After 8 years of preparation and training, on 18 Jul 2015 Brenda Lussier became the first recorded Deaf Swimmer to have swum across one of the Canadian Great Lakes. At age 38, she completed an 18.6 km crossing of Lake Erie from the west side of the marina at Sturgeon Point (New York) to the municipal boat launch at Crystal Beach (Ontario), in a time of 10:03.
Brenda's Lake Erie swim was conducted as her qualifying swim for her attempt on Lake Ontario later in the season and both swims were aimed to support a Cystic Fibrosis charity. CF is
a genetic condition that affects the respiratory system and threatens the life of her brother.
.
Lake Erie
| |
The Speed Data were computed from the GPS positional data that were transmitted every 10 minutes from the SPOT Tracker that was in the boat beside Brenda. The speed ranges between 0.9 and 2.6 km/h with the ``dips`` being reflective of stops that occurred during the associated 10-minute period. Note: the targeted finish had been the public beach at Crystal Beach, which is to the west of the final landing point; however, a sailing regatta forced a change
in plans for the landing point and, consequently, the actual distance covered was 19.7 km (12.3 miles). | |
Date . . . Start Time . . . Swim Time . . . Starting Point . . . Finishing Point . . . Straight line Distance . . .. Note . . . |
18 July 2015 7:20 am 10 hours 3 minutes Sturgeon Point, New York state. Beach on the west side of the marina, 42.691827°N, 79.047483°W Crystal Beach, Ontario. Municipal boat launch, 42.858573 °N, 79.057865°W 18.6 km (11.5 miles) "D" designates a Deaf support-person Colleen Shields Joey Bell (D) Kathleen Rosalie Vissers Gord Histrop Pocomar, Norm Dashwood, Dawn Currie, Lucas Mark, Jeff MacDonald Joey Bell (D) Joey Bell, Rebekah Boscariol Megan Lussier (D) 20°C (68°F) until the last 3 km where it rose to 21.7°C (71°F) 52 strokes per minute until the last 3 km where it dropped to 48-50 SPM SW-WSW winds for the first 1.5-2 hours creating waves of 0.5-0.9 m (Up to 3 feet), then relatively calm for the remainder of the swim with the winds freshening again after the swim was completed A fog rolled in after the first two hours of swimming and did not disperse until Brenda was about 3 km away from Crystal Beach . |
Lake Ontario
Brenda`s Lake Erie crossing caused some injury to her right shoulder and this injury proved to be a significant problem in the final stages of her Lake Ontario swim. While the weather conditions were excellent from the start, SW winds developed as she approached Toronto Island on her targeted course to the Argonaut Club (The target, since the gap was closed in the breakwater and prevented access to Marilyn Bell Park). So around 8:00 am, Coach Joey decided to change her course to land at Leslie Street Spit (Vicki Keith Point); however, with the adverse winds and her limited shoulder strength she was being driven to the east and past LSS. Consequently, with no hope left for making landfall, Brenda made the agonizing decision to retire. This was a tremendously courageous swim, requiring extra vigilance from the crew to ensure the safety of a deaf swimmer - especially during the darkness of night. Brenda`s 26 hour 16 minute swim covered a straight-line distance of 40.8 km and earned her a special mention in the Open Water Pedia`s 24-Hour-Club listing. A poem "I hear ya" was written as a tribute to Brenda's tremendous efforts and achievements with her Lake Ontario swim. | |
| |
Speed is displayed in km/h and illustrates the "push" from the Niagara River during the first 3 hours of swimming. . | |
Dates Start Time . . . Swim Time . . . Starting Point . . . Retirement Time . . . Retirement Point . . . Straight-line Distance . . . Distance travelled over water Note . . . |
15-16 August 2015 5:03 pm, Saturday, 15th August 2015 26 hours 16 minutes Gazebo, Niagara on the Lake: 43.257876°N, 79.068301°W 7:19 pm, Sunday, 16th August 2015 ~5 km SE of Vicki Keith Point (Leslie Street Spit): 43.586060°N, 79.293790°W 40.8 km 44.3 km "D" Designates a Deaf Interpreter Colleen Shields Marilyn Korzekwa Marilyn Korzekwa Joey Bell (D) Christie Sharp (D) Annalee, Andrea Krause, Gloria Brifoglio Christie Sharp (D) R & R, twin-engine power boat. Christine Arsenault GAMRU, large rigid inflatable boat (RIB), Bob Gordon, Kyle Russell, Andrew Pattemore Sea Monk, 21-Foot RIB. Thomas Dobokay 15-Foot Mercury inflatable. Marilyn Korzekwa Josef Polcz, Matthew Brownell (D) Christine Arsenault, Colleen Shields, Joey Bell (D), Marilyn Korzekwa, Rebekah Boscariol, Trinity Arsenault Megan Lussier (D) John Ironside |
Other Reports on Brenda:
* Open Water Pedia - Personal Page.
* Special Note in 24-Hour Club of Open Water Pedia.
* 3-B Solutions article.
* Facebook page.
Compiled with SPOT Tracker data and materials supplied by Colleen Shields, Marilyn Korzekwa and Brenda
SSO Home Page | Swim List | Contact Webmaster
Created: 17th October 2015
Updated: 21st December 2015