Jim Avrea and Charnell Smith hosted the annual awards dinner for the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association on January 27th at the Aloha Steakhouse in Ventura, California.

Karina Garcia, Jane Cairns, and John McCarthy, together with the spirit and guidance of Evan Morrison, helped make the evening a special one for all the swimmers, their family members, supporters, and crew.

The Association’s mission is to support, promote, observe, and document marathon swims in the California Channel Islands – with the ubiquitous Captain Dawn Brooks and Tom Hodge and Captain Chris piloting the various crossings throughout the season.

Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located 19.6 km off the coast of Port Hueneme, Oxnard, California. It is part of the California Channel Islands, a chain of eight islands located off the coast of Southern California. Five of the islands are part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, a stunningly beautiful – and challenging – location for channel swimming. Swimmers often find themselves swimming with seals, sea lions, and dolphins while their escort crews are treated to whale sightings. Occasionally, multiple pods of dolphins create stampedes that cruise by swimmers and their crews.

The islands are usually visible from the California mainland. The Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth.

As the Association entered its 18th season, the Board of Directors was in the middle of a transition.

• Evan Morrison stepped down as Association president after 7 years of service. He will continue as a board member to support the transition and maintain the website and results data.
• Peter Hayden was named the new president, a continuation of his service since 2015 as a frequent observer and a pioneer of five routes in the Channel Islands – Anacapa circumnavigation, Anacapa lollipop, Santa Barbara Island circumnavigation, Santa Barbara Island to Catalina Island, and the Santa Barbara Iisland-Catalina lollipop route combines a circumnavigation and a cross-channel swim.
• Gary King joined as a new board member.

Anacapa to California Mainland Crossings

• Katherine Soltis in 6 hours 26 minutes on May 15th
• Jennifer Whitlock in 12 hours 0 minutes on July 6th
• Tyler Sutton in 9 hours 56 minutes on July 15th
• Angela Lee in 11 hours 25 minutes on July 18th
• Scott Kunz in 9 hours 32 minutes on July 22nd
• Mary Singer in 6 hours 31 minutes on August 9th
• Eric Durban and Lars Durban in 6 hours 10 minutes on August 29th
• Ross Youngman in 7 hours 8 minutes on September 5th
• Jane Cairns and John McCarthy in 5 hours 44 minutes on September 6th
• Ragip Vural Tandoğan in 8 hours 33 minutes on September 8th
• James Jonsson in 7 hours 10 minutes on September 13th
• Jax Tatro in 8 hours 35 minutes on September 19th
• Caitlin Swalec in 7 hours 12 minutes on October 3rd
• Brian Amende in 8 hours 55 minutes on October 8th
• Robin Hipolito in 9 hours 16 minutes on October 14th

California Mainland-Around Anacapa Island-California Mainland

• Jessica Kieras in 20 hours 36 minutes on September 23rd

Throughout the year, several swimmers also achieved the California Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming which is a successful solo crossings of the Santa Barbara Channel, Catalina Channel, and lengthwise crossing of Lake Tahoe. For a complete list, visit here.

California Triple Crown Swimmers

• #40: Eric Durban achieved on August 29th
• #41: Lars Durban achieved on August 29th
• #42: Ross Youngman achieved on September 5th
• #43: Ragip Vural Tandoğan achieved on September 8th
• #44: James Jonsson achieved on September 13th
• #47: Robin Hipolito achieved on October 14th

For more information on swims with the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association, visit santabarbarachannelswim.org. The map of the swim routes by the swimmers listed above are compiled below by John McCarthy.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“