GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — For the second time in 2023, Jim Dreyer entered Lake Michigan in Milwaukee with hopes of swimming 82.5 miles to his hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan on Labor Day.
Jim Dreyer, who has swam across all five Great Lakes, was attempting to become the first person to complete a mid-Lake Michigan crossing between Wisconsin and Michigan self-sufficiently.
Dreyer previously attempted to make the swim with an escort boat on August 1. However, after lake conditions worsened and he and his escort boat were swept 2.3 miles off course, they aborted the attempt.
This time, the 60-year-old was about 30 miles out, handling 8-foot waves.
“My team was constantly vigilant while working tirelessly with each other on both sides of the lake, and with Coast Guard Station Milwaukee. The consensus was that these were the roughest conditions any of my team’s boats could endure, and conditions would get worse, as 10-12 foot waves were forecasted for the next two days. I was informed that If I turned down this rescue and needed rescue later, it would be left to the U.S. Coast Guard.”
Using a GPS to guide him, he pulled a 10-foot dinghy, 225-pound dinghy from his waist to carry supplies.
That dinghy was ultimately one of the main reasons he decided to call off his second swimming attempt.
His crew discovered the vessel was coming apart at the seams.
“Tuesday afternoon, I noticed my dinghy was taking on a lot of water and discovered the keel and floor was being torn away by the force of the waves,” Dreyer said. “I dove under the pitching dinghy and wrapped bungee cords around the craft, cinching them up the best I could. This was just a band-aid, and I was pulling a significant amount of additional weight from the incoming water. The rips kept getting larger, and I was racing time to keep from losing my supplies.”
Dreyer said he didn't want to have to be rescued by the US Coast Guard, so his team pulled him from the water.
Other issues presented themselves.
Dreyer said one of three battery packs that powered his goggle's GPS shorted out.
Will there be a third attempt?
“Physically I was just fine after this significant challenge,” Dreyer said. “While I am very disappointed this swim ended as it did, I am more confident than ever that I can do this. I really wanted to get it done this year, but am out of time. I have other plans for 2024, but somehow, I believe I will find a way to juggle everything and get it done.”
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