New guy, big swim: Northern Store staffer wows Fort McPherson with 12 km river swim

Wayne Strach moved to the hamlet of FortMcPherson two weeks ago.

It didn't take long for him to jump into community life, and the Peel River.

He signed up for a triathlon over the weekend and surprised everyone when he asked if he could swim the 12 kilometres of the river, instead of traveling it by canoe like the other competitors.

"I got some weird looks, like, nobody does that."

Turns out, it wasn't his first big swim.

A long career

Strach has been doing long swims for decades, beginning in 1990 when, over 14 days, he swam 456 kilometres of the Peace River.

Two years ago, at the age of 60, he became the oldest Canadian to swim the English Channel.

And last year he attempted to set a world record by swimming 135 kilometres non-stop across Lake Okanagan, but was cut short of his goal after getting separated from his support crew in the middle of the night and having to swim to shore.

Strach moved to Ft. McPherson after getting a job with the North West Company. He's training to be the local store's manager, and hopes that the job will eventually allow him to move to some of the more remote communities in Nunavuteven though he says the water there is too cold for swimming.

As long as he's in Ft. McPherson, Strach says he's going to take full advantage of the relatively warm waterways.

A great day for a dip

It was sunny and warm on Saturday when Strach set off on his Peel River swim.

To check out the current conditions and the water temperature before the triathlon, he swam across the river, beside the MV Abraham Francis ferry, as it took motorists to the west bank of the Peel River.

Strach says it caused a bit of a stir amongthe people on the ferry and some of the boaters.

"'Wow, what's going on here?'" Strach said. "'It's a guy swimming alone down the river here. How unusual!'"

The water was 16 C that day, warm enough to swim without a wetsuit. Strach inflated his fluorescent orange safety float and loaded it with a few nutrition bars, some matches, bug spray, and a towel, "just in case my support crew can't get to me for any reason and I'm stuck on shore."

He tied it to his ankle and started off with a front crawl, which he would shift into a breastroke when he wanted to keep his head up to talk to a curious boater, or enjoy the scenery.

"There's nothing else I would have liked to be doing that day than swimming down the river in the sun and wilderness."

Before the summer is over, Strach says he hopes to go on another long swim, this time against the current of the Peel River.

"I love the peace and the solitude in the case of open water swimming," he said.

"Around each bend there's a new and exciting view. It's not a race, I'm just enjoying the view."