Swimmers brave the cold Sound waters

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Peter Oakley always wondered what it would be like to skip the ferry ride from Clinton and just swim over to Mukilteo.

Last week, he stopped wondering and took the plunge.

On Sunday morning, Aug. 28, Oakley and Kathy Rogers dipped into the cold, salty water of Puget Sound to swim from the shores of South Whidbey to the mainland in Mukilteo and back again.

They began their swim in Glendale and finished one hour and three minutes later on the beach at Mukilteo State park.

Oakley, a Langley resident who rides the ferry regularly, said he often looked out over the deck and into the water and thought about what it would be like to swim in.

“It was something in the back of my mind for a number of years,” Oakley said, “Just in the last couple of months, I decided to try it.”

When Rogers, a Clinton resident, heard about the idea she decided it was something that she’d like to do, too.

The two were accompanied by an entourage of three kayaks gliding along beside them, and a power boat, as well. The accompaniment of family and friends joined them partly for fun, but also to witness their feat. They were also there as a safety precaution.

“A boat would see them much before they would see a swimmer,” Oakley said.

The kayaks were also there to respond quickly to the swimmers if anything were to go wrong. And the power boat could come and pick them up.

Rogers completed the crossing in a wet-suit, while Oakley wore only a swimsuit, cap and goggles.

Oakley said he decided not to wear a wet-suit because it made the swim more challenging. And he was inspired by all the great channel-crossings.

“This is small in comparison to crossing the English Channel,” he said. “But the way those crossings are done is without a wet-suit.”

Oakley described the swim as “fairly smooth.”

The first leg of the swim, from Whidbey to Mukilteo, went without a hitch.

Rogers said the water was much colder than what she was used to and the salt water in her mouth was very noticeable.

On the way back from Mulkilteo, the cold started getting to Oakley.

“I was getting a little anxious and I wasn’t sure I could finish,” he said. “But having the kayaks next to me reassured me that no matter what happened, I wasn’t going to die.”

Oakley said: “I just kept swimming.”

The two athletes made it back to the shores of Whidbey successfully.

Oakley was thankful that Ann and Bill Carlstrom, the power-boat drivers, took good care of him after the swim.

“I was really cold and shivery,” he said. “And they took me aboard their boat and gave me hot-chocolate.”

Rogers and Oakley are both members of the Island Athletic Club masters swim team. They are coached by Kristi Eager.

Eager thought the two were both crazy and dedicated for swimming across the Sound.

Eager said: “Both [Oakley and Rogers] are incredible athletes, dedicated physically and emotionally to the sport.”

Eager plans workouts for these swimmers, and a group of about 10 others, on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

She said: “Our team has a gamut of swimmers. Some are recreational and some swim for fitness and don’t want to compete.”

“You can compete, or not at all,” Rogers said. “In my opinion its all for fun.”

Oakley said a perk of being on the swim team is that it involves working out with other people.

“It’s early in the morning, and you’re not sure if you want to go. But you know other people are waiting for you,” he said. “And when you get through a workout and you’ve done it well, you have a little feeling of accomplishment.”

The swim from Glendale to Mukilteo wasn’t the first extreme swim Oakley and Rogers have undertaken, and it probably won’t be their last.

Last year, Oakley organized a swim from Langley harbor to Camano Island. Some of them kayaked and some swam, and they switched up on the way back.

Another time, a group of swimmers went to Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island. Rogers participated in a relay swim of 5.4 miles, and Oakley swam the whole distance — more than 16 miles.

“He raises the bar for all of us,” said Rogers.

Rogers said she will keep participating in extreme swimming events as they arise.

“They certainly are fun,” she said.