(BY THE SWIMMER).
On Thursday, August 14th, Mr. J. Atwood Slater, then staying at
Marazion, who, as recorded in a recent issue, swam completely round
St. Michael's Mount, made an attempt to swim from St. Michael's Mount
to Newlyn. With his boatman (Ivey), he started from Marazion, entering
the water at S.W. corner of the Mount.
Whilst engaged in the preliminaries of the start a moment of suspense
was passed, the distance appearing sufficient (when out of water) to
unnerve all but the most intrepid of swimmers. Striking out in the
direction of Newlyn, and using the breast stroke, the shore and
beetling Mount were gradually left behind, but when a full distance of
a mile and a half was covered, a swell got up from the S.W. and blew
a quantity of water into the face of the swimmer. At each impulse
progress becoming extremely difficult; nevertheless a yet further
interval of half a mile was placed to the swimmer's credit; when,
deeming it impracticable to continue further, and having covered
relatively more than half the distance, in a mood of chagrin, he
re-entered his boat.
Then seizing the oars, and murmuring an ejaculatory note to the ocean
which had sent him not a few malign caresses, he pulled, boatman,
craft and all to Marazion; the time exactly occupied in the exploit,
of two miles and an eighth, being forty-five minutes.
On Saturday, August 23rd, Mr. Slater again, taking with him E. John,
swam in deep water, from close to the pier head St. Michael's Mount
to a point contiguous to Longrock; a distance of a mile and an eighth.
Progress was without hap or hindrance, though in a grey misty light.
At length, whilst the disappearing sun sank to rest behind a belt of
clouds, parted asunder over Penzance, the boatman was called upon to
draw in his boat, the swimmer thereupon going on board.
Experience gained upon these occasions teaches that it emphatically
requires greater nerve to swim in the open sea, always going straight
in deep water, than is called for when propelling oneself round the
Mount.
Again, on Tuesday, at ten minutes to two, the swimmer, to confirm his
past exploits and as a climax to his stay in Mount's Bay, swam from
Venton cove to St. Michael's Mount, rather in excess of a mile,
in thirty-one minutes, Ivey, his boatman merely steering his boat
alongside.
It is the swimmer's opinion, that the timing of mid, or half stroke,
is the most elegant, most difficult, and to conceal, yet fully make
use of this "break," constitutes the criterion as to whether the
swimmer, be he amateur or professional, is first-class or not.
_From the_ EXMOUTH JOURNAL, _Sept. 6th_, 1902