel

I am a 57 year-old open water swimmer.  I’ve never really been a pool swimmer—more of a pool splasher.  Three weeks of swim instruction at the Moose Lodge pool in Oklahoma City at five years old amounted to something akin to “drown-proofing”.   When I joined the Dolphin Club in San Francisco in 1989, it was a revelation to discover that I was a pitiable swimmer.  Twenty years of Bay swimming and a couple of private lessons have elevated my skills from pitiable to passable.  I’ve now swum several times from Alcatraz, including many New Year’s Day crossings. Other open water swims of note include: Sausalito to San Francisco solo; English Channel relay; and the Trans Tahoe relay.  I've also completed twenty "Polar Bear" swims. A Polar Bear swim requires at least 40 miles of swimming in SF Bay during winter (December 21 through March 21) when the water varies between 47 and 53 degrees. One year, I swam 140 miles during the Polar Bear which qualified me with the top mileage that year. To be forthcoming, it should be noted that 140 miles will not even earn an honorable mention nowadays. Some recent years, even 200 miles won't win. Twice, swimmers have recorded 356 miles.

In September, 2009, I decided to attempt to swim the English Channel.  A log of the effort is available at http://larrychannel.blogspot.com