Jerry Ferris - Elite long distance swimmer
Jerry Ferris became dedicated to swimming when he hit his early 40s and found himself terribly overweight and in the need of an exercise program.
He planned to seriously train so he could swim the length of Lake George in New York within a year. While on the map, Lake George appears to be 29 miles long, because of the contours, it is actually a 41 mile swim, a very difficult one as the water is cold and you have to swim through the night when there is no sun to warm you. The day that Jerry was to swim the lake, the weather was not very cooperative with rain, and wind making the swim extremely challenging.
Click here to see the vintage video from that day back in 1983 when he swam Lake George.
Jerry accomplished that mission! During the grueling swim he lost over 10 pounds, helping him far surpass another goal: losing over 100 pounds in a year.
It didn’t end there – Jerry was passionate about the benefits he had achieved from his efforts and he didn’t want to stop at the Lake George swim. Jerry set his goals high and accomplished unbelievable results, becoming an elite world class swimmer through his determination and hard work. Jerry hasn’t forgotten the critical role his wife played in his successes.
Gerry was the ultimate planner and organizer, finding experts with training expertise, making lodging arrangements, researching the technical issues facing Jerry.
Significant technical issues existed – water often less than 60 degrees – no wet suits. Even the meal and hydration preparation during long swims were dealt with methodically by Gerry following research. Remember there are no restaurants along the way when you are swimming over 20 hours non-stop.
This was no occasional hobby…this was serious business with long hours, days and months of training, and so many adventures along the way.
Lake George – 41 miles, 29.5 hours
Sacandaga Reservoir – 29 miles
Manhattan Swim – 28.5 miles, 8:43 hours
Oneida Lake – 21 miles … 17 hours 34 minutes, first ever to swim the length
7 Finger Lakes
Ocean off Boston
Jerry competed in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a 28.5-mile swim race around Manhattan Island, New York City that he finished in 8 hours and 43 minutes!
While at the dinner following the Manhattan, Jerry set another goal… “I think I want to do the English Channel. But I want to do both directions!” The record for a two-way swim – oldest swimmer - was 42 years old. Jerry would be 47. If you are able to stay on course, the distance is approximately 21 miles each way. The first time an official two-way swim was recorded was 1961 – at just over 43 hours in the water.
In preparation for the Channel swim he set his sights on New York's largest inland lake, Oneida Lake, hoping to become the first person ever to swim its length.
Click here to read the story of his swim on Lake Oneida, the first ever to accomplish this.
Long distance swimming in cold rough seas is not a task to be taken lightly. The International rules used when swimming the English Channel are strict and extensive.
· No wetsuits. You swim in cold water, 55 to 62 degrees for between 10 to 20 hours – each way! Hypothermia accounts for a large percentage of the unsuccessful attempts. Typically, 10% of the swimmers succeed, depending on condition of the seas the day you swim. The swim is known as "the Mount Everest of open-water swimming."
· You must book a registered boat pilot to guide you across the channel – Jerry flew to England to book the pilot he wanted a year in advance. Now some of the popular boat captains are being booked three years in advance.
· You must complete a 6-hour swim in cold water, 60°F or less, and get it verified prior to your swim attempt.
· A medical exam is required.
There are a lot of factors that combine to make the swim hard, but the cold is the biggest hurdle. The tides are strong and change direction approximately every six hours. The wind and weather are also a problem - as the Dover Straits are prone to local weather conditions that can change very quickly, and which do not match the forecasts.
There is also the problem of the number of ships using these waters - because to go from England to France you have to swim across the shipping lanes….over 600 commercial ship movements and 80 to 100 ferry crossings between Dover and Calais every day.
The most difficult challenge for Jerry … during his yearlong intense training … Jerry’s father drowned in a freak accident in Florida. His entire family was extremely apprehensive but nothing was going to stop Jerry.
The day of the swim, the weather looked perfect. Jerry’s brothers, having just lost their father, were unwavering in support but wanted to watch over Jerry. They went along in the pilot boat. Halfway from Dover, England to France, Jerry noticed the flag on the pilot boat was fluttering. Soon the perfect weather conditions took a turn for the worst. The very worst! Jerry could see up ahead as the props of the 52’ pilot boat were coming completely out of the water as the boat rode the dangerously tall waves. Jerry’s brothers were as seasick as could be.
The currents north were strong pushing them 14 miles north of the intended destination. The pilot boat couldn’t make it to shore and called for a dingy to accompany Jerry. The dingy couldn’t make it either so Jerry finished the swim to the shore of France unescorted. In the dark of night, Jerry swam back out to the pilot boat still fully intending to swim the second half of the two way swim back to England. The captain refused to let him!
Jerry will tell you that Mother Nature won. He did not accomplish his goal of setting the record as the oldest person to swim the Channel both directions non-stop. But Jerry is in the record book as having completed the English Channel swim one way, an amazing feat by any standard.
The first successful swim across the channel was in 1875. Over the last 145 years, a total of just 1,881 swimmers have successfully accomplished this. Jerry was one of those and he was 12 years older than the average Channel swimmer. We are ever so proud f you Jerry.