DUTCHMAN SWIMS FOVEAUX STRAIT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30051, 8 February 1963, Page 10

DUTCHMAN SWIMS FOVEAUX STRAIT

(Ntw Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, February 7. The 28-year-old Dutch immigrant, John Van Leeuwen, became the first man to swim Foveaux Strait tonight. Van Leeuwen set out from the Three Sisters Point, near Bluff, at 9.19 a.m. He walked ashore at Murray River Point on Stewart Island at 10.55 p.m. During the swim he covered about 30 miles.

He had been stung severely midway through his swim-when he entered a mass of jelly fish and was extremely tired over the last hour of the effort that lasted nearly 14 hours.

He struggled over the last few miles, guided by the lights of fishing vessels whose crews cheered him on until, almost exhausted, he struggled on to the rocky shore.

Van Leeuwen. a powerfully built member of the Oreti Surf Life-saving Club, made three miles in the first hour of his swim. The last mile tonight took him more than an hour.

This was his second attempt at swimming the 15} mile strait. His earlier try on January 16 tailed by about a mile.

His arms, which had been stroking up to 72 a minute earlier in the swim, were just turning over and no more at the finish tonight. He was able to walk ashore unaided.

The monetary reward for the swim was boosted tonight to more than £4OO. A donation of £2OO was announced by the Invercargill Licensing Trust. Lt will be added to £lOO previously declared by the owners of the New Oban Hotel at Halfmoon Bay, £5O from an

anonymous donor and more than £6O promised to, or held by the Southland Progress League. These funds will go to Van Leeuwen’s life-saving club. In spite of all efforts to avoid the Jelly fish in the Strait, Van Leeuwen was obviously weakened and in pain. His pacemaker and fellow surfer, John Fogarty, was hauled aboard the accompanying launch. He had numerous weals on his body. Later, ointment was applied to Van Leeuwen’s stings and more grease applied in an endeavour to give him some protection.

By 1 p.m.. Van Leeuwen’s coach, Mr I. Wilson, was confident that he would reach Stewart Island. The tide was due to turn in the Strait at 3 p.m. when his swimmer

14-Hour Effort To Cover 15V2 Miles

would be in a position to gain its full benefit and be pushed towards Saddle Point. Van Leeuwen ate well during the swim. Liquid food in plastic bags were dropped from a Southland Aero Club Cessna during the afternoon. A morale booster to Van Leeuwen, no doubt, was the presence of his fiancee. Miss Ann Hewatt of Balclutha, who is coach for the Kaka Point Surf Club. She was flown out by an Invercargill small goods firm to Stewart Island, where a fishing boat took her to a Southland Harbour Board launch, the Takitimu, which cruised ahead of the swimmer. Miss Hewat swam with van Leeuwen and paced him during part of the last 600 yards, but left the water because she was cold and tired.

As van Leeuwen left the water at Stewart Island, fireworks and skyrockets lit up the area and cheers came from the seven fishing boats off shore and the group on the shore for the welcome. Among the congratulatory messages was one from Barry Devenport, the swimmer of Cook Strait last year.