Forrest Nelson, waterman extraordinaire, gave Catalina Island a whirl from July 5th – 7th. The well-known night owl and marathon swimmer started his circumnavigation of Santa Catalina Island very late on July 5th and finished shortly after midnight on July 7th.

His official time of 25 hours and 35 minutes established a new record and was only the second time this circumnavigation has been accomplished. Cindy Cleveland had set the bar in 1979 when she became the first person to swim around the island.

Forrest’s strategy was different in his predecessor and the four relays that followed in her wake. The five previous swims swam in the counterclockwise direction while Forrest, true to his calling, was off to the beat of his own drum. [Read More…]