In Search of Memphre... a swim for the ages.

No idea where I am, just swimming, swimming,
swimming along...

Damn, that was hard.

The official press release is below. More details to come once I get my head around what we did this weekend...

Yes, I'm sore but ecstatic to have finished. It was an incredibly difficult swim. Conditions were nuts... but I finally set foot on Canadian soil for the first time in my life. And finishing this swim feels a lot like redemption after the 50/50 didn't go quite like I wanted. I am thrilled that it worked out for me and three others, but sad that not everyone had as great an experience. That damn wind was tough. More soon...

September 11, 2011


In Search of Memphre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In Search of Memphre Breaks the Border and Raises over $26,000 for IROC


Newport, Vermont and Magog, Quebec – On the weekend of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, 11 extraordinary marathon open water swimmers undertook the 25-mile cross-border swim the length of Lake Memphremegog from Newport to Magog. They were supported by 21 yackers and 12 boat pilots and crew. The expedition was organized and hosted by the Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association and IROC and was sponsored and outfitted by Newport Marine Services, Clyde River Recreation, and Great Outdoors.

The expedition known as In Search of Memphre was intended to promote a more open border with Canada and to search for the elusive lake creature Memphre. Participants, their friends, family, and employers raised over $26,000 for Indoor Recreation Orleans County, a community center in Derby, Vermont which is presently fighting for its financial survival.

Getting a little love from my main yacker, aka Hubband Mark.
Big thanks to the rest of my crew, West Siders Lynn and Jen
I could not have done this swim without these three! They
were INCREDIBLE!!

Four swimmers completed the swim: Elizabeth Fry of Westport, CT finished in a time of 13 hours and 25 minutes, with Charlotte Brynn, of Stowe Vermont close behind in 14 hours and 40 minutes. Greg O’Connor completed the 25 miles in a time of 17 hours and 23 minutes. And Elaine Kornbau Howley finished in just under 18 hours with a time of 17 hours and 58 minutes. “This was tougher than crossing the English Channel,” said Howley, who was the first to sign on,just a month ago, for this invitational swim.

Swimmers faced strong headwinds from the north, especially during the first four hours of the event, forcing five solo aspirants and the one two-person relay team to pull out. All but one participant, however, hung in for at least the first five miles in order to assure that they crossed the border.

Michel Dubois, of Canadian Customs arranged with the organizers of In Search of Memphre for pre-clearance of the participants at The Gateway. They were very helpful and very supportive of the resumption of a cross-border swim. US Customs also received the participants at The Gateway at the end of their journey.


Not constipated, just really happy to be done with that swim!



The border was ours for a brief moment in time. It felt great to watch these athletes, their yackers and the patrol boats cross past the border buoys in the middle of the night. Westmore Fire and Emergency Rescue led the way through the night with a beacon that allowed swimmers and their yackers to swim towards as they trekked northwards.

We were truly humbled and honored to support this wonderful, high-spirited group of marathon swimmers and yackers. Their fundraising prowess was awe-inspiring. Their endurance in some tough conditions was incredible to experience. And their exhuberance is contagious.

While Memphre remains elusive, we thank Barbara Malloy for her support of this swim, In Search of Memphre.