Growing up as a Michigan East-sider, I had the privilege of spending countless hours watching countless ships passing through the Detroit River, St. Clair flats, St. Clair River, and through the middle of Lake Huron on their journeys to load and deliver goods to various international destinations. How we idolized those ships! "What was it like to be working on one!?" "They look like cruise ships at night!" The low rumbling hum of the engines still always a welcome sound no matter what time of day or night, and that horn blast! One of my favorite ships to spot in my youth was the Louis R Desmarais, which would frequent our channels, and has been renamed and can still be spotted as the CSL Laurentien. Not the biggest ship on the lake, but there was something about the old ships that were named after prominent people of historical note. A few other snap-worthy ships we still love to catch sight of are the Paul Tregurtha, H. Lee White, and the Arthur M Anderson, the last ship to have contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald before her sinking in the fateful storm.
Now, imagine hearing about a chance to be part of preserving the lighthouses that keep the current shipping and boat traffic out of harms way, and helping preserve maritime history, with an epic swim fundraiser! If you've read this far you know it is needless for me to say that I am so amped to be part of this exciting and challenging event! Three other swimmers and I are tasked with splitting up a 23 mile swim in Lake Huron, as part of the last 411 miles of the journey the Edmund Fitzgerald never had the chance to complete 50 years ago. This probably sounds like an outrageous, logistically crazy event to pull off, but I believe in Jim Dreyer's mission to educate, fundraise, and give all us crazy dreamers a chance to show what we're made of. I'll be sure to post updated details as I'm sure in a years time logistics may be modified to suit the laws and weather conditions.
I will be sharing my journey of becoming a more confident open water swimmer and all that comes with it, and hopefully in the process help others dare to live their dreams and get out and do the outrageous things.
Thank you for supporting me in this historic, once-in-a-lifetime adventure that will carry on the legacy of the 29 men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago. By helping me meet my fundraising goal, you are also helping preserve the Whitefish Point Lighthouse that safeguards mariners along Lake Superior's "Shipwreck Coast."
