Loch Ness Monster a No-Show
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on August 24th, 2010
Swimmer Braves Murky Loch Ness for Charity
Alumna’s Relay Team Crosses 23-Mile Lake to Aid Afghan Women and Children
One summer after her solo English Channel crossing, Sophie Rutenbar has again boldly gone where few have swum before her.
The UT Dallas alumna and five other long-distance swimmers completed a relay swim Aug. 5 of Scotland’s murky Loch Ness to raise money for the Afghan Mother and Child Rescue (AMCR) charity.
The six women traversed the 23-mile length of the lake, known to most as the supposed home of the Loch Ness Monster, in 13 hours and 23 minutes.
Although there was no sign of the legendary creature, the swimmers had to contend with something monstrous in its own right: bone-numbing cold water. The lake never gets much more hospitable than 41-45 degrees, even in August.
Read the entire article on the University of Texas Dallas website.
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Not to mention the whole “swimming 23 miles” thing…sheesh. I’d guess wet suits were the order of the day to keep from getting hypothermia.
However, my guess is, boats followed their progress…more than one perhaps. I’m not sure that Nessie has had a real penchant for people anyway other than the ancient highland story of the swimmer and the priest in the boat. And maybe the guy in the 70’s who tried to break a speed record and his boat blew up in the water after striking something unknown (as far as I know they never did clarify just what happened).
So, guessing that fishing for Nessie with swimmers hasn’t worked for some time. Any idea how much money they raised?
I wouldn’t have done it, but then I’m not a long distance swimmer, and to be honest my imagination would gotten the better of me. 🙂
Yikes. I’ve never been brave enough to even stick so much as my big toe in Loch Ness. It really is cold. Good on Sophie. Well done.
Well Done, ladies!
They didn’t use wetsuits – as the photos in the linked article show. I know a guy who works up there and the surface water temperature has been 11 to 12 C through most of August.
Is this a reference to John Cobb’s fatal accident in 1952 when his boat “Crusader” hit the wake of his support vessel “Maureen”? A little research will lead you to :
“Cobb returned to the loch and found the timekeepers’ 40ft boat Maureen returning to base against orders. He was angered by the wake that was created. Time was of the essence on the fickle black water, however, and he could not afford to wait any longer.”