Courtesy of Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, Catalina Channel, California.

In October 2017, Captain David Harvey of Pacific Star, a Catalina Channel escort pilot, came upon a person floating helplessly in the ocean. The person had fallen overboard after sunset and Pacific Star was the first responder on the scene. Catalina Channel swimmer and observer Jax Cole jumped in the water to make the rescue.

The Pacific Star crew and Cole were given the Lifesaving Medal at the Los Angeles Port Police Annual Awards Ceremony.

The Lifesaving Medal is currently displayed in the cabin of Pacific Star.

Cole cruised across the Catalina Channel in October 2016, swimming with dolphins, a breaching whale and bioluminescence while feeding on her mother’s special mash potatoes. She finished her swim on the Southern California coast in 11 hours 22 minutes right under her family’s kitchen window.

Captain Harvey has escorted numerous swimmers across the Catalina Channel including Melissa Berkay who set a butterfly crossing record in 12 hours 37 minutes in August 2016.

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