Drew Nemetz, a resident of Port Chester, NY, is an completed swimmer who’s tackling the English Channel swim in early October. His aim is to efficiently full the 21-mile swim – thought of one of the crucial difficult distance swims with quick altering currents and chilly. As an advocate of unpolluted water and having swum and grown up on this area helps Save the Sound and its work to guard the water that he cares deeply about.
Since the primary crossing in 1875 over 2,100 folks have accomplished a solo swim throughout the English Channel, with official our bodies just like the Channel Swimming Association recording over 3,260 complete profitable swims together with relays.
This week Drew continues his coaching and downtown to the English Channel and shares the next highlights with us:
- He’s been logging in 24K to 25K every week and continues to coach with the swimming neighborhood at Oakland Beach.
- His crew, which incorporates Peter Linderoth, our director of wholesome waters and lands has been counting right down to Dover in late September
Below are some dispatches that Drew has been sharing with us by way of textual content. There have been challenges alongside the best way together with having a crew member must drop out offset by persistence.
If he doesn’t discover a third crew member, “I’ll forge ahead and do it with a two-man team,” he mentioned. This previous week Drew did discover not one crew member however two, giving him a 4 member group.
Support Drew’s swim and help protect clean water in Long Island Sound!
September 13, 2026 “More Training and Butter Potatoes!”
“Been a busy few days with the holiday/work and family.”
Saturday: I swam at 5a.m. about 4K
Sunday: Ended up being an audible, we had been supposed to fulfill up with Peter at 7a.m. to depart City Island within the Bronx. His spouse Kerry ended up going to the ER. We needed to pivot and keep native and determined to swim round Captains Island off Greenwich. I obtained to Manursing round 05:30 a.m. with the kayak to unload. Our toes went within the water at 0630, it was Mike Wilmot (kayaker), Jake Dolce and me. As we circled the bottom of the island, Jake’s shoulders weren’t feeling so nicely and he determined to leap within the kayak, however we didn’t have a secure sufficient space to take action. At this level we swam to the entrance of the island and obtained Jake into the kayak. As our journey continued, we observed 3 tremendous Yachts and needed to examine them out.
The yachts had been moored outdoors of Indian harbor in Greenwich, as we obtained nearer Jake and Mike determined they wanted espresso and ask the crew of the primary boat, no luck. As I swam round in direction of the second boat one other deckhand got here out, I yelled from the water and requested if he had any espresso, and he did. As they stopped on the transom of the boat I saved on shifting. They lastly caught as much as me on the opposite facet of harbor as I needed to preserve an eye fixed of for visitors, we headed for Belle haven. Pretty calm within the harbor and that’s when my shoulders began to harm.
Stopped to gasoline up with buttered potatoes and bananas I took some Advil as nicely. Always keep forward of the starvation and forward of the ache.
As we left the harbor we headed west again in direction of manursing behind d calf’s island the place I ran aground and needed to stroll a number of yards.
I wish to say I hit 24/25k complete on the Sunday swim
As for the crew:
So one among my crew member’s member of the family isn’t doing so nicely. He selected to assist her, which I perceive. With this occurring I reached out to as many individuals as I may, one among these folks was a man that I swam with. He reached out to his contacts in England.
A good friend of a good friend took the prospect to come back on the journey. She (Lulu, a really season triathlete, who’s competing in Nice this weekend) and her boyfriend (ex-Royal Navy, figured his skillset may very well be helpful. You by no means know) so with the 2 of them it should spherical out the 4.
September 6, 2026 “Racking Up More Miles”
A exercise for Drew consists of a swim from Oakland Beach to…
September 3, 2026 “Racking Up Miles”
Drew has been upping his mileage on coaching. With a month to go to the Channel swim, he’s been commonly swimming 10Ks (6.2 miles) in Old Greenwich on the weekends and logging in for some 35,000 yards on a weekly foundation. He’s planning to start out tapering this weekend.
Friday, August 28 “Training with the Dawgpatch Bandits”
A dispatch from Drew on his coaching this previous week.
“This week I was out on Long Island with my family; I swam a little more than 22k. I have a couple friends who I train with there from time to time. They swim with the Dawgpatch Bandits,” Drew shared. “I did the Plum Island to Montauk swim with them.”
His week included:
- Sunday: 5K bay swim in calm water
- Monday: 5K ocean swim with rolling waves
- Tuesday: 7.1K bay swim in uneven circumstances with the Dawgpatch crew, a core crew of open-water swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and watermen primarily based round Sag Harbor on the East End of Long Island, New York.
- Wednesday: 1K calm-water bay swim
- Thursday: 5K calm-water swim in Long Island Sound
- Friday: Rest day — “slept in”
He additionally shared some images of the Dawgpatch crew, which was very cool.
Sunday, August 23 “Rainy Days”
“It’s just overcast here. Rain does impact swimming. It’s also up to the swimmer to choose. I’m for anything,” Drew texted.
Saturday, August 22 “Southhampton”
“I am headed east to Long Island to do some training with some friends out there,” he reported. Drew ended up in Southhampton and logged in 5,162 yards at 1:25:12.
Friday, August 21 “Pool vs. Open Water”
Drew logged in 5,187 yards in 1:35:51 in accordance with the Garmin adopted by a pool coaching the subsequent day the place he clocked in 6,025 yards on 1:50:35 on the common tempo of 1:28m per 100 yards on the Rye YMCA. The pool was a no brainer because of the sewage discharge. “There was a sewage discharge (partially treated) reported in Mamaroneck, West Post Road. Had to move training indoors today.”
That similar day he reported {that a} crew member dropped out igniting him to seek for a fill in on the Rye YMCA and abroad. “If not, I’ll forge ahead and do it with a two-man team,” he texted.
Support Drew’s swim and help protect clean water in Long Island Sound!