July 28, 2009: Huntington Pub Owner Completes the English Channel Swim

Conor Hartnett, owner of Mary Carroll's Pub in downtown Huntington, New York, traveled thousands of miles this July to complete the 21-mile English Channel Swim in a bit over 14 hours. My guess is that the 3,000 plus trip from NY to the UK was a lot more enjoyable than the 21-mile swim from Dover to Calais!

But the swim, yes the swim is what Conor will remember Congratulations Conor -- we'll think of you when we do our open water swims in Cold Spring Harbor -- and dream of the Channel. Hey, I wonder if Conor could have been legally accompanied by the KickBoard Cam to document the crossing in a very personal way? Bob, you'd better practice your kicking -- 21 miles is a long way to kick! (See story below for first in-pool test of the KickBoard Cam.)

KickBoard Cam: Passes Critical Pool Test -- Is It Ready for Open Water?

Take a first look a the final Pool Test of the KickBoard Cam. If we had only remembered to bring a second camera you could actually see what the KickBoard Cam looks like -- but at least you can see how it works in the video below. Thanks to Bob Miller for some great design work!

Bill's AMAZING Underwater Bubble Trick

Pool workouts can become routine and BORING. But not when Bill's around! Go ahead, check out his AMAZING Underwater Bubble Trick below. But be warned, do NOT try this yourself... or, if you must, make sure you have adaquate lifeguard protection. Bill did.

Montauk Sprint Triathlon Sunday, July 19, 2009 Huntington Area Results

Great job by Scott Kessler, who was second overall at the Montauk Sprint Triathlon held this past Sunday, July 19, 2009. Don Bond, who was on the 21 day disabled list, finished 40th overall and 3rd in his age group! Also, kudos to Elizabeth Perlstein, who placed 2nd in her age group in her first triathlon! Congrats to all who competed and did so well...

Name / overall finish / age group finish / time

Scott Kessler / 2 / 2 / 1:11:06

Greg Linakis / 15 / 2 / 1:16:07

Don Bond / 40 / 3 / 1:19:52

Lynn Perzeszty / 76 / 1 / 1:25:25

Nancy Aboff / 93 / 1 / 1:27:12

Steve Kristel / 96 / 4 / 1:27:37

Lisa Kristel / 99 / 2 / 1:28:06

Karen Farrel / 117 / 1 / 1:29:30

Carl Reinesch / 123 / 10 / 1:30:00

Elizabeth Pearlstein / 181 / 2 / 1:37:11

Dawn Desimone / 192 / 5 / 1:38:45

Armand D'Amato / 231 / 2 / 1:41:57

Heather McCormick / 235 / 6 / 1:42:17

Joan Addabo / 401 / 8 / 2:02:20

Waves of Hope Swim: August 17 2009 Amityville NY

This is a Two Mile Open Water Swim to benefit Juvenile Diabetes. Click Here for more information and to sign up.

5K In The Bay (Huntington Bay) Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sure the tide was LOW... but the swimmer's spirits were high as the Annual 5K in The Bay -- 2009 edition was getting underway. And, "Yes" the sky was a bit gray but for such a great event, could sunshine and blue skies be far away?

Not by a long shot as you'll see in the following pictures...

It's almost time to get your kayak in the water...

Bea is on her way out (by boat) to the start line to get the race underway.

And she is closely followed by the swimmers.

No, they can't walk all the way. Though with the tide so low, this dock is a pleasure to walk on. You've all heard my rant on North Shore Rocks... scenic but NO fun to walk on in bare feet!

Boys and girls, get ready to "Follow those buoys!"

You gotta jump in before you can get to the starting line.

The swim out to the starting line actually makes a nice warm-up -- at least that's what you tell yourself. Distance swimmers sometimes find it necessary to lie to themselves!

Getting closer to the official start now...

Is that sunshine I see breaking out for the 5K in the Bay?

Sunshine and blue sky, who could ask for a nicer day!

Halfway through the race, Rob grabs some liquid refreshment.

Ann Marie looks pretty happy. Maybe EVERYBODY should do the 5K in the Bay next year!

You'd need some really, really l-o-n-g arms to grab this water cup from Bob. But, his heart is in the right place even if the water cup he's holding isn't.

The final turn around the last boat...

And we're heading for home, appreciative of those ever-watchful kayakers.

It ended up to be a beautiful, clear day... just perfect for a 5K in the Bay. Hope to see you in 2010! OH -- before we do, here are the results for 2009!

Open division:

Anne Marie Bischoffberger 6th OA 1:46:38

Gene Kelly 7th OA 1:52:42

Masters Division:

Rob Martell 1st AG 1:27:16

Joanna Grossman 2nd AG 1:56:44

A Saturday Morning Swim At West Neck Beach: July 11, 2009

The tide may have been low -- dead low actually -- but the water was PERFECT. It was an ideal morning to choose for my first outdoor swim of 2009. I know, I know. July 11th is REALLY, REALLY late for a first open water swim -- but, better late than never! However, the fact that I was swimming did cut down on the picture taking -- these few shots were taken after the swim. 

A few swimmers stayed in the water even longer than I did or, were they just putting off that very uncomfortable walk up to the sand. The North Shore of Long Island is well known for it's "rocky" bottom and low tide just makes it all the worse.

Just so you know, I wasn't the only one to make Saturday, July 11th the date of my first Open Water Swim for 2009 -- John, (rinsing his wet suit), got his first Open Water Swim in this morning too! Congratulations John! I guess we both lost our June Calenders.

Once you hit the sand, the walking is easy! In fact the one and a quarter mile round trip swim to the yellow buoy was a LOT easier than the 30 or 40 yard walk on those damn North Shore rocks. They seem designed to ALWAYS hit the most sensitive part of your feet. We've got to start scheduling some high-tide swims!

Bob enjoys a fresh water shower and takes care of his wet suit, cap and goggles all at the same time. This is a man who has learned the meaning of the word "efficiency"!

NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY... Not a problem, we bring our lifeguard(s) with us!

PS: I'm wearing my 2009 Open Water T-Shirt... Are You? CLICK HERE to order yours.