2008 Santa Barbara Channel Swim
6x6 Relay Race
Friday-Saturday, September 5-6, 2008. by Emilio Casanueva
Phots by Helen Daybreese and Santa Barbara NewsPress
Team Mission Wealth Management (with Jane Cairns, center)
wins the $1000 prize
and
keeps the "Water Spirit" Trophy for another year.
Four team boats left the Santa Barbara harbor around 8 pm. We had 3 sailboats and one motor boat. The crossing to Santa Cruz Island was rough; highs seas and strong winds, lots of people got really sea sick.
By half past midnight we were all there at Cueva Valdez waiting for the 1 am weather forecast to see when we would launch the first set of swimmers. Indicators started to come down and it felt 1:30am to be a good starting time. It was precisely 1:35am.
In the complete darkness of night swimmers left the beach and approached their respective kayakers. Each boat and kayak had light sticks of a different color. Most teams chose a shorter interval - 30 minutes or 40 minutes as the water last year was very cold. Much to our delight the water hovered at 68 and 69 most of the way. As we began swimming the seas calmed down until about an hour before arriving on land, when the afternoon winds picked up and it became choppy again.
All team were victorious. The official times are:
| 1. |
Mission Wealth Management - Felipe Rivera, Cindy Braden, Corey Chan, Jerry Mahoney, Scott Reed, Seth Streeter
|
11:27:12 |
| 2. |
Ocean Ducks - Emilio Casanueva, Ryan Zuckor, Patrick Dideum, Kathy Dideum, Patti Bauernfeind, Rendy Lynn |
12:38:10 |
| 3. |
SBCC Chum - Tara Stockton, Rachel Jara, Sam Dickinson, Pete Engle, Marcie Kjoller, Ingrid Schmitz |
13:41:42 |
| 4. |
The Flying Fish - Kelly Moore, Shelley Brasher, Brook Armstrong, Lisa Stratton, Bryce Armstrong, Crow White |
14:27:34 |
 
Team Mission Wealth Management and Team Ocean Ducks
 
Team SBCC Chum and Team Flying Fish Vikings
Following the arrival of the last boat we had our award banquet and then everyone was ready for a good night’s sleep.
|
