MILWAUKEE (WHTC/WKZO, Sept. 3, 2023) – On Labor Day, Jim Dreyer will again undergo a labor of love.
The 60-year-old Grand Haven man will step into the waters of Lake Michigan on Monday afternoon to begin an 82.5 mile-long swim across Lake Michigan. It’s a second attempt at swimming from Bradford Beach to Grand Haven City Beach, after an initial attempt on August 1st was aborted after about 10 miles due to weather conditions that swept him and his escort boat more than two miles off course.
On this effort, Dreyer will swim alone, without an escort boat, as he will carry 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. While he will have the latest GPS technology with him on this excursion, which he is initially projecting to last about 60 hours, Dreyer admits that it could easily go over 90 miles and last up to 72 hours.
“I am not good at walking away from a goal before achieving it. While the safety net of having my professional support team with me on the water is definitely preferred, there are times, in certain conditions, where I stand a better chance on beating the elements alone without concerns related to the escort boat. There is only time for one more attempt this summer, and I do not want to risk the chance of what occurred last time happening again.” – Jim Dreyer
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 Offiders Association. He is attempting his second swim across Lake Michigan, 25 years after his successful crossing from Mantiwoc, 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.
