Less than three hours after finishing a grueling 22-hour crossing of the Molokai Channel this past week, Stephen Redmond talks about his Ocean's Seven journey. Though I was unable to connect with him while I was working on my recent story for SWIMMER magazine about the Ocean's Seven, Triple Crown, Still Water 8 and others, this was a great interview by a radio broadcaster in Ireland.
My money's on him to finish the series first. He's knocked out two-- Molokai and Cook Strait about a week before-- in just two weeks. Amazing. Next up is Tsugaru.
Stephen had some really interesting things to say during the interview that I totally agree with. I loved the line where he says, "it's the sea that's trying to kill you, not the sharks." Too right. And towards the end, he notes, "You go as far as you can, and you keep going." He's been to the edge and looked over, then put his head back down and kept swimming. God speed, Mr. Redmond, as you summit your last major swim of the series.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Legends of the Deep Story Out Now!
So all the recent blog posts about sea monsters is not just a hangover from In Search of Memphre or some sign that I've totally lost my mind. Rather, it was the mental overflow from a story I wrote for H2Open magazine that was published today in the digital version of the magazine. See- method to the madness, I promise you!
I had a lot of fun researching and writing this one. Many trips to the library and reading about various legends, myths and biological discoveries means I now know all about the Coelacanth, Humbodt squid, the Kraken, Nessie, and of course, Memphre. Mark says I "denuded" the entire eastern Massachusetts library system of books about sea creatures, both real and imagined. I wish now I'd taken a picture of it, but at one point in the thick of the research and writing, I had more than 40 books stacked on the living room table and around my desk in the bedroom. We were quite literally wading through sea monsters for a few weeks in December. And it was fun.
There's something that's always really appealed to me about cryptozoology and some of the weird monster hunting stuff. I'm not saying that I believe "there's a Squatch in these woods" to quote that silly Animal Planet program, Finding Bigfoot, I'm just saying that there's a lot to the natural world that we don't fully understand, despite our big brains and shiny technology, and I like that there's still some space for mystery out there, particularly in the wild blue yonder of open water.
In writing the story, I was also trying to source images. Many of the images in those dozens of books were credited to the Hart Nautical Collection, which is now a part of the MIT Museum. Nifty that I'm on campus a couple times a week for practice, so I did a little more sleuthing and got an appointment to meet with the curator of the collection to see what else they had in their collection. That was a cool experience, sitting in the back offices of the museum sorting through a file of hard copy images of various sea critters from the 1800s. Neato indeed.
In the end, we selected three images, and it looks like all three were used in the publication. There was a process involved in getting the appropriate permissions, but in the end it all went smoothly, and the piece no doubt looks fantastic. The magazine has a great designer and very high production quality. So thanks to KH and the MIT Museum for your assistance and permission to use the images.
The print edition of the magazine will be available starting next week in the UK and should be mailing to US-based subscribers then, too. I'm psyched to see it-- my subscription is kaput at the moment and I'm trying to reinstate it, so I haven't seen how the finished piece looks just yet, but I know some of you out there in blog-o-land are subscribers to the magazine, so I encourage you to check out the February/March edition of H2Open Magazine. And while you're at it, keep an eye out for what may be lurking below the next time you go for a dip!
For those of you who may not have encountered it yet (and you should seek it out- it's a great magazine) H2Open is a relatively new publication based in the UK. I found a couple copies of the December issue at the Barnes & Noble in Shoppers World in Natick last week, so it's definitely on this side of the pond if you want to pick up a print copy.
The Legends of the Deep article I wrote represents not only my first of what I hope will be many for H2Open, but also my first story in an international publication-- two exciting milestones, indeed. Yes, I'm psyched, and to have that first story be one that I adored writing about a wacky topic is even better.
I had a lot of fun researching and writing this one. Many trips to the library and reading about various legends, myths and biological discoveries means I now know all about the Coelacanth, Humbodt squid, the Kraken, Nessie, and of course, Memphre. Mark says I "denuded" the entire eastern Massachusetts library system of books about sea creatures, both real and imagined. I wish now I'd taken a picture of it, but at one point in the thick of the research and writing, I had more than 40 books stacked on the living room table and around my desk in the bedroom. We were quite literally wading through sea monsters for a few weeks in December. And it was fun.
There's something that's always really appealed to me about cryptozoology and some of the weird monster hunting stuff. I'm not saying that I believe "there's a Squatch in these woods" to quote that silly Animal Planet program, Finding Bigfoot, I'm just saying that there's a lot to the natural world that we don't fully understand, despite our big brains and shiny technology, and I like that there's still some space for mystery out there, particularly in the wild blue yonder of open water.
In writing the story, I was also trying to source images. Many of the images in those dozens of books were credited to the Hart Nautical Collection, which is now a part of the MIT Museum. Nifty that I'm on campus a couple times a week for practice, so I did a little more sleuthing and got an appointment to meet with the curator of the collection to see what else they had in their collection. That was a cool experience, sitting in the back offices of the museum sorting through a file of hard copy images of various sea critters from the 1800s. Neato indeed.
The print edition of the magazine will be available starting next week in the UK and should be mailing to US-based subscribers then, too. I'm psyched to see it-- my subscription is kaput at the moment and I'm trying to reinstate it, so I haven't seen how the finished piece looks just yet, but I know some of you out there in blog-o-land are subscribers to the magazine, so I encourage you to check out the February/March edition of H2Open Magazine. And while you're at it, keep an eye out for what may be lurking below the next time you go for a dip!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Known Universe Provides Perspective
I found this incredibly cool video a few months back, not long before the In Search of Memphre swim, and I've been thinking about it a lot since I first watched it. I go back every now and again to remind myself that no matter how close and loud it is sometimes, my drama isn't the biggest nor the most important thing in the universe. Not by a 13.7 billion year long shot. There's nothing quite like a little space and time travel to make you feel small... in a good way.
I had this song (Intro by The Xx) stuck in my head on replay mode for much of the Memphre swim, particularly the nighttime portions once the worst of the wind had died down. The smear of twinkles in the sky at three in the morning, and the occasional shooting star I caught sight of during feedings was an incredible, humbling experience that created a feeling of infinite smallness. I wrote about that feeling for a piece that may be published in the near future (link to come if/when that happens). In the short essay, I was trying to capture the sensation that the Xx song and the video leave me with of calm progress in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, whether they be wind or the impossibility that life even exists here on earth.
I really love this piece and look forward to posting the rest of it once I know what's happening with it. Stay tuned.
In the meanwhile, I am looking forward to heading back to Lake Memphremagog in July for the 10-mile swim and September for another whack at the length of the lake. I wonder how much faster I can cross it the second time. As much as I am eager to attempt the swim again, there's a certain measure of magic that will be gone on the Mulligan; I'm glad I got to experience that wonder on my first adventure from Newport to Magog.
I had this song (Intro by The Xx) stuck in my head on replay mode for much of the Memphre swim, particularly the nighttime portions once the worst of the wind had died down. The smear of twinkles in the sky at three in the morning, and the occasional shooting star I caught sight of during feedings was an incredible, humbling experience that created a feeling of infinite smallness. I wrote about that feeling for a piece that may be published in the near future (link to come if/when that happens). In the short essay, I was trying to capture the sensation that the Xx song and the video leave me with of calm progress in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, whether they be wind or the impossibility that life even exists here on earth.
"The lack of light pollution this far north reveals a sparkling curtain spread across the night’s stage from here to eternity. The sky seems to expand in front of me, embracing the whole lake and everything in it including this tiny, hubristic human fighting for the rather arbitrary honor of crossing this vast body of water."
I really love this piece and look forward to posting the rest of it once I know what's happening with it. Stay tuned.
In the meanwhile, I am looking forward to heading back to Lake Memphremagog in July for the 10-mile swim and September for another whack at the length of the lake. I wonder how much faster I can cross it the second time. As much as I am eager to attempt the swim again, there's a certain measure of magic that will be gone on the Mulligan; I'm glad I got to experience that wonder on my first adventure from Newport to Magog.
Friday, January 27, 2012
More Sea Monsters
The comics are definitely home to a lot of lake and sea creatures lately!
Yay, sea monsters! And swimmers got a mention this time, too!
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| Overboard by Chip Dunham, 1/27/2012 |
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Lake Monters Make the Funny Pages
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| The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside, 1/26/2012 |
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Pebbles Down My Pants
I found this video recently kicking around Facebook and the Interwebs, and it's dead on. It's all about putting pebbles down my pants, a major goal for every Channel swimmer I've ever met.
Karen Throsby, another Channel swimmer who is conducting research on motivations and swimmers, also sent out a call for images of our mementos, either in pebble or tattoo form, that she's posting on a neat website here. Mark took a couple photos of my growing pile of stones from various swims, and they came out quite arty. I pick up one stone at the start and another at the finish to mark both where I have been and where I ended up.
In the Catalina Channel, I ended up swimming with that small, white start stone down my suit for the first 45 minutes until I stopped for a feed because I was so wound up and terrified that I didn't want to stop and hand it off to Mark in the kayak.
In the Memphre swim, I failed to pick up the start stone at the beginning, and that's probably a good thing, given how rough it was. I realized this halfway to Magog, so selected the big brown rock from the bottom sometime mid-morning during the swim. My crew thought I was having a problem because I suddenly disappeared and dived down about 7 or 8 feet to retrieve the stone from the bottom.
The huge beige stone from Le Petit Blanc Nez was the biggest I could find at my feet in the dark after arriving on Wissant Beach. I couldn't see much, and this one was the biggest reflector of light in the small halo from the flashlight my pilot had pointed on me, so away it came with me. It's heavy, and that seems fitting for the stone from the end of my English Channel swim.
To keep all these various rocks and pebbles straight, Mark uses a paint pen to mark the swim, the date, the time, and whatever else he can fit on them. They're all lovely in their uniqueness and their significance. A weighty pile of mementos, most of which have been down my suit for a spell.
In the Catalina Channel, I ended up swimming with that small, white start stone down my suit for the first 45 minutes until I stopped for a feed because I was so wound up and terrified that I didn't want to stop and hand it off to Mark in the kayak.
In the Memphre swim, I failed to pick up the start stone at the beginning, and that's probably a good thing, given how rough it was. I realized this halfway to Magog, so selected the big brown rock from the bottom sometime mid-morning during the swim. My crew thought I was having a problem because I suddenly disappeared and dived down about 7 or 8 feet to retrieve the stone from the bottom.
The huge beige stone from Le Petit Blanc Nez was the biggest I could find at my feet in the dark after arriving on Wissant Beach. I couldn't see much, and this one was the biggest reflector of light in the small halo from the flashlight my pilot had pointed on me, so away it came with me. It's heavy, and that seems fitting for the stone from the end of my English Channel swim.
To keep all these various rocks and pebbles straight, Mark uses a paint pen to mark the swim, the date, the time, and whatever else he can fit on them. They're all lovely in their uniqueness and their significance. A weighty pile of mementos, most of which have been down my suit for a spell.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Clumsy Clumsy
I'm not the most coordinated person, and sometimes that kind of clumsiness makes problems for me. Case in point, after doing the 100X100 with Cambridge Masters on New Year's Eve, I ended up with an unintended souvenir that is just now resolving itself.
That's the inside of my right thigh a couple days after the 100X100. I slipped while climbing out of the pool, and my leg shot over the lane line and I came crashing down on it. It's a wonder I didn't break the lane line, and at first I didn't think anything was hurt but my pride. (The 10-year-olds at diving practice, giggling at my scramble, were the only witnesses that I could see at the time, but they were clearly enjoying watching the chubby lady trying to extract herself from the high-sided pool.) But then over the course of the next 2 days or so, the bruise worsened until it looked like this lovely bit of hamburger. Yucky. But it's mostly gone now, though still a bit tender. Moral of the story is, when trying to climb out of Blodgett Pool at Harvard, which has a slippery metal coping, after a 10,000 yard swim, it's probably best to head for the ladder and get out like a civilized person.
In other news, the Nahant Knuckleheads saw out 2011 with the now-traditional New Year's Eve plunge and luncheon at the Tide Restaurant. It was a chilly day, though not nearly as chilly as it had been a couple weeks before. The following morning, Greg and Rich and I plunged at the TLC compound in Holliston. We had to chip away an inch of ice before we could get into the water, which was a gasp-inducing 32 or 33 degrees. Thankfully, they have a hot tub.
2012 has come roaring in and I've been busy with lots of writing in addition to the normal hullabaloo. I may have some announcements soon regarding the summer schedule for 2012 and 2013, but waiting for confirmation on a few things. Whee!
I'm also thrilled to announce that I will be guiding a SwimVacation trip to the British Virgin Islands March 18-24. We still have some places available on the trip, so if you're interested in coming, let me know. We're offering a 10% "Friends of SwimVacation Guides" discount for swimmers recruited by the guides. The trip promises to be a fantastic retreat from the frozen North East right when we need it most. Think 85 degree, crystal clear waters and as much swimming as you can handle. Sounds like heaven to me.
Happy January!
In other news, the Nahant Knuckleheads saw out 2011 with the now-traditional New Year's Eve plunge and luncheon at the Tide Restaurant. It was a chilly day, though not nearly as chilly as it had been a couple weeks before. The following morning, Greg and Rich and I plunged at the TLC compound in Holliston. We had to chip away an inch of ice before we could get into the water, which was a gasp-inducing 32 or 33 degrees. Thankfully, they have a hot tub.
2012 has come roaring in and I've been busy with lots of writing in addition to the normal hullabaloo. I may have some announcements soon regarding the summer schedule for 2012 and 2013, but waiting for confirmation on a few things. Whee!
I'm also thrilled to announce that I will be guiding a SwimVacation trip to the British Virgin Islands March 18-24. We still have some places available on the trip, so if you're interested in coming, let me know. We're offering a 10% "Friends of SwimVacation Guides" discount for swimmers recruited by the guides. The trip promises to be a fantastic retreat from the frozen North East right when we need it most. Think 85 degree, crystal clear waters and as much swimming as you can handle. Sounds like heaven to me.
Happy January!
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