It Is A Swell Day For Secret Love In Boston
It is rocking and rolling aboard the two escort boats Mon Amour and Secret Love as the Swim Across America relays have now reached the halfway point of their 22-mile charity swim.
Once past the 11-mile mark on the far edges of the Boston Harbor Islands, the ocean swells started to really shake the boats and the 80 swimmers of the Boston Harbor Swim. During the first half of the swim to benefit the MassGeneral Hospital for Children Cancer Center and the Perini Quality of Life Clinic at the Dana-Farber Hospital, the swimmers faced a relentless chop swimming into the wind. But the second half was all downhill – sort of – as the swimmers rode the ocean swells back to downtown Boston. The swimmers tried to railroad down the swells, but the course got increasingly rocky and bumpy.
Smiles and laughs from the swimmers were punctuated by the aaahhs and ooohhhs of the ocean swells as the teams headed into the finish fighting the seas all the way.
“After the half-wayway turn, the yacht almost tipped because the chop turned to big rolling waves,” recalls Pam Lazzarotto.
Kristy Kowal said, “The window was on the water.” Dan Truesdale who has swum this event 23 times added, “I think the boat was at a 30 degree angle. The cooler on the top deck went tumbling into the water while everything in the boat was getting tossed around.”
“I was in the water when all this havoc hit,” described Lazzarotto. “The escort boat with the big orange buoy for sighting was gone. I thought they left me behind because the waves were so big I couldn’t see anyone. Finally a few big waves over, I saw other swimmers.
The Zodiac came to pick us up and take us to our boat. When we finally boarded everyone on board cheered for us. We survived an extremely rough swim. And when we came into the finish, the fire boat presented us with a great welcome. It was a quite a day and a welcome culmination to celebrate open water swimming and the raising of over $350,000 for the MassGeneral Hospital for Children Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Perini Quality of Life Clinic.”
For more information, visit here with a tracking of their course here.
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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