The Parish Magazine February 2026

The Parish Magazine — February 2026 21
E TOO FAR
ER STUART!
next sight was Roosevelt Island and the Queensboro Bridge
aka ‘Spiderman Bridge’, here I stopped for a quick feed and
was told we were well on target to hit Hells Gate — or Mill
Rock — which was almost in sight.
The top of Roosevelt Island was where I could really feel
the differing movement of the water, and, as I was swimming
well, my kayaker took a fairly direct line across Hells Gate as
we entered Harlem River. This was really cool. I could feel the
strength of the current and eddies as we swam across.
We had beaten the tide and were swimming against
the flow for the first hour or so in the Harlem which had a
completely different feel. The narrow and flat water, with
bridges being ticked off fairly quickly also gave a completely
different landscape. It was now a more industrial and less
glamourous one as the river intersects Harlem in Manhattan
on one side and The Bronx on the other.
FAMILY INSPIRATION
Family friends on land were looking after my 13 year old
son and it was great to see and hear them shouting support
from the bridges in The Bronx, using the film The Warriors
as their inspiration hopping from one subway station to
another!
The upper part of the Harlem became more scenic as
it stretches towards the top. It was like swimming in the
countryside after I had passed the huge, 100 foot high 'C' for
Columbia University.
The penultimate bridge was Spuyten Duyvil railroad swing
bridge, and once through this creek, I swam round a corner at
the northern tip of Manhattan to enter the Hudson.
There was only a 20 kilometre home straight left. Once
through Hells Gate I had been following my usual half hourly
feeds of 300ml of pure maltodextrin to keep me fuelled and
was feeling OK as I entered the mighty Hudson.
The huge George Washington Bridge was in sight and it
was twilight by the time I got there. It was magical to swim
under this monster, double decker, suspension bridge nearly
a mile long. As darkness fell, the next couple of hours were a
slog. The twinkling lights of downtown never seemed to get
closer and the stretch of Washington Heights followed by
Central Park — I could tell where I was by the dip in building
heights —seemed to go on forever.
THE LAST FEED
Head down, however, paid dividends. At last I was
swimming with the skyscrapers in my eye line with every
breath I took. Not long after, in the shadow of the One World
Trade Centre, my kayaker told me it was my last feed and to
pause and take in my surroundings.
To my left the buildings felt to envelop me, and ahead
the illuminated Statute of Liberty was such a privilege to see
from the water.
Another 15 minutes or so and Pier A came into sight. As I
swam passed a whistle was blown to confirm I had completed
my loop — 9 hours and 33 minutes after setting off.
THE NEXT TIME?
After a New York style breakfast the next morning, I
felt sprightly enough to cheer on the third of our party to
complete their swim.
I then kept my side of the deal and we had an amazing
family holiday enjoying New York and Connecticut.
Twenty Bridges is part of the Triple Crown of marathon
swimming, along with the English Channel and the Catalina
Channel— a 23 mile stretch of water between Catalina Island
and Los Angeles (LA). I am hoping to coincide another family
holiday in 2028 to do this swim and take in the LA Olympics
— who said marathon swimming was dull?