New Men’s Solo Record from Catalina to Mainland

 

Look for an invitation to the CCSF Annual Banquet to arrive next week. We will honor all the 2009 Catalina swimmers on Saturday November 7th. Anyone with an interest in open water swimming is welcome at this CCSF brunch. But especially the 2009 swimmers, their family & supporters.

A CCSF men’s record was established by Todd Robinson (pictured after his swim). He swam from Catalina to the “beach” at Terranea Resort in 8 hours 5 minutes and 44 seconds. Nearly 10 minutes faster than the previous record, set back in 1993 by Chad Hundeby (1993 is one of three times Chad was honored by USA Swimming as “Open Water Swimmer of the Year”). Todd said the most challenging part of the Catalina Channel, besides his fifth hour in the water, was climbing the boulders at the finish “beach”. Congratulations Todd on your inspirational swim. You can see all the solo records at the CCSF link SwimCatalina.org/Records.htm  Keep an eye on it, there’s the possibility this month it could be rewritten, again.

In the first weeks of September, five other men achieved Catalina Channel crossings. Paul Lundgren (pictured) reached Palos Verdes in 10 hours and 19 minutes. Peter Attia returned to the Channel following his first crossing in 2005. Peter went against the grain this time. He swam from the mainland to Catalina in 14 hours and 8 minutes. The very next day, Joe Locke made the trip in 9 hours and 45 minutes. And the day after that, David Livengood from Oregon overcame some mid-Channel discomfort to cross in 11 hours and 39 minutes. As you can see, there’s a recurring theme: So far this season, the CCSF has observed a 100% success rate. Just yesterday, Stephen Autry of Cincinnati kept the streak alive with his Catalina Channel crossing in 12 hours and 51 minutes. Congratulations gentlemen.
Twenty years ago this month, Vicki Keith of Canada (pictured) accomplished a Catalina swim that makes your arms ache just to think about it. For her unusual crossing, Vicki swam only butterfly. Can you imagine 14 hours and 53 minutes of non-stop butterfly? For the summer of 1989, when she also crossed the English Channel, Strait of Juan de Fuca (20 miles), Lake Winnipeg (18 miles) and Lake Ontario (32 miles), Vicki swam only one stroke: Butterfly. What’s not always mentioned, several weeks before her 1989 Catalina success, Vicki made her first butterfly attempt. It ended short of Palos Verdes after 19 hours. Once she decided to abandon this attempt, she even approached the escort boat swimming butterfly. In 2003, Vicki Keith was honored by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
IMPORTANT CCSF CONTACTS: Swimmers apply by writing Info@SwimCatalina.org
Treasurer Carol Sing collects membership fees CarolSing@SBCglobal.net
Her mailing address is 11487 Oralane Drive, El Cajon CA 92020
The Catalina Channel Swimming Federation Fax line is 866.910.3285
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