By Dorothy Myers, Development Intern
In 2016, at the age of 49, North Hampton resident Bob Fernald completed his three-year journey to be among the few to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. The Triple Crown involves crossing the English Channel, a circumnavigational swim around Manhattan Island, and crossing the Catalina Channel. Pretty darn impressive!
Sure, maybe you like to take a dip in the ocean under the hot summer sun. Safe and sound with your feet inches from the sandy shore bottom, rainbow umbrella and beach blanket in sight. That’s exactly what open water swimming is…not. Nope, not even close.
Bob Fernald puts on his bikini-style speedo, stretches a thin rubber swimming cap over his head and snaps on his goggles. Wearing nothing else, he submerges into frigid open waters where he will swim for a few hours to his destination tens of miles away, all while navigating through flotsam and jetsam (as in marine debris, not the dark and mysterious moray eels of Disney’s The Little Mermaid) and avoiding heavy boat traffic. Sounds amazing right?
Join us on April 6th at the Portsmouth Public Library for an intriguing presentation and discussion led by Bob. He will share his life adventure of discovering open water swimming and discuss his local swims and the impacts he sees on the ocean. Bob will also share how he is leveraging his new found ability to give back to the local community. In addition to a planned “clean the ocean” swim for BOS, Bob has helped raise thousands of dollars for the swim facilities located throughout the Seacoast.
We hope to see you there! Click below to RSVP.
I want to attend!Image courtesy Bob Fernald
