October Newsletter

Banquet Info

The SBCSA will host our annual awards dinner and banquet Saturday, November 3rd at the Doubletree San Pedro (same day, same location as the Catalina Channel banquet). We’ll celebrate one of the busiest years in Santa Barbara Channel history - 16 solo swimmers and two relays.

Details and tickets at santabarbarachannelswim.org/banquet … please RSVP by Wednesday, October 24. This is a plated dinner, so no last-minute ticket sales!

Special guest Rachel Horn will present a documentary film of her 2016 Anacapa swim, Crossing the Channel (an official selection of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival).

Season Recap

The SBCSA sanctioned 16 successful solo swims this season, with only 2 DNFs. Both are new records for the association. We saw 12 swims along the popular 12-mile route between Anacapa Island and Oxnard; as well as several rare and unprecedented swims. We saw new course records both the fastest and the longest-duration Anacapa swims (nearly 16 hours!).

All considered — an incredible year of channel swimming, filled with inspiring feats of endurance, athleticism, and courage.

Firsts

• Ken Mignosa - first double Santa Cruz Island swim. Oxnard to Santa Cruz Island (via east Anacapa), return to Oxnard. 41 miles in 29:22 on September 19-21.
• Dave Loeffler - first San Clemente Island-Catalina swim. 21 miles in 15:29 on October 8-9.
• Caroline Block - Santa Rosa Island to Goleta. First woman (2nd overall). 27.4 miles in 20:36 on October 8-9.
• San Fran Ma’ams - first relay circumnavigation of Anacapa. Meg Omainsky, Alice Ma, Cathy Harrington.

Photos: San Fran Ma’ams (Cathy Harrington, Meg Omainsky, Alice Ma), Dave Loeffler at San Clemente, Caroline Block swimming off Santa Rosa Isl, and Ken Mignosa.

Course Records

• Abigail Fairman - mainland to Anacapa. 5:30 on July 2*.
• Jim McConica - mainland to Anacapa. 5:05 on Sept 20.

Age Records

• Marilyn Korzekwa - Santa Cruz Island to mainland. Oldest woman (61) and first Canadian.
• Susan Petro - Anacapa Island to mainland. Oldest woman (68) to swim Santa Barbara Channel.

Photos: Jim McConica, Marilyn Korzekwa, Susan Petro, Abby Fairman and team.

Longest Duration Records

• Marilyn Korzekwa - longest Santa Cruz swim. 18:45 on Sept 12
• Michelle Squyer - longest Anacapa swim. 11:53 on Sept 17*.
• Susan Petro - longest Anacapa swim. 15:53 on Sept 24.

* - record subsequently broken

More Anacapa Swims

• David Rich (A-M). 7:53 on August 7
• Carly Miller (A-M). 7:19 on Sept 14
• Pearl Simonelli (M-A). 8:20 on Sept 16
• Erika Gliebe (A-M). 7:56 on Sept 16
• Luca Pozzi (A-M). 5:48 on Sept 29
• Night Train Swimmers relay - Vito Bialla and Paige Kieding (A-M). 7:53 on Oct 1.
• Mina Rhoden (A-M). 13:03 on Oct 1. First African American to swim the Santa Barbara Channel.
• Barbara Lastelic (A-M). 7:38 on Oct 20

Photos: Mina Rhoden and team (top), then - Dan and Pearl Simonelli, Erika Gliebe, Carly Miller, Paige Kieding & Vito Bialla.

California Triple Crown update

The SBCSA congratulates Santa Barbara Channel alumni Robin Rose, Anthony McCarley, Abby Fairman, Angel More, Marilyn Korzekwa, and Luca Pozzi, who this year became the 8th through 13th individuals to complete the California Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming (SB Channel, Catalina, and the length of Lake Tahoe).

Angel (15) is the youngest to achieve the feat, while Marilyn (61) is the oldest.

The California Triple Crown is a world-class swimming feat that can be feasibly attempted by California residents without ever having to set foot on an airplane.

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New Lifetime Members

We’re delighted to welcome eight new Lifetime Members:

• Caroline Block
• Catherine Breed
• Sylvia Lacock
• Barbara Lastelic
• Helen Petroff
• Luca Pozzi
• Mina Rhoden
• Pearl Simonelli