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in the middle of the channel. I’d prefer for
that not to be the norm,” La Fave says.
Typically, La Fave’s group swims from
the U.S.C.G. station to the Blockade
Runner. By sticking close to the docks,
everyone is able to move at his or her own
pace. If anyone needs to quit, the docks are
close by.
The docks serve another very important
purpose: They are the easiest landmarks to
sight while swimming in the channel. Both
Smith and La Fave are quick to pin sight-ing
as the most important skill for a novice
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
open-water swimmer to grasp.
“I always preach knowing where you’re
at,” Smith says. “That’s the biggest thing.”
Sighting is essentially a term for lifting your
head every five or six strokes and fixating
on a stationary object. That object could
be a water tower, a channel marker, or a
dock, based on where you happen to be.
“If we’re crossing the channel, then I’d
say use the channel markers, but if we’re
along the docks then … try and keep
within ten feet of the docks,” she says.
As Smith points out, sighting is a great
reference. If you suddenly notice that all
of the docks are getting farther and farther
away, not only does that let you know that
you’re not swimming in a straight line, it
also lets you know you’re drifting out into
the channel.
Smith and La Fave say there are two
ways to sight: “You can … press down dur-ing
your stroke and look up, or you can
literally stop swimming and look around.
Obviously, to keep swimming is better,
but if you’re a novice swimmer sometimes
it can be easier just to stop,” Smith says.
Stopping to look around is exactly what
Erik Rasmussen did during his first few
swims in the channel.
An unaffiliated group of Wrightsville Beach locals swim regularly with their canine companion.
Left to right: Holly Konrady, Tina Williamson, Caroline Chase, Don Weber and his dog, Chloe, Tracy Skrabal and Lyell McMerty.