Rachel Golub, Patricia Sener and Cristian Vergara swam an unprecedented double-crossing of the 3-mile Beagle Channel between Chile to Argentina yesterday.

The pride of the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS) swam in frigid 38°F (4°C) water.

“The Chilean Armada was a huge help. As was the Argentine Armada, I was very happy to see those frogmen in orange. We started our swim while the tide was slack and I was on Argentina in no time,” said Patricia. “On the way back was a much different story, the current shifted direction, and every time I looked at the shoreline, it never seemed to get any closer. So I put my head down, and occasionally, I looked at the beautiful snow-capped mountains as I breathed right, but they were not doing much to warm me up. I was so cold, but I just kept telling myself to go a little bit further. I was never so happy to see kelp in my entire life.”

Details of the intrepid trio’s experiences is here; photos are posted here.

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