COOK STRAIT SWIM

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1929, Page 2

COOK STRAIT SWIM

MISS M. GLEITZE. ARRIVING AT WELLINGTON THIS WEEK. Two attempts are to be made to suir Cook Strait within the next few weeks. Miss Lily Coppiestone, of Ashburton. will be the first to essay the task, starting next Saturday from Cape Koainaru in the South Island and attempting to end her journey somewhere in the vicinity of Cape Oban, in the North Island. Good swimmer as Miss Copplostom* is. she will find her greatest difficulty that ol overcoming the very cold water which deleated Webster’s attempt hist February, states the Wellington “Post.” But he had been used to swimming in the warmer waters id' the Auckland province, and the cold was too much for. him. On the other band, this trouble may not hinder Miss Copplestone’s success, as women are notably better able to withstand colder temperatures than men. Miss Copplcstono. however, is not the only “Richmond” in the field, for an English girl, Miss Mercedes Gleitze, or proved swimming ability, also intends to try and swim the distance between the two islands, and will arrive at Wellington this week by the Cnrintbic for the purpose. Miss Gleitze lias come into world prominence because of her pluck and endurance as a long-distance swimmer. Just prior to leaving England on December' 7th. on the Coriutliie, sin* stated to a newspaper representative that slu* was tired of bathing in cold water, and that she longed to try “the warmer conditions of New Zealand’s sea.” Tn this she will probaly be disappointed, as tlie waters of Cook Strait are well known to be very cold, and, just as the English seas are open to the icy water of the North Pole regions, so are New Zealand’s sea areas similarly open to the South Pole. Tn the summer of 1922 Miss Mercedes Gleitze made her first attempt to conquer the English Channel, and slie tried on eight occasions before she attained her ambition. Slit* claimed fo have succeeded on October 7th. 1927. but. as the swim was not officially attested and some doubt was east on her Channel performance bv Dr Dorothy Logan’s confession as to her own Channel swim hoax, Miss Gleitze made another trial in icy water on October 22nd. The accompanying boat was manned by pressmen and official witnesses. After swimming for over ten hours, she was taken out of the water exhausted when a little over five miles from Dover. REWARD OF PERSEVERANCE. Miss Gleitze then proceeded to Gibraltar, with the intention of swimming the Straits, a feat never before accomplished. She had a competitor in tlie person of Miss Mille Hudson, another typist, and the two swimmers left England in the same steamer. Miss

Hudson, however, failed to achieve tlie feat and returned home. Miss Gleitze’s first effort was made from Tangier on Dec. I.oth, 1927, but she gave up when hall-way across. On January 2nd. 1928. she got to within a mile of Taril'a, hut was overcome by the cold. On January 2dth. she was nearly drowned on her third attempt, being caught in a whirlpool. Other unsuccessful attempts wore made on March 12th. and on April Hrd. the latter effort being made from Taril'a; she gave up when about, a mile from the Moorish coast.

But victory came on April dth. She started from Taril'a, the most southerly point of Spain, and arrived at Punia Leona, on tlie coast of Morocco, after swimming for twelve hours fifty minutes.

“I entered the water at 7.d0 a.m. on the morning of April dth.” she said, after she. landed. “After fifteen mi miles I almost decided to return owing to the rough sea and unfavourable tide. I swam. on. however, and the conditions liecoming gradually more favourable. i began to make good progress. The water continued rough. During the last four hours and a-lialf of tin* swim it was raining all tlie nine. HOST OK WITNESSES.

“Two fishing smacks carried about sixty Spanish witnesses. Feeling very fit. I swam steadily, being carried up and down the straits until I landed at a deserted spot on the Moroccan coast after 12:| hours’ swim. In the middle of tlie straits it was very rough owing to a freshening wind, but I struggled through, using the breast stroke. .1 was ravenously hungry tlie whole of the time.

“There is no doubt about the authenticity of my swim. Sixty or seventy people would not lie about it. None but the malicious-minded can question it. A full affidavit, signed by a large number of witnesses who are being sworn, will be forwarded to me. These signatures will include Dr Bonigio Espinosa, my medical attendant. Professor Morn Roia and eight others who were in tlie rowing boat. There was no Englishman aboard except Air Henry Solis, who is the son of a retired Britisher.”

. Armed with a jagged fragment of rock front Morocco and a handful of .Moroccan sand. Miss Gleitze returned to Tarifa by boat. She was greeted with the strains of “God Save the King” from a band and by cheering crowds. Apparently the actual distance swum was 24-miles, although by direct line it is only nine miles.

During this summer Miss Gleitze was at Blackpool taking part iu swimming carnivals, and then she went to Ireland, hoping to conquer the Irish Channel. But after four attempts she decided to give up liecause of the intensely cold water. “I just long to feel some warmer water in New Zealand,” she said, “far removed from ice lloes front the North Pole.” Miss Gleitze was asked how wide Cook Strait might bo. “Ninety miles at the widest part,” said the dauntless swimmer “but I would cross at tlie narrowest, where it is sixteen.” "Whereupon Miss Gleitze smiled with that wistful bewilderment which is said to have had a remarkable effect upon tlie grandees of Tangier. Miss Gleitze says that she has beard so much about the Maoris that she longs to see them, and what she has beard of the Dominion inspires her with enthusiasm. She was born at Brighton, in Hie south of England, and learned to swim tlio.ro before she was ten years old. She was educated at the East Hoe Higher Grade School, and went to London eight years ago. where she follows the calling of a typist. She has never boon keen to attempt swimming speed records, her interest being in long distance events. Tf successful in crossing Cook Strait, she intends to return to England, and will then make a further attempt lo swim the Irish Channel, which lias so far defeated her.