Oceanswims - Fine Ocean swimmers are we
The "Adventures in Paradise" Issue Wed, June 6, 2012
 

Para-royal takes out tallies for 2011/12...

michael foxSo now we know: the 2011/12 fine ocean swimmers tallies has been won by Duckenfield para-royal Michael J Fox. The head-hunter won with 100.5km in total swum in 36 swims over the season June 1-May 31. Sadly, Fox didn't tally the kilometres he drove, usually with the Princess Para-Royal Julie at his side, from the Lower Hunter to swims around NSW. This was unlike the rcording of the first inaugural tallies winner, Bathurst's Andrew Burke, who swam 80-odd kilometres, but drove 14,000 kilometres to do them.

Fox beat English Channel aspirant Tori Gorman on 96.5km from 13 swims, ahead of Sydney brief Justin Hanby on 92.7km from 20 swims.

The winner was announced at the oceanswims.com end of season dinner at Xanthi Greek Restaurant in Sydney on Saturday, June 2. That day, Gorman had been one of four tragics who swam from Palm Beach to Manly -- about 28km -- as a warm-up for her Channel attempt in July, in further attempt to "prove" an end-of-season epic swim course. Pity for Tori: not only was the Palm-Manly swim ineligible for the 2011/12 tallies -- it was two days after the season changed -- it's ineligible for any tallies, since it wasn't a swim open to all.

Next on the order of merit were Meadowbank sparkler Suanne Hunt, our own queen of the sea, Mrs Sparkle, on 86.2km from 34 swims, and Kiwi obsessive Jenny Stark, on 85.7km from 41 swims.

The first non-NSW swimmer was Robert Beutler, from Wessna-Stra'a, on 76.9km from 16 swims, at equal 9th.

The domination of NSW swimmers reflects the far great availability of swims in that state, with 79 separate events -- many with multiple swims -- in a season running over eight months, from mid-October through late June.
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