To Benefit Epilepsy Foundation—

Jim Bayles Swims To Nantucket

Jim Bayles, of Newtown, swam through 11 miles of cold chop in Nantucket Sound from Chatham’s Monomoy Island on Cape Cod to Nantucket Island on Tuesday morning as part of an effort to raise money for epilepsy research.

The 52-year-old father of three emerged from the water at Great Point in Nantucket 5 hours and 43 minutes after he slipped into the water in Chatham.

“It was a lot colder than I expected,” said Mr Bayles, who did not wear a wet suit for the swim in the 56-degree water.

The local marathon swimmer was raising money for the Epilepsy Foundation. His 19-year-old daughter, Katie, suffers from the neurological disorder. He has raised close to $130,000 for the cause so far through this and other swims.

Mr Bayles faced four-foot waves and heavy boat traffic while making the crossing. He stopped about every 1,000 meters to tread water and rest.

He said after the swim that he has already decided his next swim will be a little closer to home where the water temperature is more hospitable.

“I think we’ve gone as far north as we want to go,” he said.

In 2002, Mr Bayles swam the English Channel, considered by distance swimmers to be the most important open water swim in the world. Fewer people have successfully swum the English Channel than have been in space or climbed Mount Everest. Mr Bayles is one of fewer than 25 people age 50 and over to successfully swim the channel. His time is the third fastest on record for swimmers 50 and over.

Other swims of note include swimming from the Tappan Zee Bridge to midtown Manhattan; from Greenwich to downtown Manhattan; swimming around Manhattan; and swimming from Sandy Hook, N.J., to downtown Manhattan. Mr Bayles believes he is the only swimmer to have swum under all the major bridges in the tri-state region, except those over the Arthur Kill that connect Staten Island to New Jersey.

Jim and Trina Bayles moved to Butterfield Road in Newtown in 1996 along with their three daughters, Jen, Brooke, and Katie.

(Associated Press reports were used in this story.)