York Town News
Starkey completes first swim between the lighthouses
By Virginia L. Woodwell
Local resident Wendy Moulton Starkey, pictured here, departs from Boon Island on her snorkel and swim through the Atlantic's chilly waters to the Cape Neddick Light Station on Saturday, Aug. 26. Starkey undertook the daunting task to raise funds for the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Courtesy photo
Wendy Moulton Starkey, pictured here, arrives at the Nubble Lighthouse after swimming and snorkeling for more than eight hours from Boon Island to raise funds for and awareness of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Courtesy photo
And Starkey, at 48, is the same age as Patten and also a York native. But, while Patten was tackling the daunting challenge for the fifth time, for Starkey the swim was a first, so it was a major learning experience.
Starkey's charity was the American Lighthouse Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to keep lighthouses in good repair
Starkey and her crew, like Patten, had a hard time finding Boon Island in the fog, so they got a start that was a little later than expected - though, at 10:15 a.m. it was a little earlier than Patten's.
Eight-and-one-half hours later, at 6:45 p.m., Starkey reached the Nubble.
Along the way, she lost the snorkeling apparatus and mask with which she'd started, forcing her to swim with her head up in a style she'd not trained for. That development lengthened the trip and led to her taking in some seawater.
There were also some briefly frightening moments when, in the fog and sea swells, she lost sight of her accompanying boat, and those in the boat also lost sight of her.
The challenge of staying visible and on course was made greater by currents and by the fact that fumes from the boat made it impossible for Starkey to swim directly behind it.
But her crew had a kayak along and solved those problems after Wendy's 25-year-old son Alex and his girlfriend Brittany Decker took turns paddling it and staying on course in front of the swimmer, giving her a constant goal to aim at - until, after a while, the Nubble itself became visible as the goal.
And they developed a signaling system with a whistle in which one blast meant "move left" and two meant "move right."
Bonus sights along the way included seals that followed them harmlessly at Boon Island, and a minke whale that breached twice between them and the shore.
Their boat was a 27-foot sport fishing vessel rented for the occasion and captained by Nick Pesarik. Also on board, in addition to Alex and Brittany, were Starkey's mother, Mary Webber, and husband, David Starkey, whom she described as "my coach."
Starkey said that never, on the swim, did she get so discouraged that she decided that what she was doing was the wrong thing.
At times, however, she wondered if she would finish, and she experienced nagging little worries about whether she might be experiencing heart failure or hypothermia, though she said that her wetsuit, with cap, gloves and boots, kept her warm and "very comfortable." And then she wondered whether her very determination not to be overcome by those worries might be impairing her judgment.
David Starkey dissolved those doubts and worries by donning a wet suit and swimming alongside her for the last two miles.
The two had trained together doing that in the waters off Long Sands, and his presence was reassuring.
Would she do it again?
"Yes!" she answered immediately.
Because, even if she'd tried and failed, she would have regarded the attempt as a success.
Starkey's swim is expected to net the American Lighthouse Foundation approximately $2,000 in cash, plus some invaluable publicity - something Starkey would like to further extend.
"I'm willing and hoping and excited to give talks about this experience," she said
She noted that the experience is particularly apt since Boon Island's light is currently not functioning, as it is awaiting battery replacements, while Nubble Light's is.
The contrast between the two, and the very significant goal that the Nubble's red light represented for Starkey and her crew in a vast sea, serve, Starkey said, as powerful arguments in favor of contributing to the American Lighthouse Foundation's important work.
For more information about the American Lighthouse Foundation, go to www.lighthousefoundation.org, or call 646-0245.
