GREAT PUBLIC INTEREST IN LAKE SWIMMERS

Taupo Times, Volume V, Issue 209, 3 February 1956, Page 4

GREAT PUBLIC INTEREST IN LAKE SWIMMERS

Record Attempts by Margaret Sweeney And Roger McMahon

There was great public interest last weekend in the attempt made by Miss Margaret Sweeney to swim a forty mile course on Lake Taupo, and that made by Mr Roger McMahon to swim to Taupo from the point in Stump Bay whence Miss Margaret Sweeney made her successful attempt on Janaury 30, 1955. Mr McMahon' s attempt was the first made by a man to cover this course.

Both swimmers arrived in Taupo from Auckland on the Friday afternoon. Mr McMahon and his party left Taupo for the southern end of the lake on Mr J. D. McLeod's launch Moanaroa at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday, in readiness to commence his swim on Sunday morning, January 29. Miss .Sweeney's attempt had been planned to start from Taupo on Saturday evening. Messrs Jack Taylor and Sons' launch Victory, wTith Miss Sweeney's party aboard, arrived off the Taharepa Beach, Taupo, about 7.30, and the swimmer, with Mr Graeme Whitmore, of Auckland, who was to share the task of pacing her from time to time, were brougiit ashore by dinghy. As they entered the water they were given a round oi applause by a crowd of 500 or 600 people who had gathered on the beach. They commenced swimming at about 7.50 p.m. Following cairn weather all day, a gusty easterly wind had been blowing for the previous hour and a half, producing a choppy sea from left to right across the swimmers' course, which was from Taupo, past the eastern side of Motutaiko Island to a mark placed south of Motuoapa Peninsula, and thence back to Taupo on the western side of the island. It was obvions that unless this died down it would make conditions extremely difficult if not impossible, not only for the swimmers but for the rowers in the accompanying dinghy. After about half an hour's swimming the attempt was abandoned. By Sunday morning the weather was again cairn, and a fresh start was made from Taharepa Beach. Miss Sweeney was • accompanied on this occasion by another pacer, Mr Peter Mathieson, of Taumarunui, a formed New Zealand backstroke champion, and a crowd of about 100 gave the couple an encouraging round of hand clapping as they commenced swimming at 9.41 a.m.

At 11 a.m. Mr Godfrey Taylor reported by radio from the Victory to the Launch Owners' Association's base station, operated by Mrs J. Storey, that the party, with an accompanying flotilla of half a dozen boats, was off Tauhara Township and that Miss Sweeney was doing 52 strokes per minute. Water temperature was 65 degrees. At this time Mr J. D. McLeod, from the launch Moanaroa, reported that Mr Roger McMahon, who had started from Stump Bay, near Tokaanu, at 5.39 a.m., in an attempt to swim the course to Taupo which Miss Sweeney swam in 13 hours 39 minutes on Sunday, January 30, 1955, was swimming well, doing 44 strokes per minute. He was then not quite past Motutaiko Island. News of Mr McMahon's progress was being given to Miss Sweeney, who was keenly in terested in his attempt. He passed the marker at Motuoapa at 7.10 a.m. and cleared the northern tip of Motuoapa Peninsula at 7.42 a.m. At noon the Moanaroa reported that McMahon was swimming well, and that the lake was cairn, with hardly a ripple. The Victory's report was that Margaret Sweeney was still "going strong," and that Graeme Whitmore was swimming with her for a time. At two p.m. the Moanaroa reported

that McMahon, having passed west ward Of Motutaiko Island, was about three miles on the Taupo side of it. still doing 44 strokes to the minute, and that there was then a light following or sontherly breeze behind him. Victory's report a minute later was that Margaret Sweeney was abreast of Te Kohaiataaku Point, near Rotongaio lagoon, heading toward the east side of Motutaiko Island, that there was a sontherly breeze, which was raising quite a choppy head sea, and that she was swimming behind the boat. At this time, exemplifying the often tricky character of the winds on Lake Taupo, there was in Taupo itself and south to ^beyond Rangatira Point, a fresh north-easterly breeze. A little over an hour later, Mr Godfrey Taylor radioed to Mrs Storey at the Base Station that Margaret Sweeney had been taken from the water at 3.3 p.m. owing to an attack of cramp, and that the Victory was to go over to the Moanaroa. Meantime, from the Moanaroa, Mr J. D McLeod reported that Roger McMahon was still swimming stronglv, and still had cairn water.. Shortly after four p.m. Mr McLeod reported to the Base Station that McMahon was swimming well, but that for the past two hours his stroke had been 40 per minute. Thongh the northerly wind at Taupo was still freshening, Mr McLeod reported that there was no wind and the water was glassy cairn for the swimmer. Mr Ron Houghton, in charge of the launch Manunui, then radioed from Mine Bay that there was a fresh north-easterly wind there. Shortly after this the north-easterly wind reached the spot where the Moanaroa, with the Victory i n company, was shepherding Roger McMahon, and the swimmer was soon battling against head seas which increased rapidly.

A radio report from the Victory to Mrs Storey at the Base Station advised that McMahon had been taken out of the water at 4.55 p.m. He had thus swum for 11 hours 16 minutes. When the Victory reached Taupo about 6.30 the wharf and surroundings were crowded by spectators who cheered Miss Sweeney as the launch came alongside. She expressed her determination to return to Taupo later to make another attempt on the distance record. The Moanaroa berthed about 20 minutes later, and Mr McMahon received hearty applause. Though obviously tired, and with eyes bloodshot from his battle with the head sea at the close of his swim, he was in good spirits despite the disappointing weather conditions that had ended his effort.