After a few setbacks surrounding the first attempt, Matt Palocsay (board member and friend of Recreational Music Center) successfully completed his incredible pier-to-pier fundraising swim on Saturday, April 16, 2011. This 10 mile swim was originally scheduled and attempted on March 19, but due to severe weather, ocean conditions and health issues (read the complete details below) Matt was forced to abandon the swim 6 miles into it. So on April 16 everything came together and Matt was able to successfully complete this amazing and incredibly difficult feat.
The swim began in La Jolla Shores at the La Jolla Pier and after 5 hours in 60 degree water and approximately 10 miles of virtually non-stop swimming, Matt arrived at his destination point in OB at the OB Pier. He was accompanied by his good friend in a Kayak for support and safety measures.
Pictures and Videos from Pier-to-Pier Swim
We are so proud of Matt and this amazing physical accomplishment and even more humbled by his generosity as this swim was done as a fundraiser for Recreational Music Center’s Scholarship Fund providing funds so that families experiencing financial hardship can receive music lessons at RMC. To date, this swim has raised over $700 and even more donations are still coming in daily with the completion of his goal. To donate to this amazing event and wonderful cause click on the link below:
http://www.stayclassy.org/member/fundraising?fcid=5708
March 19 – First Attempt
Following the first attempt at completing the pier-to-pier swim, Matt Palocsay sent out this statement which really drives home the degree of difficulty this swim actually was:
Well, I wish I had better news, but my swim did not go as planned. Due to an unfortunate combination of illness and water conditions, I was only able to swim the first 6 of 10 miles of the swim. Jamie, my kayaker, and her boyfriend Robert went above and beyond and keep a bad situation from getting any worse. They are super-awesome! I can’t just leave the swim incomplete and will make another full attempt at the swim in the next couple weeks when the weather and my kayaker’s schedule match up. The tentative date is April 2.
If you are interested in what happened, please read on, otherwise, thank you again for your support and I look forward to finishing the swim soon.
So, the first obstacle I faced with the swim was getting the swine flu the week before the swim. Not fun, but I figured I was about 90% better on the day of the swim, so I didn’t need to postpone it. I had my eye on the water conditions as well, and it looked like it was going to be a bumpy ride with 4-12 foot surf along the route. That wasn’t a major concern for me since we get big swells pretty often in the cove, but it would make the entry and exit for the kayak more difficult. We planned an alternate exit for the kayak in Mission Bay, and assumed that would be that.
On the morning of the swim, the surf was pretty calm when got to the beach, and it looked like we could get the kayak in at the pier instead of the boat launch which was a mile away, and in the pre-dawn light, would make it tough to find each other in the dark out in the middle of La Jolla Cove. We tried to get the kayak in at the pier, but the surf picked up. We figured it was just a set or two and we would get a break to push Jamie through, but it was relentless. We got out butts kicked for 20 minutes in rough surf and finally had to back out and get the kayak in at the boat launch. For me, that meant getting into cold water for 20 minutes, then out for 45 minutes, then back in. This likely dropped my core temp a few degrees. I entered the water back at the pier, and it was tough to find Jamie because the surf was so big. What was 2-3 foot when we arrived became 6-8 foot an hour later. The tide was coming in as well, so the tail current I had hoped for had turned into an onshore which made it tougher to get out of the cove and also brought cooler water with it. This was the weekend of the “super moon”, so the tide change was more significant that usual. At that point, we had faced a couple challenges, but I still thought I would finish because I was feeling so strong after the taper.
The next couple hours were uneventful except for two close encounters with dolphin (one pod swam just a few feet right below me and Jamie said she saw them heading straight for me from a ways out) and the fact that we were swimming into a headwind. That put windchop in my face for 2 1/2 hours on every breath. The surf was huge, and just short of Bird Rock, we got caught inside of a rogue set that was at least 12 feet backside. I saw Jamie sprinting out in the kayak, and knew something was up, and was able to get over the first of three waves just before the deafening break. The temperature of the water dropped and was between 52 and 54 at that point.
Just short of the Pacific Beach Pier, the swim fell apart in a span of just 10 minutes. I’ve never had more than mild hypothermia (except maybe once during my first 100 mile race in 1998) and was surprised how quickly it progressed. I went from being unable to cup my hands to losing
coordination of my arms in just 10 minutes, and knew I had to get out.
I wanted to get back in the next day and swim the last 4 miles, but my body had other ideas. The flu came back with a vengeance and I’m just getting to the other side of it today. So the plan is to go back out and get the whole thing in a couple of weeks once I get over the flu and our schedules match up. I learned a lot and hope that will make the next attempt and Catalina more smooth. I’ll let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
–Matt
