SWIMMING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 January 1929, Page 10

SWIMMING

ACROSS COOK STRAITS. MISS COPPLESTON’S TASK. OBSTACLES: TO SUCCESS. Miss Lily Oopplest:one, the Canterbury gin swimmer lias been active mteiy m gathering all possible mlonnation linely to be ot assistance to ner m ner projected swim across Cook istrait (says “Crawl,”, in the "Unristcliurcii Star”). Tier inquiries have been directed particularly to mariners and others ramiilar was tJie title and otner conditions prevailing in tne btraits. She nas already gleaned a good ueal or lnrormal nut tnat is likely to be of assistance. It is. .somewhat diiticult ro gauge tne prospects of success. The actual instance to be swum is about 20 miles, on tier good conditions slie sno.ultl be able to cover that distance without much trouble. The main factors that will operate against success are, first, the temperature of the water, and, seconctlv, tne state of the currents.

It was the coldness of the water that caused Webster, the Auckland distance swimmer, to laii in the attempt lie made a year ago. it Miss Copplestone is to have any chance of meeting with water warm enough to permit of long immersion, a spell of hot weather will be essential. Once away from the shallow water near the shore Miss Copplestone will probably find that the temperature of the water is a good deal lower than she has been accustomed to. It is the temperature that will provide the main obstacle to success. TROUBLESOME CURRENTS. The current conditions in Cook Strait will probably prove a good deal more troublesome than those that have to be dealt with by .Einglish Channel swimmers. Webster did not last long enough in his attempt to give any real indication of what part the currents play in Strait swimming. Miss Copplestone is gathering all the data possible on this point, the object being, of course, to take advantage of the currents as far as possible. The currents in Cook Strait vary from two knots to a very high speed. Even a two-knot current is fatal to a swimmer if it is an adverse current, while the swifter currents that are sometimes met with would sweep a swimmer far from the desired course in a very short time. Unlike the English Channel, Cook Stait offers only very restricted landing spots to aim for. A swift current sweeping in either direction would soon, take a swimmer far out into the open ocean either off Farewell Spit or off Cape Palliser. The practicable swimming lane is very restricted, and not many miles of sweep in either direction is neecssary to make success impossible. It is almost certain that the attempt will be made from the southern island, though the northern goal to be aimed at has not vet been fixed. This will be determined largely by the currents that are likely to be met with Given favourable conditions. Miss Copplestone expects, to be able to swim the Strait in ten hours. If the water is warm enough sli<s should havo little trouble in swimming for that length of time. Her Kellerman Cup success showed that ■she has plenty <>l* stamina, land ishe has developed a trudgeon stroke that makes very little demand on her energy. PRACTICE AT LYTTELTON. Miss Copplestone carried out a practice swim in Lytterbon Harbour week. Miss Copplestone entered the water from the jetty at Diamond Harbour at 12.46 p.m., and swam to Corsair Bay, whieh she reached at 2.10 p.m., the distance having occupied 1 hour 24 minutes. The water was fairly warm and Miss Copplestone was well prepared for the swim with grease, and wore goggles and helmet. She was accompanied by a small boat and had pace on the last half mile of the journey. A large crowd had gathered at the water s edge at Corsair Bay, and they cheered the swimmer as she finished, swimming strongly.

MERCEDES GLEITZE’S BID.

NOTED' ENGLISH EXPONENT

Discussing the proposal of Miss Mercedes Gleitze, lie London typist who has come into world prominence as a long distance swimmer, to also attack the Cbok Strait swim the London correspondent of the “Christchurch. says that Miss Gleitze is tired of bath;ing in cold water and longs to try what she hopes will be wanner conditions or New Zealand’s sea. She was born in Brighton and learned to swim when ten years old. She was educated at the East Hoe Higher Grade School, and came to London eight years ago. She lias never been keen to attain swimming speed records, her interests being in the long distance events. In the summer of 1922 she made her first attempt to conquer the English Channel, and she tried on eight occarisions before she attained her ambition. She claimed to have succeeded oil October 7, 1928. but as the swim was not officially attested, and some doubt was cast on her Channel performance bv Dr. Dorothy Logan’s confession as to her own Channel swim hoax. Miss Gleitze made another trial ill icy water on October 22. The accompanying boat was manned by Pressmen and official witnesses. After for over ten hours .she wa_s taken out of the water exhausted when a little over five miles from Dover. STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.

Miss Gleitze then proceeded to Gibraltar, with the intention of swimming the Straits, a feat, never before accomplished. Miss Gleitze’s first effort was made from Tangier on December 16, 1927, but she gave up when half-way across. On January 2, 1928. she got to within a mile of Tarifa, hut was overcome by the cold. On January 25 she was nearly drowned on her third attempt, being caught in a whirlpool. Other unsuccessful.attempts were made on March 12 and on April 3, the latter effort being from Tarifa; she gave up when about a mile from the Moorish coast. _ But victory came on April 5. She started from Tarifa, the most southerly point of Spain, and arrived at Punta Leona, on the coast of Morocco, after swimming for 12 hours 50 minutes. “I entered the water at 7.55 a.m. on the morning of April 5,” she said, after she landed. “After fifteen minutes I almost decided to return, owing to the rough sea and unfavourable tide. I ■swam on, however, and the tide becoming gradually more favourable I began to make good progress. The water continued rough. During the last four and a half hours of the swim it was raining all the time. “Two fishing smacks carried about sixtv Spanish witnesses. Feeling very fit, I swam steadily, being carried up

and down the Straits, until 1 landed at a deserted spot, on the Moroccan coast after al2 3-4 hours’ swim. In the middle of the Straits it was very rough owing to a. freshening wind, but I strug. "led through, using the .breast stroke. I was ravenously hungry the whole time.

Armed with a jagged fragment of rock from Morocco and a handful of Moroccan sand, Miss Gleitz returned. to Tarifa by boat. She was greeted with the strains of “God Save the King.” from a band, and by cheering crowds. Apparently the actual distance, swum was. twenty-four miles, although by direct line it is only nine miles. During this summer Miss Gleitze was at Blackpool taking part in swimming carnivals, and then she went to Ireland, hoping to. conquer the Irish Channel. But after four attempts .she decided to give up because of the intensely cold' water. “I just long to feel some warmer water in New Zealand,” she said, “far removed from ice floes fj;om the North Pole.”