Gibraltar Swim

There was a brief moment earlier today, in between stretches of pushing my body to its limits, where I stopped, took off my goggles, and looked around me. The uniqueness of the moment struck me. I looked to the shore to my north and the shore to my south. They were both that gray haze typical of distant landscape. I was halfway through my aquatic journey from Europe to Africa. In the midst of this crazy swim, I got the chance to take it all in. How wonderfully strange that I'd found myself in this spot in the world, and how lucky I felt to be there. I was surrounded by nature, and that is always a splendid place to be. That moment didn't last long of course. I had to keep my head down and my body moving. I had places to be.

For those wondering why in the world I´m doing such a thing, perhaps a little back story. I spent time in Central America several years back. At the time, I recall looking at a map and just loving how thin the isthmus between the Americas got. I thought about how interesting it would be to make one's way across, and what a great adventure it would be to do it on foot. So I decided to walk from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The most ideal place to do this, of course, is the Panama Canal. So I bussed down to a town called Colón on the Caribbean coast of Panama, strapped on my backpack, and walked to Panama City on the Pacific. The most direct path was a railroad track that ran through the jungle alongside Lake Gatun. I decided to go that route, which definitely had it's obstacles. It involved 50 miles (80 km) of remote jungle, malarial mosquitoes, mild dehydration, and a stint in a prison basement. That is all another story. The main thing is that I made it. I walked from ocean to ocean, and got the adventure I was looking for.

So this brings me to my current adventure. You can see the connection. If I can walk from ocean to ocean, then why not swim from continent to continent? And it just so happens that once again a wonderful accident of plate tectonics has supplied me with the perfect spot to do such a thing. The Strait of Gibraltar, like the isthmus of Panama, is the ideal distance to supply an intense challenge, but still be attainable. Aint Mother Nature grand?!

So, after 6 days of waiting in Tarifa, Spain for the crap weather to go away (the weather in the strait is seldom not crap, at least for swimming), the time finally arrived. I had bought a neoprene for the swim, but during training I had realized how much I hated swimming with it. So I opted for the speedo and a body covered in vaseline instead. The water is pretty damn cold, and the vaseline provides a protective coating. I suppose it helped because I tended not to notice how frigid the water was after the first few minutes. The first half an hour of swimming, even during training, is kind of awful. It takes me awhile to get into my groove with movement and breathing. During this half hour it was especially bad because the worst waves were at the beginning. The huge distance I had to go came into mind and I remember thinking, ' What have I gotten myself into?' Luckily I found my groove, calmed my head, and fell into the pace that kept me going all the way through.

There isn't too much to say about the hours in the middle aside from what I've already written. Right arm, left arm, kick kick kick. That was my world. We passed by ocean liners and oil tankers, but not much changed my focus. My view was mostly the darkness of the 3000 feet (1 km) of water underneath me, interspersed with the bright sun as I took my breathes. I had small bouts of sea sickness, but would just drink a little water and eat a bit of Cliff Bar and would feel better. The boat following me was at my disposal anytime I needed them, so long as I didn't touch the boat ( that would have been cheating! ). There was a main boat that was always ahead of me, giving me my directional cues. A smaller dingy was nearby as well, always ready if I got hungry or thirsty. It was good to have them there.

The weather on this day was pretty ideal; slight wind and only a few clouds in the sky. The current was another story. It varies just as much as the weather, and unfortunately it was strong and working to my disadvantage all day long. It generally always run in an easterly direction as the Atlantic Ocean constantly tries to refill the evaporating water of the Mediterranean. On the day of my swim it had a particular northeast flow that seemed to want to keep me in Spain. It added a couple miles and over an hour to my swim.

During those final grueling hours as I finally approached the Moroccan coast, my mind went to the same place as it often does during the last miles of a marathon: food, Star Wars, and my boyfriend Adam. These are a few of my favorite things. I've realized that thinking about them can pretty much get me through anything. The last couple miles were as difficult as the first couple. Near the shore is where the current was working strongest against me. Toward the end it felt as if I was pushing and pushing, but land wasn't getting any closer. That can be a little frustrating, especially when you're already exhausted. The guys in the boat were actually a big help, ¨Venga! Venga! Queda poco!¨


Eventually I hit rock. Done! What a special moment that was. I threw my arms up, and shouted at the sky in celebration. The relief didn't just come from the fact that I could now relax my weary muscles, though that was a huge part of it. For the past year there has been this nagging question rolling around in the back of my mind. Is this really something I can do? The moment I touched that cliff I finally had my answer. Yes. Yes it is.

My final time was about 6 hours and 20 minutes. The total distance was roughly 12 miles (20 km). The conditions made for a bigger challenge than I was originally expecting, but I felt that much more accomplished for it. The main thing for myself is that I made it. I swam from Europe to Africa, and it made for another great adventure.

I'd like to give a shout out to ACNEG, the organization that facilitates any Gibraltar cross. The team was in a boat never too far away to help adjust for current, weather, and traffic in the strait. They even got me into the local newspaper. Yeah! They did a lot for me, and I'm very grateful. You can check them out and see a list of past swimmers at www.acneg.com.



















I also want to give a big big thank you to my family and all my friends back home and around the world who were rooting for me. I felt like I had you all at my back the whole swim, and that made all the difference. I love you guys!

" Try not. Do or do not.
There is no try."
- Yoda