Swim with Fish 2014

Record number of Swimmers!  Record donations for Food Bank!

The 20 swimmers at 8th Annual "swim with Fish" accompanied by Vashon Host Jane Macready

The shelves at the Gig Harbor Peninsula Fish Food BANK will have a big lift this month. A whopping $10,733* was raised for this charity event that took place on August 3, 2014 at Point Richmond Beach.
*as of August 6 at 4PM.

Times:

                           Fin Free Division
1) Steve Rees                                       30:40    
2) Tres Walker                                      40:24   
3) Tesa Johnson                                    50:24 
4) Leslie Sutton                                     56:53   

                      "Fins Are Us" Division 
1) Mark Thomas                                     29:20

2) Drew Kellerman                                 29:39

3) Jeremy Fragret                                  33:29

4) Peter Bortel                                       35:44

5) Jeff Sala                                            37:22

6) Clay Caldwell                                     39:57

7) Bill Coughlin                                      40:29

8) Joanne Kirby                                     42:44

9) Anthony Pennington                           43:12

10) Ellen Larson                                     44:40

11) Scott Huntington                              47:04

12) Allison Skibbs                                   48:30

13) Lori Mapes                                       54:30

14) Sasha Mayer   (age 14)                     54:30 
15) Mark Dietzler                                   57:19

16) Ben Payne                                       58:02*

*holds record for treading water longest

Start of Swim

Mid Channel

Safety Paddler Dave

Scott H improved time by
 10 minutes this year!

Leslie, Paddler Leader

Steve with Sisters Ellen and Tesa

First Place Mark Thomas takes time out on the beach

Claire (don't get on her bad side!)

Kids Swim Finisher

Allison Reaches for cone hoping that it
 will come to her..

Jeff S shows off fins

Timing Team

Mark with Peter and Steve

Diane and Tracy

Swimmers line up at pilings in order with finisher shirts on, Right to left.

Ellen

Notice how Mark D's Stroke contrasts Ellens (above)

Polar Bear Swim 2014

It is 2014 and the Polar Bears are in... the water!

22 Polar Bears hit the water today for the _?_ annual Pt Richmond Beach Polar Bear swim.  The dip was over with the speed of a flash of an eye but the crowd lingered for the polar bear feast on the shore.  Old favorites such as hot chilli, chicken soup, and hot buttered rum were flanked with tasty meatballs, cookies and macadamia nut brittle, and...

Cristina, Karen and Roxy toasting to the new year!

Allison and Claire

Ben tending fire

Lions in Winter?

Did word get out in the Sea Lion world that Point Richmond Beach was the place to winter?  It has been so noisy around here lately that I am having a hard time sleeping! Has anyone else noticed this? I have woken up several mornings dreaming that I am in the Pinniped exhibit at Sea World!  I snapped these photos in the back yard recently...

 

Look at all these guys, there must be 15 of them out there!

And then there is this otter... what is with him!  Now he's hangin' with a heron!  Isn't this how rumors get started?

Otter hangin' with Heron

Swim with FISH Blog

www.swimwithfish.blogspot.com

The Swim with Fish Blog has had some interesting sightings recently. It
seems that Swim with FISH shirts are starting to show up at various locations around the world.  So far there has been a reported sighting in Anchorage, Alaska and La Jolla, California. Where will the next shirt show up?

               ????????????????

  Stay tuned!

Visit the Swim with FISH blog to see where shirts are making  appearances!

www.swimwithfish.blogspot.com

 

Otters ans Oysters

A River Otter, "the otter," was seen early Wednesday morning allegedly working on an act for a future Otter show. The otter appeared to practice its routine under the shroud of morning fog. Witnesses observed the otter climb the ladder then do a sliding dive off the trampoline. Is this is just a coincidence that the maneuver was similar to what neighborhood kids had done the day before?

otter at top of ladder

otter practicing sliding diving

Meanwhile...


neighbors tend to their oyster colonies discussing strategies and lessons that they may have learned.

Swim with FISH Raises $2900!

Start of swim, left to right; Drew Kellerman, Larry Burr, Athena Petterson, Scott Huntington, Tesa Johnson, Ellen LArson, Wren Huggins, Rondi Thornton, Peter Bortel, (Vashon Host) Jane Macready, Jacque DeGideo, Steve Rees, Allison Skibbs
- Photo by Joyce

This year swim with FISH had a record catch of $2900 and 26 food items, for the Gig Harbor food bank!  Gloomy weather did not stop 13 swimmers from crossing Colvos Passage on August 2. In fact the water was almost perfect for making the swim!

mood of swim takes on that of a rainy northwest day

 - Photo by Kimber

Here are this years times;

Dave following his wife Tesa during the race.
- photo by Joyce

Drew Kellerman  29:43, 

Steve Rees 33:19 - No fins

Brad Howeiler 36:33

Athena Petterson-35:55

Ellen Larson-35:55

Peter Bortel-40:13

Larry Burr-41:53

Rondi Thornton-43:12  - NO fins!

Tesa Johnson- 46:06 - NO fins!

crowd gathers  - photo by Kimber

Jacque DeGideo- 47:36

Allison Skibbs-49:12

Scott Huntington-50:22

Wren Huggins-59:40

Swimmer, Paddler, boater briefing - photo by Kimber

start of swim from Point Richmond Beach - photo by Kimber

Tesa taps the cone with a big smile on her face!
- photo by Joyce

Ellen hugs Allen after swim*
- photo by Joyce

*Ellen who just met Allen at the beginning of the swim, gives Allen a big hug. The two were paired up as swimmer and paddler and apparently "bonded."

The finish Line - photo by Kimber

 

Hannah, you are such a sweetie! - photo by Joyce

Some of the fleet of escort kayaks - photo by Joyce

 

Mid channel - photo by Kimber

Andrew and Donna chat on the Vashon shore while getting ready to Escort swimmers back to Point Richmond Beach - photo by Joyce

Steve comes in second place with no fins on! - photo by Joyce

Steve and Rondi are the only brother sister that have done the swim.

Rondi comes in 8th with no fins - photo by Joyce

celebration after swim - photo by Kimber

Wren brings up the rear as Christy and others note his time.
 - photo by Joyce

Musician Mary Farr entertains the crowd after the swim.
- photo by Joyce

Fish, Fish, Everywhere!

Wow, look what Sam caught right off the shore, while Peter was at work - on the phone! 

And speaking of fish.. there will be another kind of FISH here tomorrow, August 2.  The 7th annual Swim with FISH takes place tomorrow afternoon.  From the looks of it swimmers will be amongst the salmon running up the passage! 

Below is a preview of this years tee shirt!