By Terry Mosher
Editor, Sportspaper
SAN FRANCISCO – The Waterbury’s came, they saw, and the conquered in the 19th Annual Alcatraz Invitational swim.
“It was wild, a great time – loved it,” said Bruce Waterbury, Event Specialist for the KitsapCountyParks and Recreation who turns 55 on Thursday (Sept. 18).
Waterbury and his daughter Kristi Waterbury Balant made the trip to here to celebrate Kristi’s 28th birthday. The 1.25-mile swim from Alcatraz was a bonus. The swim can be scary, but the twosome hit it at the right time.
“There were some uncertainty going in, but once we starte4d swimming it was a blast,” Waterbury said. “But I can easily see if the weather turns it could be just a brutal, brutally ugly swim. We lucked out with the weather and conditions.”
Kristi finished in the top third of over 750 swimmers with a time of 38 minutes and 35 seconds. Waterbury finished in the top 330 with a time of 43.58.
“I feel pretty good about that, for my age,” Waterbury said, “and training for just a few months.”
Race organizers told first-time swimmers to make sure to stop during the swim and just look around and take in the scene. So the two did and had their breath taken away by what they saw.
“We stopped swimming and look around at the San Francisco skyline, the Golden GateBridge, and just soaked up the moment,” Waterbury said. “It was just an incredible experience. I was a little worried about doing too much partying, and this old man could be in trouble staying up late every night. But once we got going the adrenaline kicked in and it became so exciting to jump off the boat (a ferry) and start to swim.”
There were some concerns about sharks and Sea Lions, but no sharks appeared and the Sea Lions were sunning themselves on the dock when the swim started. The two finished off the day (Sunday, Sept. 14) by grabbing a bite to eat and then renting bikes and riding to the Golden GateBridge.
“It was so much fun to share that adventure with my daughter,” Waterbury said. “We were both on a high when we finished.”