Completed!

Steve Vick completed his swim from Skagway to Juneau to protest the proposed new road between the two towns. He swam into Auke Recreation area at around 6:20 pm this evening to be greeted by a crowd of about 250 supporters. There were approximately 12 other swimmers in the water with him, as well as several kayaks and small craft to welcome Steve in.

Today's completion was mainly ceromonial since Steve actually arrived in Auke Bay yesterday, effectively completing the 90 mile swim in 9 days. More than two thirds of the days involved swimming through rough seas, difficult currents, and colder than normal temperatures. It was truly a mammoth achievement.

Steve conducted several interviews with local and national media outlets today and met with dignataries from Juneau, Haines, and the State Government.

Many thanks to all the supporters and well wishers. Keep up the pressure on the administration to ensure that the momentum created by Steve's swim is sustained.

Report Time: Tuesday Aug 9, 7:30 PM
Location: Auke Bay, Juneau
See Map

Steve Vick had a great swim this afternoon, covering about 10 miles in under 4 hours and 15 min. Today's swim brings Steve within easy striking distance of his destination at Auke Recreational area at 6:30 pm on Wednesday. Steve will cover the remaining distance on Wednesday afternoon and his epic journey will culminate at the celebratory barbecue mentioned below on this page.

Conditions this afternoon really favored Steve as he powered through the water, in sharp contrast to his last two swims through frigid sections and against steady currents.

Steve and the support team hope for a good turnout at tomorrow's conclusion to the swim. Supporters are encouraged to attend and to spread the word!

EVENT NOTIFICATION

WHEN: Wednesday, August 10th, 6:00-8:00 PM

WHERE: Auke Recreation Area, north of the ferry terminal.

WHAT: Show support for the Lynn Swim, ferries, and oppose the Juneau road! Donations gladly accepted.

What: Bring your swimming suit and join Steve for a quick dip in Auke Bay. Food and drinks will be available to purchase – all proceeds and donations will go to the Lynn Swim.

On August 10th Steve Vick will take the final stroke of his 92-mile swim from Skagway to Juneau at Auke Rec. The purpose of the swim is to protest the unwanted, unnecessary, and unsafe proposed Juneau Road; Steve supports the ferry system instead.

Steve Vick’s epic swim comes at a critical time. Congress recently passed a transportation bill that included $15 million for the proposed road.

The Lynn Swim will help raise statewide and national awareness about the controversy surrounding this outrageous road when it is most needed. For more information see www.lynnswim.org or contact SEACC at 586-6942.

Join Steve at Auke Rec for a barbeque, hot cocoa, and a dip in the water for those brave enough!

Report Time: Tuesday August 9, 11 am
Position: Between Shelter Island and Eagle Beach Rec Area

This morning's swim, which commenced at 5am, was a tough one for Steve. He encountered a steady current that seriously impeded his progress, resulting in him covering only 1.4 miles in 2 hours of swimming. The channel through which Steve is progressing is known for its persistent northward flow except at the height of the ebbing tide. As a result, Steve will enter the water again this afternoon at 1pm to try to take advantage of better currents that will enable him to make forward progress.

While still on track for the predicted finish on Wednesday afternoon at Auke Recreation Area, the final portion of the swim will be a serious challenge for the already tired swimmer. Any form of encouragement is welcomed (see below on the blog for contact numbers).

Report Time: 9:30 pm, Monday August 8th
Position: Off Eagle Beach, Juneau
See Map

Steve Vick swam this afternoon again from 4:45pm to 7:45 pm, covering a distance of 3.35 miles. Steve's progress was slowed by a steady 1 knot current right in his face. Then, to compound the difficulty of today's swim, the outflow of the Herbert Glacier resulted in random pockets of freezing water. Steve described it as 50 yards of cold, 50 yards of warmer water, 50 yards of cold, 50 yards of warmer water, etc. This took a lot out of his system and really slowed his progress. Mentally and physically it was very challenging this afternoon. He hopes never to have to repeat that grueling experience!

The outlook for tomorrow looks better with more warm weather in the forecast and no major glacial outflows to cross!

Nick Jans from Alaska Magazine visited Steve while he was swimming today and Juneau media also covered Steve's swimming today. Jan Rumble once again joined Steve in the water this afternoon.

The team is staying in Amalga Harbor tonight and will be continuing on Wednesday from Eagle beach 5:00 am and then they plan to swim again the afternoon on the outgoing tide.

Of Note: the Reuters article re-posted on this blog on August 1st (see below) had a gross error in the amount of money that the road is projected to cost. The article referred to the proposed road project as a $15 Million project, when in fact, the project is slated to run at least $281 Million (see Facts and Impacts for more info). The $15 Million figure is apparently for feasibility studies.

Report Time: 10:30 am Monday August 8
Location: Just north of Amalga Harbor, Juneau
See Map - Amalga Harbor is in the center of the map, in the area of the small island.

Steve Vick is in the home stretch! After yesterday afternoon's swim from Berners Bay to just north of Amalga Harbor, he is within 3 days of completion. Steve was joined yesterday by Juneau Master Swim Coach, Jan Rumble, for about 2 hours in the water. Steve covered about 7 miles yesterday afternoon.

The Fjordland, a Haines-based tour boat that runs visitors between Haines, Skagway and Juneau, came close in yesterday and the passengers on the boat were able to talk to Steve and lend encouragement to the team.

The team is receiving a great deal of media attention and anyone who wants to see Steve in action this afternoon, can put in at Amalga Harbor. Steve will be swimming through the Amalga Harbor area between 5 and 6 pm today. Supporters and media are encouraged to visit the team and to call the support boat at the numbers listed below.

Projected Finish Time!!!
Steve will be finishing his epic swim on Wednesday evening, August 10 at about 6pm at Auke Recreation Area, just north of the Ferry Terminal.
There will be a celebration barbecue between 6pm and 8pm for all supporters. Please spread the word and come to the beach to welcome Steve and his team!

Photo by Judy Hall.

Report Time: 9:30 am, Sunday August 7
Position: South side of Berners Bay
See Google Map -- Berners Bay is the big bay in the center of the map.

Steve swam 3 hrs 15 minutes this morning, covering 6.4 miles in good weather. By the time Steve got out of the water, Steve was about 1 mile off the south point of Berners Bay. Steve will be swimming again this evening to complete the crossing of the bay and to proceed further down the east shore of the Lynn Canal.

Folks in Juneau who want to visit with the group, can easily put in at Echo Cove and come out to take pictures and lend support during this evening's swim, which will start at about 4pm.

If you'd like to talk to Steve or the support team, please use the following numbers:

907-723-1261
812-603-2746

They'd love to hear from you.

Also, check out http://www.lynnswim.org/support.php to find out what you can do to help.

Report Time: Saturday August 6, 745 pm
Position: 3 Miles north of the mouth of Berners Bay
See Google Map -- Berners Bay is the large bay with the lighter colored water)

Today was the first sunny and relatively calm day on Steve Vick's swim from Skagway to Juneau. Steve entered the water at 3:49 pm and by 7:45 pm had completed an amazing 7.1 miles. The calmer water has enabled Steve to regain the planned schedule and he plans to cross the mouth of Berners Bay during his Sunday swim, which is slated to start at 4 am on Sunday morning. The weather forecast calls for good weather for the next 3 or 4 days, which is very heartening for Steve and the support team. The rough and rainy weather in the past few days has made for extremely difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions.

A group of supporters from Haines sailed down to the team today bringing them fresh water and needed supplies, as well as good cheer and supportive wishes from the communities of Skagway and Haines--on whose behalf Steve is making this incredible effort. Steve and the support team wants everyone to know how much they appreciate everyone's support and they encourage folks to get the word out about Steve's journey in any way they can. The administration needs to know how you feel about the proposed road. Steve is doing his part in the water. Please do your part to ensure that his effort is effective.

Steve is now at the halfway mark and he has been getting regular horn blasts from the passing Alaska Marine Highway ferries as they show their support.

Report Time: 8 pm Friday August 5th
Location: South Tip of Sullivan Island, Lynn Canal
See Google Map Sullivan Island is the large island in the center of the map.

Steve Vick swam another 4.7 miles this afternoon to bring his daily total for Friday to 10.1 miles. The water averaged about 56.5 degrees during this afternoon's swim. Steve's remarkable progress today was in spite of a steady 4-7 ft south swell all day today!

The team would like to express its thanks to the M/V Fairweather-- one of the Alaska Marine Highway ferries that regularly carries passengers and cars along the route of the swim and the the proposed road-- for diverting its course today to avoid effecting the progress of Steve and the support crew aboard the boats and kayaks.

Steve has received lots of encouraging letters in the local press and folks are very appreciative of the effort he is making on behalf the the residents whose virtually unanimous opinions against the road have been largely ignored by the State of Alaska.

Report Time: 2:30 pm Friday Aug 5, 2005
Location: East Side Lynn Canal, Just South of Eldred Rock, Haines Alaska,
See: Google Map -- Eldred Rock is the tiny spec in the center of the map)

Steve Vick continued his southward journey today through large swells kicked up by a stiff south wind. He entered the water at 4:19 am and swam until 8:05 am, covering a distance of 5.42 miles. During this morning's swim, he crossed over from the Chilkat Islands to the East Side of the Lynn Canal. Currently, the team is just south of Eldred Rock.

The East Side of Lynn Canal is the favored route for the proposed road against which Steve and his team are protesting. The area is incredibly rugged and beautiful with high mountains plunging into the fjord below. For the rest of the trip Steve will be parallelling the route of the proposed road.

Steve will be entering the water again this afternoon for another swim. He is in great shape and is greatly encouraged by the amount of attention his efforts -- on behalf of the majority of the residents of the Upper Lynn Canal -- are garnering locally and abroad.

Steve's swim is mentioned in this article on the Reuters website:

Alaska senator defends funding for bridges

ANCHORAGE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Two huge Alaska bridge projects that won funding in the newly passed U.S transportation bill, including a $220 million span the size of the Golden Gate Bridge in a city of fewer than 8,000, are well worth the money, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens said on Monday.
"I remember when I was a young person in California, when people accused the people in Washington (D.C.) of being wasteful in thinking about building a bridge called the Golden Gate Bridge because no one lived in Marin County at the time," Stevens said at a news conference, referring to San Francisco's iconic red bridge.
Skeptics say the proposed Alaska bridges waste taxpayers' money and harm the environment, essentially providing government-subsidized access for companies to log trees, dig up minerals or extract other resources.
The transportation bill, passed in the U.S. Senate last week, authorized over $220 million for a 200 foot-high (61-metre-high) road bridge to connect Ketchikan, a city of fewer than 8,000, to a ferry-served island that holds the local airport and is home to about 50 people.
Another $229 million, out of a total package of $1 billion for Alaska, was earmarked for a 2-mile (3-km) bridge from Anchorage to a sparsely inhabited section of marshes and muskeg across the glacier-fed Knik Arm channel.
Those funds are for preliminary work, and estimates put the total cost of the bridges much higher, at more than $2 billion for the Knik Arm bridge alone.
"We just think that there's got to be a better way, a better way to appropriate money and a better use for the money," said Steve Cleary, executive director of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group.
On Monday, a swimming coach from southeast Alaska began a 92-mile (150 km) protest swim in icy Lynn Canal to call attention to a controversial $15 million project to begin building a road connecting the Alaska state capital of Juneau to the town of Skagway and the highway that leads out of it.

Steve Vick swam on Wednesday from a position near Battery Point to the mouth of Mud Bay on the Chilkat Peninsula (see Google Map -- Mud Bay is the indent in the center of the Map). The distance covered was 5.75 miles and the route included a 1.38 mile stretch of water that was 10 degrees colder than any other section of the swim so far. The cold water (which averaged 42 degrees) was a result of the outflow of the glacier-fed Katzehin river into Chilkoot Inlet. Steve elected to sprint through the cold section, covering the 1.38 miles of frigid water in an amazing 24 minutes! Once he emerged back into the relative warmth of the 54 degree water, Steve said it felt like entering a jacuzzi! Steve finished strong yesterday and the group overnighted in Mud Bay after covering a total of 5.75 miles.


Thursday Morning, August 4, 2005
Steve Vick swam from 4:42 am to 7:22 am, covering the distance from Mud Bay to Seduction Point, located at the southern tip of the Chilkat Peninsula (see Google Map -- Seduction Point is in the center of the map). This morning's swim saw Steve swimming through 4-5 foot swells, which he took in stride, once again finishing strong without any cold-water effects on his body. The team is currently sheltered in a cove in the Chilkat Islands, just south of Seduction point. They plan to resume Steve's epic southward journey at first light on Friday (about 3:30 am) to take advantage of the falling tide.

Steve's effort to capture national attention about local opposition to the proposed road from Juneau to Skagway, has so far seen him in the water for a total of 16 hours and 10 minutes, covering a distance of 26 miles.

Report Time: 9:30 pm Wednesday Aug 3, 2005
Location: Chilkat Peninsula, Haines Alaska,
See: Google Map

The team callled in for their report this evening, but poor weather conditions prevented clear communications. Steve Vick left the overnight stopping point just south of Battery Point on the outgoing tide at 2pm this afternoon. This evening, the group is anchored along the Chilkat Peninsula about 10 miles south of Haines. We will post more information on Thursday. Steve was feeling well rested and in good spirits

Report Time: 2:30 pm Tuesday Aug 2, 2005
Location: Port Chilkoot Dock, Haines Alaska,
See: Google Map and Photos from Day 1 and Day 2

Steve Vick continued his effort to raise national awareness about local opposition to the proposed road from Juneau to Skagway.

Steve and his support team awoke early Tuesday to continue on their journey, picking up where they left off last night. Steve swam with the outgoing tide from near Taiyasanka harbor to Nukdik point in Haines, a distance of about 7 miles. He arrived in Haines at about 9 am this morning and the team took the opportunity rush about gathering items and provisions that they realized they needed for the rest of the journey.

At lunch time, an enthusiastic crowd of over 120 Haines residents gathered on the Port Chilkoot beach in Haines to see Steve and his team off on the next leg of their journey south. The gathering of well-wishers took advantage of good weather to enjoy a barbecue provided by local businesses and to wish Steve well. Everyone appreciates the great effort and sacrifice that Steve is going through to make the community's voice heard. As Steve pointed out, the goal of the swim is to show the decision-makers in Juneau and Washington how unpopular the road idea is to the residents of the uppper Lynn Canal.

To loud cheers and the company of two hardy Haines residents who took to the water without wetsuits, Steve entered the chilly waters to continue his swim. The group hopes to get a good meal and night's rest in Mud Bay, just south of Haines.

Report Time: 8:50pm Monday Aug 1, 2005
Location: Taiyasanka Harbor, Lutak Inlet, Haines Alaska,
See: Google Map

Steve Vick left Skagway Alaska today at 1:15pm following an enthusiastic send off by about 40 well-wishers. Bucking pretty choppy conditions--and at one point an opposing tide--Steve covered 8 miles. His route took him mainly along the western side of Taiya inlet. Steve rounded out the day at about 6pm in the protected waters of Taiyasanka Harbor. The water temp. averaged 53 degrees. The steady south wind resulted in some swell which didn't really impede Steve's progress, but the chop at one point caused him to swallow a lot of sea water. This caused Steve to feel a little nauseous and left him unable to eat his energy-sustaining snacks (provided to him by his kayak-based support crew.) Steve finished the day's swimming feeling as good as ever and rounded out the day with a big meal and some stretching.

The team plans to rise early in the morning on Tuesday to catch the outgoing tide and plan to swim from Taisanka to Haines between 3am and 7am. Steve will attend a noon send off from the citizens of Haines before diving back into Lynn Canal to continue his southward progress to Juneau as a way to draw national attention to local opposition to the proposed road between Juneau and Skagway.

Along the way today, the team was acknowledged by the horn blasts of a passing Alaska Marine Highway state ferry and the crew and passengers of Chilkat Cruises' shuttle ferry that slowed to take photos and hang a NO ROAD banner to encourage the team. Skagway provided a great send off on Sunday night when about 70 folks attended a fund raiser at the Red Onion Saloon--raising about $2,600!

Anyone wishing to contact the team on the boat can call 907-723-1261 (local call for all of Southeast Alaska). Leave a voice mail if the team is out of range. Alaska Public Radio called today for an in-progress interview that was aired on the evening news.

Mentally, Steve is doing great and is buoyed by the support he is receiving on this very tough challenge. Check back on Tuesday for the next update.