Category: Swimming

I can’t believe it, but as far as I can tell, I haven’t done a Chas Lap since the 2019 Chaslapaloosa. If I have done a Chas Lap between August 2019 & February 2026, I didn’t have a GPS watch on. Apart from posting to Strava and/or making notes in my TideLog, I haven’t been great at actually documenting long-ish swims. I really don’t want to have to dig through 6 years to TideLogs in my storage unit to see if I’ve done a Chas Lap that wasn’t recorded by a GPS watch. So here’s to starting a new tradition in 2026 where I keep better track of my more eventful swims.

Today I swam with Bobby, Barry, John & Brian. It was going into high tide, so we swam through the Farnsworth Gap and under the Tunnels to Gashouse Cove. Somewhere along the way to Gashouse, I started to think that the conditions were ripe for a possible Chas Lap.

At Gashouse we met up with Packer & Fiona. Bobby talked about weaving in and out of the Fort Mason piers, but the flood didn’t feel that strong to me, and I was worried the ebb would be coming in closer to high tide at 9:30, so I suggested swimming to Creakers instead. That way if the ebb did arrive early we wouldn’t get stuck west of the Opening.

At the Opening, Barry & John peeled off to head back to the Club. The rest of us soldiered on. The flood started really picking up, so I took it easy along the Breakwater to conserve energy in case I had to fight the flood up the Inside. Luckily the flood wasn’t too bad on the inside, but halfway back I swallowed a massive amount of water. I had to stop swimming to cough it out and almost puked. The smell of the birdshit on the Breakwater was overwhelming. Once I cleared it out, I let the others know I was OK. We swam around to the Opening where Bobby, Packer & Fiona continued to swim for another 45 minutes. I decided to head back after that coughing fit, and Brian swam back with me.

Date: February 1, 2026
Toes In: 8:29 am
Distance: 3,677 yd
Time: 1:15:53
2026 Chas Lap Count: 1

Date: January 1, 2026
Splash: 8:43 am
Distance: 3,042 yd
Time: 58:04
​Alcatraz Count: 9

This was my longest Alcatraz swim distance-wise. We arrived off the island on Bravo around 7:30 am and had to wait for the pilot boats to arrive. The original splash time was 8:15 am, but a loaded cargo ship came through and forced us to hold our jump until about 8:45. High tide was predicted for about 7:45 so with the later jump there was a thought that the strong ebbs would kick in, so we were told to sight on the Ferris wheel at Fisherman’s Wharf. Just as the ship was abeam of Bravo the fog dropped. The Ferris wheel is white and wasn’t lit. It was still flooding when I jumped, and I ended up moving about 500 yds in 5 mins. The fog lifted enough to catch sight of the wheel but it was a struggle to sight on it. I’m so glad I remembered to wear my contacts. As I nearly got across the channel I spotted Adele in a kayak who told me I needed to start swimming west. When I stopped to talk to her I noticed that it was only at slack or maybe slightly flooding still. By the time I hit the Breakwater at Creakers the ebb finally started and I got a push in.

The last time I swam a New Year’s Day Alcatraz in 2024 it took me 39 mins to swim a nearly straight 2,106 yd. line.