Finish Line of the Atlantic Ocean Crossing Changes

Jennifer Figge, currently en route to the Caribbean, swam five hours yesterday covering 28.5 miles. She was joined for part of the swim by four dolphins. The conditions continue to be rough with yesterday's swim starting in waves between 6-9 feet and ending between 10-12 feet with the occasional 18-foot wave.



Because the swells were not as extreme as in previous days, Jennifer swam longer than normal. Jennifer’s escort boat has taken a severe beating, so the team will dock for repairs and provisions (possibly in Trinidad) before continuing on her 3,380K (2,100 miles) odyssey across the Atlantic Ocean. Her new destination is likely to be the U.S. Virgin Islands.

On January 27th, Jennifer said, 'It was a magical swim' when referring to her swim of 4 hours covering 9 miles in 82°F water about 5° south of the equator. She was joined by three pilot whales. However, at first sighting, her crew thought that first whale was a shark.

On January 22nd, Jennifer swim 3 hours covering 8.5 miles. Due to the rough conditions, Jennifer's shark cage has not been deployed, so she attaches a shark pod device to one of her legs.

British Open Up a Huge Lead for 2012

With 50% of the 2008 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim medalists wearing the colors of Great Britain, the British seem to be opening up a huge lead in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic marathon swim.

Not only has British Swimming started to devote resources to open water swimming at the junior and senior level, but a new national open water swimming facility is also scheduled to be opened in March.

blueseventy just announced the blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre, the venue for the swim leg of the first triathlon ever held in Britain in 1983. The blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre will be open from March to October and expects to be heavily used by both open water swimmers and triathletes who can train in both a well-marked 800-meter loop and a straightaway course.

Set in a 33-acre lake nestled in the rural British countryside, the Centre will offer expert coaching, personal training sessions, special women-only sessions and a focus on junior swimmers. The surrounding area in Reading includes Windsor Castle and Legoland

Dean Jackson, blueseventy's Global Sales and Marketing Manager, says, "We’re really pleased to come on board as an official sponsor. Facilities as good as this make a real difference to the thousands of people who like to swim outdoors in the UK, whether they’re training for events or simply keen to enjoy the great outdoors."

For further information and to find out the current water temperature online, go to My Sporting Times.

Young and Experienced Win in New Zealand

Young Phillip Ryan and experienced Kirsten Cameron (shown on left) won the men's and women's 10K New Zealand Open Water Championships in Wellington this week.

18-year-old Phillip from Waterhole, Auckland won in 2:8:06 over Casey Glover and his brother Daniel Ryan. Kirsten Cameron, a 35-year-old mother from Waikato, was first in the women's field in 2:29:32 over 17-year-old Alannah Jury and 15-year-old Stephanie Bennington.

The four-lap 10K course in Oriental Parade was beautiful to observe, but tough to navigate with a strong wind whipping up the waves. Although he could not catch Phillip, Casey took advantage of the rough water conditions to place second. Casey has the fastest crossing of treacherous Cook Strait.

An impressed Swimming New Zealand's Open Water Programme Manager Philip Rush said, "The conditions were definitely very testing and not what they would normally experience in open water events. Phillip Ryan has really got some potential. He will head to the Australian Championships where we will have Kane Radford back from the US to also compete and we can see them go head-for-head. That will be important as it is the selection for the world championships for both Australia and New Zealand."

Rush continued with his praises, "Kirsten was too strong today but I am impressed with the potential from [second-place] Jury and [third-place] Bennington, along with some other good young swimmers. This is an event that we can do well at internationally. Now it is an Olympic event, we need to attract more of our swimmers to open water swimming and begin to build on some of the talent we have."

Men's Results:
1. Phillip Ryan (Waterhole, Auckland) 2:08.06
2. Casey Glover (SwimZone, Wgtn) 2:14.57
3. Daniel Ryan (Waterhole) 2:20.27,

Women's Results
1. Kirsten Cameron (Ace,Waikato) 2:29.32
2. Alannah Jury (North Shore) 2:33.14
3. Stephanie Bennington (Capital, Wgtn) 2:36.01

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Source

A Canadian Canal Classic

The City of Welland in Ontario, Canada will host a beautiful open water swim in the historic Welland Canal that runs between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in the Niagara Falls region. The 3K and 5K Under the Four Bridges swims will be held on August 9th with the course winding through the Canal that runs through Welland.

No wetsuits or neoprene suits or caps are allowed.