Competitors gear up for 11th annual Swim with Fish race

The 11th annual Swim with Fish charity fundraiser will take place Sunday (July 30) this year. The swim, which began as a wager between friends, has been a charity event for more than five years now, raising more than $52,600 for the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank. This year’s goal is to raise $16,000.

The timed event, which is private, one-mile swim and was started by Steve Rees and Peter Bortel, will have 20 swimmers this year, launching out of the shores of Vashon Island and swimming across the cold waters of the Colvos Passage.

“We started it 11 years ago, thought it would be interesting to see if we could swim across the passage,” Rees said. “We did that for a couple years. We had six people the first year.”

After a few years of doing it, they decided to make it a charitable event, benefiting the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank.

“We had people bring food and donate money,” Rees said. “But it wasn’t until about five years ago that we started raising a sizable amount of money.”

And now it has snowballed into a successful charity event and a fun time for all. The event also includes a kid’s swim, a potluck and some live music at the end of the swim.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said 58-year-old Tesa Johnson, who along with Rees and Bortel, is the only person who has participated in the event every single year, since its inception.

The swim takes on average, between 28 minutes and two hours, depending on the skill and seriousness of the swimmer. Some swimmers use fins, while others do not.

“Sometimes, if it’s calm waters, then it’s not too bad,” Johnson said. “But there have been a few years when it has been pretty choppy out there.”

Most of the time, it’s fairly calm. But on those years when there’s been a strong wind, Rees said he gets a mouthful during the swim.

“By the time I get to the shore, I’ve had my share of salt water,” the 63-year-old Rees said, with a laugh.

Last year’s champion was Jeff Sala, who came in about four minutes ahead of Rees. The participants wear wet suits and are accompanied by kayaks, stand up paddleboards and several power boats, for their safety.

At the end of the day, the results of the race don’t matter too much to those who participate. They’re just having a good time and are happy to raise some money for charity.

“It helps raise money for a really worthwhile organization,” Johnson said. “It’s really gratifying. It also helps spread awareness about the food bank. I think sometimes, people think that in Gig Harbor, there aren’t needs for assistance. That’s not the case. So it’s just fun to be part of it.”

So far, the event has raised $12,585 this year. Those interested in donating to a swimmer can do so by visiting ghpfish.com/Swim.html.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Competitors gear up for 11th annual Swim with Fish race."