THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506210073
SECTION: REAL LIFE PAGE: K3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
THE CHALLENGE began as a mutual commitment just after midnight at a New Year's Eve party.
Parker Neff and Richard Parente made a promise that they would swim the Chesapeake Bay by early summer.
On June 10, the two triathletes congratulated each other on the beach. They both had made the 12-mile trek from Fisherman's Island to the shores of Cape Henry in less than five hours.
They are among only a handful of people to attempt the feat, and they did it for a good cause. With the help of local sponsors, they raised nearly $6,000 for the Norfolk and Mount Trashmore YMCA's ``We Build People'' program.
``The Y gives away over $200,000 a year in scholarships and services to needy families,'' said Neff, who trains at the downtown Y. ``I think it's a great organization.''
The two accomplished their mission in what they have been told is record time. Parente made it in four hours and 28 minutes, Neff in four hours and 45 minutes.
Troy Lewis, a Norfolk resident, triathlete and former competitive swimmer, swam the Bay 10 years ago in about five hours and five minutes.
``Parente's is the fastest and Neff's is the second fastest times so far,'' Lewis said. ``They've obviously proved they're very good swimmers, to say the least.''
The endeavor was not as difficult as anticipated.
``I expected to have to dig deeper,'' said Neff, a 35-year-old Norfolk real estate broker. ``It wasn't as tough as we expected. We trained for a six- or seven-hour swim.''
Parente, a 32-year-old insurance inspector in Virginia Beach and former member of the Old Dominion University swim team, said they were ``both mentally prepared.''
The pair began training in February, swimming up to 30,000 meters a week, two to three hours nearly every day, in indoor pools. Both had swum in smaller, group events previously, but crossing the Bay meant going into unfamiliar waters.
But the weather and water conditions were ideal for the swim. The air temperature was in the low 80s, water temperature was in the low 70s, with a slight wind chop.
``We hit it right,'' Neff said.
The only real problem they encountered was securing escort boats. Originally planned for June 3, the challenge had to be postponed because promised support crafts fell through. The pair finally arranged for a sailboat, a motorboat and two sea kayaks for backup. A physician was on board the motorboat in case of an emergency. Sailboats are preferred because the swimmers can get pulled by the steady draft. Motorboats give off fumes.
Boats provided only basic foods and fluids, which were thrown to the swimmers. The athletes never left the water. They did not wear wetsuits, only Speedos, caps and a lanolin-based lubricant to protect against irritation.
``We're purists,'' Parente said. ``That's how it's been done in the past.''
There were some minor concerns, however. The swimmers put on weight in anticipation of colder water, but that proved not to be a problem. The possibility of sharks and the perils of shipping channels did cross the swimmers' minds. A swimmer easily can be sucked to his death if he comes too close to an oceangoing vessel.
``The only part that was kind of creepy was crossing the shipping channel,'' Parente said. ``The water is colder and much deeper, an eerie feeling. If you encounter any ships you have to yield, but none came close.''
At one point, Parente was escorted by a school of dolphins.
The plan was to follow the tides and currents and use them in a kind of slingshot approach across the Bay. Harbor pilot Nathaniel Green assisted them with their course. At one point Parente was past the mouth of the bay and into the ocean, but it did not pose a problem.
Things worked out almost perfectly.
The landing site was the Navy's hovercraft installation at Fort Story. Neff came ashore near the base, Parente several hundred yards down the beach, both around 5 p.m.
After a shoreline celebration, Neff and Parente got a good night's sleep. They woke up the following day and completed the Breezy Point Triathlon, both finishing in the top 70 out of 300.
The two swimmers have been friends since they met through the triathlon circuit several years ago. They intend to continue endurance competition, but whether they will go for the Bay again remains uncertain.
``Never say never,'' Neff said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
The June 10 crossing by triathletes Parker Neff, left, and Richard
Parente raised nearly $6,000 for two YMCAs.
by CNB