Grabbing the rail at the finish. Photo Karen Voigts
Mellon Professor Margie Miles conquers the Hellespont — one of the most significant open water swims in the world — winning her age group in the traditional annual swim which crosses two continents from Eceabat to Çanakkale, Turkey. Here she relates the account of the big race day.
This summer I thought it would be fun to swim the Hellespont, following in the wake of Leander and Lord Byron. I was inspired in part by the costume worn by ASCSA Trustee Andrew Bridges to a Lord Byron-themed party given by Trustee Bob McCabe back in June, 2011, as part of the ASCSA anniversary celebrations that year: Andrew came as Byron after the swim, dressed in swimming trunks and flip-flops!
My training this summer included a trip offered by Swimtrek along the coast of Lycia, where my sister and I enjoyed twice daily swims from a gullet, and got advice on our strokes from the Australian coach who led the trip. We saw giant sea turtles, a sunken WWII plane, and snorkeled over the harbor of Aperlai.
The Hellespont swim has been organized for 27 years by the Rotary Club of Çanakkale and Swimtrek: they arrange for the international shipping to stop for an hour and a half on one day of the year to allow the crossing. What is challenging for a swimmer are the strong currents generated by the topography and the exchange of colder water from the Black Sea and warmer water from the Aegean. For three days before the event, however, the sea was perfectly calm and we kept hoping Poseidon and the Hellespont would continue to oblige us. But on the day of the swim (August 30th) there were force 4 winds which created a lot of chop and made it very rough. I could imagine Xerxes’ bridge being destroyed in such conditions!
A ferry took us from Çanakkale across to Eceabat on the European side, slightly south from where Lord Byron crossed. Imagine about 500 swimmers —clad in suits, caps and goggles, and white papery slippers provided by the Çanakkale Rotary Club stamped with their logo — standing on the deck of a vehicle ferry, anxiously looking for the landmarks we were told to use! Our route was supposed to take us out and across, then we were to turn south, a looping course of ca. 4.5 kilometers. Sighting while swimming is the crucial part of the crossing (hence Hero’s lamp held for Leander).
Swimmers race near Eceabat. Photo: Vural Celikoglu
The hardest part was the first kilometer out of Eceabat, where the wind was pounding the water into the shore. My sister was one of about 200 who had to be pulled out for lack of time for the crossing. She said she swam by the same orange buoy five times but kept being blown back!
I managed to make my way out into the middle, where I sighted the radio tower on the Asian side for what seemed a very long time, and realized that in fact I was being pushed south. I swam hard for the opposite coast, still aiming for other landmarks above the finish ramp because I was concerned not to be swept past the finish and out toward the Aegean, as some swimmers were last year. Finally a fishing boat came by and the people aboard pointed south toward the finish ramp, so I understood that in their opinion I should now head in. I made it! And I was delighted when I got a gold medal for my age group. This was a great way to celebrate the beginning of my 61st year!
On the podium. Photo Karen Voigts
