Racing Strips Of Yesteryear
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Bob Justman, Judy Collins, and Bob Luce completed one of the early Maui Channel crossings when fewer than 10 people had completed the 9.6-mile crossing between the islands of Lanai and Maui in Hawaii.
“I still have the album of photos from the swim that began at 7 am and ended at 1:30 am,” recalls Justman, the former president of the Waikiki Swim Club. “They are yellowing a bit. The photos are almost glued to the album, have been there for over 30 years.”
The photo on left shows Justman, Collins, and Luce standing on Maui after the 9.6-mile, 6.5-hour crossing was completed on Mother’s Day 1977.
“Our timer and chief shark-spotter at the time was my husband John [Collins],” remembers Collins.
Copyright © 2014 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.
