I had hoped to swim amongst other routes, Race Rocks to Victoria this summer. Sadly, COVID-19 created some risks I was not willing to take. The first few weeks of COVID were terrifying for me. As the pandemic made its way to Canada, I retreated to my home. Over time, and with the good fortune of living on Vancouver Island, I was able to head back out into the world, and the water.

I spent my summer with a select group of people swimming in the local bays and lakes. As the COVID numbers increased, my bubble become smaller and I retreated to more secluded waterways. My core group became the Spirit Orcas; a small group of athletes I coach. Although I did not swim for MS this year, I did swim a significant number of kilometres with it.

Starting July 1, 2020 the Spirit Orcas, youth mentor Jasmine Kremer and I swam 80 kilometres over 8 weeks raising close to $7,000 for COVID-19 relief. I plan to return to my swim for MS next year.

Here’s a video that captures some of what we experienced along the way.