Seattle swimmer seeks to conquer Bainbridge waters

Published 3:17 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Through more than 25 miles of chilly seas, rife with currents, obstacles and ferry sailings, Seattle swimmer Andrew Malinak hopes to have just one thing on his mind.

No. He won’t be thinking about his swim — the first ever recorded attempt to swim around Bainbridge Island.

No. He won’t be thinking about his cause — fundraising for the esteemed island charity Arms Around Bainbridge.

Hopefully, he said, he won’t be hampered by any such lofty thoughts.

“If I’m lucky, I think about absolutely nothing,” he said. “You just zone out and the minutes and hours fly by.”

Malinak knows a thing or two about spending hours in the water.

The aquatic athlete has completed a slew of soggy sojourns in a variety of locales, including an 18.8-mile swim from Tacoma to Seattle earlier this year, a circumnavigation of Manhattan in 2012 (28.5 miles), a crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar in 2010 (10 miles) and “8 Bridges,” a seven-stage swim down the Hudson River in New York in 2014 (120 miles).

In between adventures, he can be found as often as five times a week in the water at his favorite training site: Alki Beach Park.

“I have to work a large number of hours each day,” Malinak explained. “Then, I head over to Alki and swim two to five times a week.”

He also, he said, spends “most of the weekend sleeping and swimming.”

“It definitely takes over my life for the winter through the end of the season,” he laughed.

The end of the season is fast approaching, and Malinak is set to close out this year with this historic venture, the first ever recorded attempt to swim around Bainbridge (approximately 25.5 miles).

The swim is expected to take Malinak between 11 and 12 hours in waters slated to be between 52 and 55 degrees. That tidbit is especially important to keep in mind, as Malinak will follow the Marathon Swimming Federation’s rules for unassisted swims and use no wetsuit.

To that end, and in preparation for this and the Seattle/Tacoma swim, he said he has focused almost exclusively on cold water swimming this season and shunned his usual pool routine.

Adding to the technical considerations of tides and currents are the (at least) two ferry sailings he will have to plan around.

“It seemed like an obvious challenge,” he explained of his latest swim. “It’s close, and the people on the island are great. If I’m ever going to do it, this is the ideal time.”

As fun a challenge as such a historic venture may be, Malinak admits to having ulterior motives as well.

He said his recent work with Arms Around Bainbridge was his true original inspiration for the Bainbridge Island swim. He had heard about the annual round-the-island relay swim that the organization hosts as a fundraiser for islanders who are struggling financially as a result of major illness, he explained.

Then, last year, he helped with the relay as support staff in his small inflatable boat, and was moved to do the swim solo this year with all contributions to his effort and funds raised benefiting Arms Around Bainbridge.

“I’m very much in support of what they do,” he said of the island non-profit. “It’s a wonderful organization.”

Arms Around Bainbridge was founded in 2007 by a group of seven friends with a 30-mile swim around Bainbridge Island and one goal: to provide financial and emotional support to a mutual friend as she battled ovarian cancer.

Today, that initial fundraising swim has grown to include support from hundreds of individuals, local businesses and the island’s vibrant philanthropic community. While the annual around-the-island swim is the central aspect of much of their fundraising, officials said, they now hold events throughout the year in order to generate a revenue stream sufficient to support their roster of recipients.

To learn more about Arms Around Bainbridge, their latest news, events and how to donate, visit www.armsaroundbainbridge.org.

Malinak has encouraged island swimmers and kayakers who feel up to the task to get in the water with him on Saturday, Aug. 8 and tag along, as long as they know what they’re getting into.

“I’m excited that they’re excited,” he said. “I’ve got my core crew of about four people and I’ve opened it up to anyone who wants to join, people that want to come out and paddle alongside or swim for a bit.”

Malinak and his crew anticipate their departure from Skiff Point will be at 6:20 a.m., meaning that his return to Skiff Point should be around 6 p.m.

The additional company doesn’t weigh on Malinak as an extra stressor, he said. In fact, sometimes it makes all the difference to not be alone.

“It’s nice to look over and see someone next to you,” he said. “I’m excited that people want to come out and help.” The Seattle swimmer will be supported on this swim by Joe McKinstry and local swimmers Jerome Leslie, Scott Lautman, Melissa Nordquist and Erika Norris. The swim will also be live-Tweeted by the crew at @andrewswims, and live GPS tracking will be available on vessel tracking websites such as vesselfinder.com or marinetraffic.com by searching MMSI (ship number) 367575160.