MILWAUKEE (WHTC-AM/FM, Sept. 6, 2023) – For the second time in five weeks, an attempt to swim across Lake Michigan by Jim Dreyer was unsuccessful.
On Tuesday evening, the 60-year-old Grand Haven man was pulled from the water about 23 miles to the northeast from Milwaukee and around 14 miles from Port Washington. A northern current that emerged in the lake at the time Dreyer started his 82.5-mile quest to swim solo to Grand Haven on Monday afternoon forced him to veer off to the northeast, in a direction more towards Ludington than the Ottawa County Seat.
On August 1st, a first attempt to swim from Bradford Beach to Grand Haven City Beach was aborted after about 10 miles due to weather conditions that swept him and his escort boat more than two miles off course. This time, Dreyer swam alone, without an escort boat, carrying a 10-foot, 225-pound support dinghy in tow behind him, similar to a 60-mile, self-sufficient swim across Lake Superior more than 18 years ago.
According to Facebook posts, the dinghy was experiencing some technical difficulties in the rough waters, and Dreyer himself posted shortly after 12 Midnight on Wednesday that he was “safe on dry land in Milwaukee.” More information is expected later on Wednesday.
Just as in the first attempt in August, Dreyer is raising funds for the Grand Haven and Western Lake Michigan chapters of the US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association. He is attempting his second swim across Lake Michigan, 25 years after his successful crossing from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington.
On August 12th, 50-year-old Bryan Huffman of Holland attempted to duplicate Dreyer’s 1998 swim, but a mechanical issue on his support boat caused him to abort the effort after 12 hours and 13 miles. Huffman, who was raising funds for the Holland Aquatic Center Foundation, will attempt the 20 Bridges Swim in New York later this month.
