Escort
By Beth Barnes
()
About this ebook
Kayaking next to open water swimmers, elite and novice, has given Beth Barnes a chance to blend two lifelong passions into one explosive one. Helping others fulfill a dream and being on the open water is where she feels that she reaches her own full potential. During the 2010-11 Catalina Channel Swim Federation Seasons Beth participated in 20 Catalina Channel swims and various other open water competitions. Now, she shares what she has learned...
Beth Barnes
Beth Barnes has traveled the world and never turns her back on adventure. She has raised two daughters which has been the most rewarding adventure of all. Born and raised in Long Beach, CA she went to University of San Francisco, worked in corporate america then decided to sell everything in the hope of discovering another side to life. On her 30th birthday she took what would fit in a backpack and traveled solo for 13 months, working on farms and finding remote destinations in developing countries. Beth lives every moment as the gift it is and hopefully her writing will inspire others to do the same.
Related to Escort
Related ebooks
Creeking and Other Extreme Kayaking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Water Adventures To Do Before You Die: The World's Ultimate Experiences In, On And Under Water Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCruising (With) Class Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShort Stories for the Daring Yachtsman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short-Handed Sailing: Sailing solo or short-handed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFifty Places to Paddle Before You Die: Kayaking and Rafting Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kayaking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Canoeing: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCanoeing The Essential Skills & Safety: An Essential Guide-The Essential Skills and Safety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultimate Sailing Adventures: 100 Extraordinary Experiences on the Water Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYankee Ships and Yankee Sailors - Tales of 1812 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island Hopping Digital Guide To The Turks and Caicos Islands - Part I - The Caicos Islands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSail: A Tribute to the World's Greatest Races, Sailors and Their Boats Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Island Hopping Digital Guide to the Northwest Caribbean - Part I - The Northern Coast of Jamaica Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Warm Sea: Dreaming of Sailing and Making It Happen: Tales of Our Cruising Life in the Mediterranean Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island Hopping Digital Guide to the Northwest Caribbean - Part II - The Cayman Islands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNautical Flags - A Collection of Historical Sailing Articles on the Use and Recognition of Flags Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Guide to Small Boat Canyon Fishing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Kayaking: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Sailing Guide to the Solent and Poole Harbour - With Practical Hints as to Living and Cooking on and Working a Small Yacht Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKayaking Through History - Volume II - Maine Paddles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeep Sea Fishing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSet Sail and Live Your Dreams: Follow a Young Family Sailing Over the Horizon on the Adventure of a Lifetime Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Outdoors For You
Your Guide to Forest Bathing (Expanded Edition): Experience the Healing Power of Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultimate Survival Hacks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Prepared: The 8 Secret Skills of an Ex-IDF Special Forces Operator That Will Keep You Safe - Basic Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Think Like A Spy: Spy Secrets and Survival Techniques That Can Save You and Your Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nuclear War Survival Skills: Lifesaving Nuclear Facts and Self-Help Instructions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMauled: Lessons Learned from a Grizzly Bear Attack Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bushcraft Illustrated: A Visual Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/552 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Basis of the Motion Picture 127 Hours Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for ANY Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sailing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Survive Anything: From Animal Attacks to the End of the World (and Everything in Between) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual: 272 Wilderness Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles: Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emergency Survival Manual: 294 Life-Saving Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Camping in the Old Style Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Escort
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Escort - Beth Barnes
Escort
[n. es-kawrt] protection, safeguard, or guidance on a journey
Elizabeth Barnes
~ ~ ~
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Barnes
License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
~ ~ ~
What you do is a rare and privileged service! Not only do you escort and lend your time in one of the toughest channels in the world, you welcome everyone with open arms and heart! You are the Fairy Godmother of Open Water Swimming
JC Malick, Open Water Swimmer
~ ~ ~
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Logistics
Out and About on the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Introduction
As the veil of stars gives way to dawn, the rhythmic sound of stroke-after-stroke is now the only indication that anything disturbs the vast and relative calm of the Catalina Channel (aka: San Pedro Channel), as it did only moments before. The synchronized efforts of swimmer and kayaker, slowly but methodically slicing their way through the swells, are but a radar blip on the universal screen. This is an epic, midnight crossing for one solitary swimmer while the rest of the world sleeps. The night is eerily illuminated by several light sticks and the dim shadows of the support boat, so darkness prevails while Catalina Island fades and the Pt. Vicente Lighthouse on the Palos Verdes Peninsula beckons. It is a slow, calculated and heroic journey; a Southern California that few can imagine and fewer will know.
Open water swimming is a sleeping giant, yawning and stretching and ready to awaken with a shout and not a whimper. Now that it’s an Olympic sport it won’t be long until athletes, novice to elite, keen for the next big challenge, grab cap, goggles and body grease and challenge the open water. Few, however will find the strength of mind and body to brave this icy and foreboding channel.
Looking over the Catalina Channel from the Palos Verdes Peninsula
This stretch of water spans twenty-one miles between the island and the California mainland and it has been challenging open water swimmers since 1927 when it enjoyed its inaugural year with The Wrigley Ocean Marathon. The first race, full of fanfare and publicity boasted a purse of $25,000 which was awarded to a seventeen year old Canadian, George Young. Young completed the first crossing in 15 hours and 44 minutes but with advanced technology and GPS today, swimmers can cross the same stretch in under nine hours, and sometimes less. The prize is no longer money; the prize now is pride in accomplishment and the thrill of reaching a distant, rocky and empty shore.
The waters can be welcoming and calm or they can be wild and uninviting with currents that are often unpredictable and treacherous, becoming a nemesis to the swimmer who dares challenge the channel; the cold is an ever-looming demon. The 2010 season, according to the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation was a record year for swimmers with over forty elite athletes attempting the sanctioned swim. During the 2009 season there were a scant fifteen crossings and the 2012 season will see almost fifty attempts.
The Catalina Channel is a challenge on par with the English Channel but the wait for optimal conditions does not hamper the marathon swimmer in California as it does at the White Cliffs of Dover. It is often the pinnacle swim of a lifetime for an athlete’s aquatic career after enduring years of rigorous training and focus. For a small group of committed and elite marathon swimmers it is but one swim in a trio of swims that comprises the Triple Crown of marathon swimming. The Triple Crown is earned by swimmers who complete the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the English Channel Swim and the Catalina Channel Swim. Approximately 50 athletes have earned this illustrious accolade to date and US Masters Swimmer Jim Barber from Indianapolis holds the record for taking 22 years to complete the swims while Rendy Lynn Opdycke completed the challenge in an impressive thirty four days.
The solo sport of open water swimming across the channel was a quest for seventeen year old George Young in 1927 as it is today for a growing number of local, national and international swimmers. It is the ultimate opportunity to set goals, push the limits and achieve personal victories. Although swimmers train with others, when it is time to cross the Catalina Channel it is a lone effort, one small swimmer and one very big channel.
Due to the unpredictable and potentially choppy conditions during the daylight hours, swimmers begin around midnight from a small, secluded and very dark cove on Catalina’s west end. In order to complete a ‘sanctioned’ and official swim, two trained Catalina Channel Swimming Federation Observers are on board the support vessel that will transport the swimmer and their team to the island. During the 2 hour boat ride, the observers are finalizing details and ensuring each team member understands what is expected. As the swimmer tries to rest there is a quiet and contemplative calm on board. The team will usually include carefully chosen family members, friends and/or companion swimmers all of whom understand the intensity of the occasion and all of whom are there for one reason…to support their swimmer.
To complete the personal and hand chosen team, there will be one or two support kayakers who may be strangers to the swimmer and family, but they will be equally committed. The kayakers will take shifts throughout the swim and will be constant companions, stroke-by-stroke during the journey moving in unison with the swimmer in order to keep them on course. If their course is altered in any way this can add extra strokes to the swim which will mean wasted time and extra distance.
Without a competent kayaker who knows the challenge of the open channel, including a positive attitude, the swim would be more difficult to navigate. We depend upon kayakers to be our ears, eyes, compass and lane line so we only have to concentrate on every stroke that takes us closer to our goal,
says Jim Barber, a Triple Crown marathon swimmer from near Indianapolis, IN.
The support kayaker is also the first line of defense in the event of personal distress but most of all, the kayaker is the security blanket for the swimmer…the Catalina Channel in the darkest hours of a starless night can be an unnerving place and the company of a kayaker is a comfort, a dim beacon in an otherwise black night.
Swimming at night may be a new experience for even the most seasoned swimmer so there is a sense of slight distraction and confusion as the