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On August 8 Seattle marathon swimmer Andrew Malinak will attempt to swim all the way around Bainbridge, a distance of 25.5 miles. There are no recorded attempts or successes of such a swim. Malinak will follow Marathon Swimming Federation rules for unassisted swims, which means he gets no wetsuit or assistance. He “may not make intentional supportive contact with any vessel, object, or support personnel at any time during the swim.” Also, he “may not intentionally draft behind any escort vessel or support swimmer.”
The swim is expected to take between 11 and 12 hours, which Malinak says is ” longer than I’ve ever swum by over two hours.” He’ll be swimming in water temperatures ranging from 52 to 55 degrees. He will also have to navigate two ferry crossings in the course of the swim. He has communicated his swim plan with WSF, and Malinak says ferry captains will monitor radio communications from his team.
Malinak says he was inspired by the annual Arms Around Bainbridge relay swim, a fundraiser for individuals on the Island who are struggling financially as a result of major illness. Last year, Malinak helped with the relay. This year he decided to swim solo and to give any funds raised by his swim to AAB. The AAB relay is scheduled for August 22.
Malinak is no stranger to difficult swimming feats. Earlier this summer, he successfully completed an 18.8-mile swim from Tacoma to West Seattle. In 2014, he completed the 8 Bridges seven-stage swim, a 120-mile trip down the Hudson River. In 2012, he swam around Manhattan, a 28.5-mile distance. In 2010, he crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, which is 10 miles.
He will be supported on the swim by Joe McKinstry and local swimmers Jerome Leslie, Scott Lautman, Melissa Nordquist, and Erika Norris, and he will be escorted by a 36-foot vessel and a 13-foot vessel. In addition, many Bainbridge Island swimmers will accompany Malinak on legs of his journey. But, according to marathon swim rules, they may accompany him only for “limited duration,” and a minimum of one hour is recommended between support swims. His support crew can provide him with food and water, and they will monitor him throughout the journey.
Malinak is expected to leave from Skiff Point at 6:20 a.m. He hopes to return around 6 p.m. His swim plan describes the journey this way:
The swimmer will head south against the slacking ebb tide seeking favorable eddies until the flood begins (see Currents). The route will roughly follow the 30-fathom contour, and will remain west of the TSS.
At Wing Point, the swimmer will continue south to Restoration Point, passing Blakely Island on the east side, remaining in water 20 to 30 fathoms deep. The swim will cross the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry route in this stretch (see VTS – Ferry Crossing 1).
After passing Restoration Point, the route will continue west along the 20 and 30 fathom lines, passing buoys RED 4 and 6 to the north, outside of the channel. The swimmer will enter the channel near buoy RED 8 (see VTS – Ferry Crossing 2). With guidance from VTS, the swimmer will proceed through Rich Passage on the RED side of the channel past RED 10 and then turning north to head into Port Orchard (see Currents).
Once in Port Orchard Pass, the route will follow the most favorable currents, which are typically mid-channel.
At the north end of Bainbridge, the swimmer will head through Agate Pass and turn right, seeking the most favorable currents. Minimal commercial traffic is expected in this area.
The swim will be live-Tweeted by the crew at @andrewswims, and live GPS tracking will be available on vessel tracking websites such as vesselfinder.com or marinetraffic.com by searching MMSI (ship number) 367575160. If the weather is unfavorable, Malinak will make an attempt on the 9th instead.
To support Malinak’s swim with a donation to AAB, click here.
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Photo courtesy of Andrew Malinak.