The Clubhous Continues to Grow on the Shores of Lake Memphremagog
Phil White, the braintrust behind the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame, the Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association (NEKOWSA), Vampire Swims, Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, Be Kind to Your Yacker Week, and the Kingdom Games, is also continuously growing The Clubhous, the nerve center of NEKOWSA.
White announced two of his newest members: Evan Morrison and Cathy Delneo. “They recently moved to Montpelier, Vermont from San Francisco, California. Delneo took on the job of Vermont State Librarian. Morrison is one of the founders of the Marathon Swimmers Federation and its LongSwims DB. He has completed numerous, challenging marathon swims and was recently inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a 2022 Honor Administrator. Cathy and Evan helped put in the docks and boat lifts last weekend to kick off some 50 days of open water swimming this summer held by Kingdom Games.”
On June 5th, Morrison and Delneo swam with Charlotte Brynn to become the first open water swimmers to cross the Canadian border on Lake Memphremagog since 2019. White explains, “They swam from The Clubhous, in Derby, Vermont out and around Bell Island, and past the southern tip of Province Island, north along its western shore and into Canada. Morrison and Brynn completed the 6.5-mile swim back to The Clubhous. Delneo, caught a ride in Django after swimming in Canada for half a mile and completing 4 miles total. They were supported by Kathleene Marcil and Pam Ladds in kayaks and myself, piloting Django.
Memphremagog greeted us with frisky and challenging conditions, full of the high spirits of the day. Water temperature was 58°F to 60°F (14-15°C). White caps signaled wind speeds of up to 15 mph with gusts of 20 mph.
Several weeks ago, Luke Bury, Superintendent of the East Border District, Standstead, Quebec, Canada Border Services Agency informed us that the Border had reopened to allow swimmers and boaters who did not touch Canadian boats or Canadian soil to pass freely. Sunday was our first chance to grab the day, with three remarkable open water swimmers.
Charlotte Brynn, Executive Director at the Swimming Hole in Stowe, has recently purchased a house on the Bluffs in Newport. Over the past 12 years, she has become an accomplished ultra-marathon swimmer. She has swum the 25-mile length of Lake Memphremagog twice and set a record for the fastest 32-mile crossing of Lake George. She runs BrynnSwim with coaching and technical open water clinics on Lake Memphremagog.
Today, we celebrated the return of a more open border with our Canadian friends. Couldn’t be happier to have both sides of Lake Memphremagog joined again as one, with her spirit and mystery whole again.”
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