Barrington man's bid for historic Atlantic Ocean swim postponed to Wednesday
Rough Atlantic Ocean conditions have delayed Barrington resident Doug McConnell's plan for a historic swim between two iconic Massachusetts islands to raise money for ALS patients.
McConnell, 61, had been scheduled to begin his 18-mile open water marathon between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard at 7 a.m. Monday. He assembled a support crew of local boat captains, navigation experts and ocean kayakers.
But a National Weather Service forecast predicting wind gusts of up to 25 knots and seas reaching 4 feet in Nantucket Sound forced postponement of the swim to Wednesday. The weather service also issued a small-craft advisory late Monday morning.
"Of course, the decision to postpone has an impact on everything," said McConnell, who hopes to raise at least $100,000 for his nonprofit A Long Swim. "On-water and onshore crew, support boats, people availability - everything. We are scrambling like crazy to keep everything in place for the extra 48 hours."
Winds on the ocean between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are forecast for Wednesday at a maximum 10 knots and seas predicted to reach about 2 feet, according to the weather service. McConnell said not only his but his crew's safety must be taken into account.
McConnell uses long-distance swims to raise money through his nonprofit for Northwestern University's collaborative research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a progressive neuromuscular disease without prevention or cure.
He said Wednesday appears to be the deadline for the swim from Nantucket's Eel Point to the Edgartown lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard. McConnell's finish point is about 4 miles from where Edgartown police announced a shark sighting July 30 that temporarily closed the city's South Beach.
McConnell will wear a high-tech ankle device during the projected 10-hour jaunt that interferes with sharks' electroreception to find prey. Jellyfish and strong currents are among other potential obstacles.
According to the Vineyard Gazette, Deb Taylor Blair and James Pittar were the first to swim the channel between the islands in 2000, but they went in the opposite direction to Nantucket. McConnell's swim will be longer.
Plans call for portions of McConnell's swim to be on live over A Long Swim's Facebook page. He also may be followed on the track.rs/ALongSwim website.