Here’s a question for you: Why should a swimmer give a hoot about ocean tides? Well, if you ever want to swim at any of the hundreds of great spots along the Washington, Oregon or California coasts, it might be worth a few minutes of your time to know about […]
Joe Oakes
My Swimming Amigos: No pool? No problem. I have been swimming twice a week in the Columbia River. I go fairly early in the morning and the beach is empty except for a few dog walkers. In the past month I have only seen three other swimmers. (Note: there will […]
My Swimming Amigos
I am aware of three intercontinental swims that can truly be called “Intercontinental.” The first is the Dardanelles in Turkey, from the European side to the Asian side, not very far from Istanbul. It is not a very long swim, but it is difficult for two reasons. First, there is […]
Intercontinental Swims
1 Our ship had sailed into Oslo, Norway last summer. I had the opportunity to visit a couple of museums that I have long wanted to see. One was the Thor Hyerdahl museum, with the Kon Tiki. The other museum had three excavated Viking ships, along with tons of artifacts. It […]
My Norway Swim
1 I am not a believer in numerology, but a confluence of related numbers caught my attention a while ago. Here is what I noticed. My next birthday would be my 84th. I started swimming in ’48. Over the years I have done 41 swims from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. […]
Just One More Alcatraz Swim
January, 2018. Sometimes I think that I am the luckiest guy in the world. I love to swim and I love to travel. I indulge both of those passions while cruising the open seas. This year it is in the South Pacific, on board the mv Amsterdam, with stops […]
Swimming Across Polynesia
My summer ended with a two week stay at Squaw Valley, located about half way between Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake in Northern California. I try to get there in August as often as I can so I can get in some training in cold water at high altitude. […]
Bliss and Disappointment
Over the years I have chased down a few records that others seem to have overlooked. In 1994, at age 60, I became the first person to swim in the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. At times I have done other things that some might think odd, but it […]