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Hank Stern on Cover of "Swimming World"
by Nancy Stern and Bonnie Brown

What a way to turn 52 !!!
by Randy Brown

Swimming in the dark at Half Moon Bay
by Randy Brown

Pictures from our August 12, 2009 Marlins Pizza Night
(Good-bye party for Ray; Special guest, Don Galine)

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Hank Stern on Cover of "Swimming World"

By Nancy Stern and Bonnie Brown

Hank Stern - Click picture for full size

Bonnie Brown created this "FAKE" Swimming World Magazine cover for Hank's 50th birthday -- We (Moby, Randy, Me {Nancy}, Hank, Bonnie, Big Jim, Joel and John) did a swim from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park on July 1.  Tons o' fun.

What a great way to start the day and celebrate a birthday - Mother Nature treated us to a glorious, sunny and calm morning.  The conditions on the Bay were just perfect and the water wasn't that cold - 55-ish.  A fun time was had by all - swimmers, kayakers, and boaters!  A great breakfast followed at the Blue Mermaid Restaurant and the birthday cards (especially the one from Joel with a picture of his backside with "50" written on his rear end) were passed around so we could all have a laugh.  A very happy birthday indeed for Hank Stern!  Already looking forward to the 51st birthday swim next July!

Posted on July 19, 2010

What a way to turn 52 !!!

By Randy Brown

It's 5 a.m., I'm in the hot tub for morning tea and meditation with wonderful thoughts passing through on how truly grateful I am to be alive and have a friend like Joel Swartz.

6 a.m., Kim Page, Joel's fiance, picks me up at Crystal Springs reservoir with Joel and his dad, Guthrie Swartz already excited about the day ahead.

6:35 a.m., we arrive early at Fisherman's Wharf for the 7:30 a.m. morning briefing that Bob Roper gives to all those involved in the Bay to Breakers Swim on the dreaded February 9th, designated in a 1987 swim as the coldest day of the year in the San Francisco Bay waters.  By the way, February 9 is Joel's birthday.

Two years ago, on Joel's 50th birthday, he wore goggles and cap plus his naturally hairy birthday suit to swim from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park.  How long do you think it took him to get to the South End Rowing Club sauna on that day?

8 a.m., we board the Dauntless, the mother ship, with our kayaks and my boogie board and head for the Bay Bridge.

9:30 a.m., the horn is sounded and nine swimmers enter the turbulent water.  What was predicted to be a rainy and blustery day turns into a glorious sunny day with beautiful cumulus clouds scattered about for our inspiration.

10:00 a.m., time for Joel's first feeding, Gu 1st, followed by a warm, protein based energy drink concoction.  Problem is, my gloved hands can't grip the stainless steel vessel to open it so Joel unscrews it with his icy fingers.  That did'didn't happen again and those of you who know me, know why.  We are already to Pier 39 and Joel and Morgan, a young woman who qualified 7th for the U.S. Olympic Open Water Team, are side-by-side with the other seven swimmers falling farther and farther back.

10:30 a.m., second feeding, as we are approaching the Golden Gate Bridge.  I paddle about 10 yards north of Morgan and notice that we are edging ahead of her.  While her pilot continues to aim for Fort Point,  I radio Bob Roper and get clearance to aim for the north side of the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge with a large swell breaking on the South Tower bulwark.  The Presidio appears to be speeding by as we get into the stronger ebb tide current and Joel really pulls ahead of Morgan.

As we go under the Golden Gate, Joel ask me to radio his Dad who is on board the Dauntless to tell him, "Don't forget, I love you!"

Just 100 yards west of the Gate, we are accompanied by 4-6 ft. long black porpoises.  (Dahl's or Harbor porpoise - please e-mail me if you know the correct name).

We are in the potato patch now with 8-12 ft. swells and the going gets a little rough.  Joel stays long and strong through it all.

11 a.m., third feeding, we approach mile rock, the abandoned lighthouse or "white tube" as Joel calls it.  I can see the surf breaking outside Seal Rock and look for fellow Marlin swimmers Jim Sweeney and Dan Kenny who planned to watch the swim from Land's End.

As we get to Seal Rock, Joel asks for one more feeding to give him the energy he will need to get through the heavy surf.  As he swallows the Gu and energy drink we drift about 400 yards west due to a very strong riptide combined with the outgoing tide from the bay.  I escort him in the kayak (generously loaned to me by Joel's friend, Art, the electrician) to the surf line where the big waves are breaking.  I encourage him to catch one in and watch him doing backstroke between waves.  Suddenly, I spot Judith Sheridan in her orange/red cap out looking for Joel so I paddle over and tell her to go ahead and bodysurf in as he is already onshore.  I race in the kayak out to the Dauntless to get my fins and boogie board to help any of the remaining swimmers get through the large waves.  Moby Coquillard has made it out on his boogie board to be of assistance also and is disappointed he didn't get to see Joel.  We have to kick constantly to stay in place at the surf line due to the riptide.  After about half-an-hour we decide to catch some big ones in as all the escort boats are far out at sea and no swimmers or kayaks are anywhere in sight.

When we get to the beach we learn that we won't need to go back out as all the swimmers have been picked up by the boats.  Joel made the swim in about two hours, 19 minutes and Morgan, the only other swimmer to make it to the beach, came in about 15 to 20 minutes later.

Kim, Big Jim Sweeney, Dan Kenny, Cindy Lee, Judith Sheridan and Moby were all there to celebrate a great swim and a wonderful birthday with Joel on the beach.

Aloha nui loa,
Randy Brown

Posted on February 17, 2010

Swimming in the dark at Half Moon Bay - 57 degree water temp.

By Randy Brown

I want to thank Kim Page for inspiring to have some more fun with our early morning swims we are taking in preparation for our Santa Barbara Channel swim this coming weekend.

She thought my "arms aglow with red tide"could be entered in a worst Hemingway competition so I want to do a recounting of the swims I had with Dan Kinney and Joel Swartz last Wed. at 5 am and again with Dan Kinney plus Moby Coquillard, Dan Kearns and 16-year-old Brian from Cindy Lee's team on Saturday at 5 am.

First, let me thank Cindy, Judy and Frank, Brian's Dad, for being there to walk on the beach with flashlights as we swam, particularly in that they were able to pick up the glow sticks that were knocked off our heads when we were hit by rogue waves.

Here goes my attempt at the worst literature you've ever read:

Were they manly men seeking victory over their fears of the deep, dark, mysterious sea or girly men seeking their feminine side by immersing themselves to become ONE with their Mother Ocean?  The Wise Woman of the West had hours before swallowed the moon creating a starry night.  The stars of Orion's belt were aligned with the direction they would take towards the Miramar Restaurant adding a mythical element to these hunters of adventure.  As they took the long walk created by a minus tide these men of the sea approached their destiny with a mixture of confidence and doubt.  When the first wave rose high enough to hit them mid torso they shrieked and shriveled confirming that they were in for an icy endeavor.  Once their faces were in the water they watched the phosphorescence of the red tide stream off their powerful, sinewy arms like thousands of tiny shooting stars.

Aloha nui loa,
Randy Brown

Webmaster's note:  Who would have ever guessed that Randy was an English major in college?

Posted on September 2, 2009

Pictures from our August 12, 2009 Marlins Pizza Night
and Good-Bye Party for Head Coach, Ray Laughlin
----------------
Special guest, Don Galine