Swimming

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

---- talking to the inhabitants of San Saba island in the Bahamas a few years ago, the majority of them couldn't swim. ----

Where in the Bahamas is San Saba Island?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Where in the Bahamas is San Saba Island?

San Salvador, my mistake CRS kicking in, San Saba was a town in Tx I used to fly to. Great diving in San Salvador if that's your thing, this is the place to go, avoid the big French tourist thing.
Bahamas dive resort for scuba diving walls, big game fishing San Salvador island

[JazzyO]

Originally Posted by campuscab

I lived in Carolina Beach and we had a guy in his sixties that would swim around the island every day. Almost twenty miles.

The English Channel crossing is 21 miles. The record for the oldest man, 70 years old, is just under18 hours. Let's say the record for a 60 year old is 16 hours. You're telling me he did this every day. Why do I not believe this story?


Onno

[campuscab]

Originally Posted by JazzyO

The English Channel crossing is 21 miles. The record for the oldest man, 70 years old, is just under18 hours. Let's say the record for a 60 year old is 16 hours. You're telling me he did this every day. Why do I not believe this story?


Onno

I am just repeating the legend. I swam with Cappy from Carolina Beach Pier to Kure Beach Pier and bailed. I was in great shape 21 years old and swam in high school and college. Carolina Beach Today: Cappy: A Local Legend Who Swam with the Dolphins

Ask anybody around Cape Fear about him. A little known fact, he also came from one of the wealthiest families in Wilmington. He was a great guy and loved the water. One night he would sleep on the beach and the next he would stay in the most expensive hotel on the island.
So I stand corrected I never saw him swim the whole island but after my swim with him I have no doubt he was capable.
I find it hard to believe that a bunch of retired people that can't parallel park a Town Car can sail the world but they do everyday.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by campuscab

I lived in Carolina Beach and we had a guy in his sixties that would swim around the island every day. Almost twenty miles. He would start from the beach beach in the ocean, swim up the Cape Fear river, across Snows Cut, and back out yo the ocean. I was on the swim team and could not hang with him. I bailed before we got to the river. Now that I am older I know a couple of strokes like the inverted breast stroke that you can do some distance but twenty miles in current and waves is not something I want to try. .....................

The current is very swift in the Cape Fear River and faster at Snow's Cut. Unlike crossing the English Channel, someone could time the event with the current all in their favor and easily triple their normal swimming speed. It's not comparable when your spending all your time with 3 kts to your favor.

[JPA Cate]

The result, JazzyO, is an extraordinary individaul, who played the tides, and circumnavigaed his island frequently.. Sort of like he Polar Bear club in SF Bay, Calif.

Not too much to say about the rest of us. And hey, it kep him out of the pool halls!

[Mirage Gecko]

Being an Aussie brought up on the east coast of Australia I cannot recall until much later in life meeting anyone who could not swim.Body and board surfed way offshore before my teens swam at a competitive level but would think my chances if falling overboard close to zero of swimming my way out.I must also admit I am starting to think more about things in the ocean munching on me the older I get.
The comment on most people equating swimming to a pool as opposed to the ocean would I think be relative to the country and area you are from but I think overall it would be the ocean.
As for the old timers my grandfather who was a master mariner born in the Shetland Islands could not swim a stroke and in fact had to be rescued by his crew somewhere in the pacific when he ended up in the drink.
Chris