Y-Knot Marathon - Swim Updates Page

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July 14 - Lake Erie Completion

Hi everyone:

If you haven't heard the great news, Lake Erie was a successful swim!! I had to
change plans for the direction of the swim on Sunday due to weather conditions. Two
days before I started, there were waves up to 20 feet in the lake. Eight boats were
over turned and one was lost (thankfully unoccupied) I started the swim at Crystal
Beach and finished at Sturgeon Point, New York, which was opposite of my original
plan. The swim took me 9 hours and 33 minutes. We had up to 5 foot waves to plow
through, but it all worked out in the end. If I had started at Sturgeon Point, there
was a chance that my swim could have been abandoned before I finished due to a huge
thunderstorm with hail that raged through the Niagara area in the afternoon. It was
great to have the Fort Erie Fire Department, Lake Erie Rescue and Salvage, Burt
Clark and Gary Vanzandt who are auxiliary Coast Guard and Power Squadron officers,
Amherst Island Fire and Rescue and all of my friends and support crew on the swim. I
didn't think that the swim was going to garner as much media attention as it did due
to the fact that our fund raising efforts are local to Kingston. I got quite the
surprise when I learned that the story went "national". What this means for us is a
greater opportunity to raise funds and awareness for our programs. If you haven't
been to our web site in the last day, you will find updates from throughout the swim
under "Swim Updates". I have included a couple of pictures. One crossing the hard way
and one returning the easy way. Can you tell by the smile???

Vicki has given me the next three days off to recoup and then it's back to ready
myself for Lake Ontario. Thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers. We will
keep you posted.

Cheers
John

July 13 - Lake Erie Crossing Underway

4:45 p.m. - SUCCESS! John completed his Lake Erie swim at 4:45 p.m. for a final time of 9 hours and 33 minutes in the water. John battled his way through 3 foot waves for the majority of his swim, but he held a strong confidence that he would be successful. John is pleased with the swim and is looking forward to challenging Lake Ontario in three weeks time.

John & Vicki Keith being interviewed upon the completion of his Lake Erie Swim at Sturgeon Point, NY.

2:50 p.m. - Under a bright sunny sky, John is 3 kilometres from Sturgeon Point and doing very well! Winds have picked up slightly to about 15 knots, still from the West, with waves holding steady at 2 to 3 feet.

12:50 p.m. - John is now about 6 kilometres from Sturgeon Point and is in great shape! Winds haven't changed much and the waves are still about 2 to 3 feet.

10:30 a.m. - Crossing into U.S. waters and all is well.

9:50 a.m. - John continues to swim strongly and has completed about 3 kilometres with approximately another 10 to go. He had his first feeding at around 9:15. Winds are still 10 knots out of the West with waves of 2 to 3 feet and a water temperature of 21.6 Celsius (71 Fahrenheit).

Heather MacDonald (Left) & Vicki Keith accompany John at the beginning of his Lake Erie swim.

7:12 a.m. - Due to the weather conditions John decided to reverse his planned route and so entered the water at Crystal Beach, Ontario to begin his Lake Erie swim as part of the Y-Knot Marathon. Winds were 10 knots out of the West with waves of approximately 2 feet. John is accompanied by 14 supporters on 4 boats for the crossing. They plan to meet up with another boat at the U.S. border that will that help guide them into Sturgeon Point, New York.

July 11 - Lake Erie Crossing Update

A new weather system that was not predicted has delayed my Lake Erie swim by at least one day. The current marine forecast for Saturday is high winds out of the north, 3-5 foot waves which would be directly against me and the potential for water spouts. We are cautiously optimistic that we can go on Sunday July 13th. This is all part of the roller coaster ride of marathon swimming. Oh well--onward and upward!! Cheers John

July 9 - Lake Erie Crossing Update

Just a quick note to let you know that my Lake Erie swim has been postponed yet again due to thunder storm activity. My new date is Saturday July 12th. I will start at 7:00 AM at Sturgeon Point New York and finish at about 2:00 PM at Crystal Beach, Ontario. Our media release is going out this afternoon. We would love to see you at the finish if you are able to make it down. Cheers John

Additional pictures can be found in the photo gallery.