Jill Yoneda’s Victoria to Vancouver Swim for Canuck Place (100km+ swim attempt)

“Swimming in Cash”

On Monday, August 1^st I came across a post from my friend Jill Yoneda looking for experienced kayakers or paddlers that may want to volunteer next weekend as she attempted a 100km swim from Victoria to Vancouver. Two of her paddlers had come down with COVID as she was planning the most epic swim of her life. After a quick conversation with my wife Kristin, I sent Jill a message saying that “I’m In”!!! I know what it feels like as an athlete when you plan these massive amounts of logistics around an event and then at the last minute a few things slip through the cracks and you’re scrambling to get things back into alignment.

On Thursday evening I was on the afternoon Coho ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria to get ready for an incredible adventure with Jill and her crew. I arrived on the afternoon ferry and spent the rest of the day sending messages to the crew and finishing up a few papers that were due on Sunday. I wanted to knock those out so I could focus on the adventure ahead. I had reached out to my good friend Yuko who I know from Rotary Youth Exchange, and she was gracious enough to let me stay at her place. The following day I got up at 5am and she drove me 30-minutes to where the crew and boat were located.

On Friday, August 9 after a short drive, Yuko walked with me down the dirt hillside trail to the boat and crew and she was on her way as I made my way on the floating platform that had a pulley on it where you could take yourself out to the main boat that the support boat was attached to. I took some time to meet some of the crew and say hello to Jill and give her a big hug as she was preparing for her swim starting in less than an hour. After final preparations at 7:07am, Jill entered the water and began her swim which was planned for 100 kilometers from Victoria to Vancouver Island to raise over $50,000 for Canuck Place, a non-profit which offers hospice care for young patients.

The crew was on 2-hour shifts on kayak and stand up paddleboard (SUP) support for Jill and my first shift wasn’t until 3pm. Throughout the morning I took time getting to know the other crew which come from an incredible background of doctors and nurses called “hospitalists” in Canada, endurance athletes, past friends and coaches of Jill and a bunch of do-gooders along to help Jill with this incredible endeavor. Jen, the last minute add-on who holds a world record for distance swimming, was incredible. She prepared all of the meals, and always with a smile on her face. The hours peeled away and before I knew it I was up. I sat on top of Alex, the crew chief’s, kayak and went out to resupply Jill and then escort her for a few hours navigating the islands on our route. Jill would take food once an hour which consisted mainly of puréed soup, tea, small bites of food and other treats. The two hours went smooth as I kept my SUP within about six feet of her and when needed would get closer to push her towards the right and stay on course. She had one stop in the middle for a replenishment of food which was brought out on another support boat. After covering approximately 3 miles, the next kayaker came out to relieve me and I was back on the boat.

We had burgers for dinner and then each of us found out locations to sleep for the night. I was bunked below with Kelli and Mitch the videographer and half the crew slept on top in the open air on air mattresses with sleeping bags. I talked with Alex the crew chief and she wanted me up from 11pm – 1am on Centurion duty with the boat drivers so I set my alarm for 10:50pm and got a little shut eye.

When I woke up I made my way to the back of the boat and almost everyone was up as the medics on board had made the decision to pull Jill from the water to check out her lungs as she was having a tough time breathing and was coughing more and more frequently. The mobile ultrasound revealed what they had suspected that Jill was in the early stages of pulmonary edema and that her lungs were slowly building up with fluid. After a quick shower for Jill, they laid her down for the night to get a rest and recover and reassess in the morning. In the morning Jill was feeling better and her lungs and oxygen levels had recovered to the level where the medics felt comfortable enough to have her swim in the last few kilometers and finish her swim on the Vancouver coast.

We made our way in the morning towards the Vancouver finish line and were blessed to have three humpback whales play all around us as we approached the harbor. At around 11:00am, Jill reentered the water with her main support guides around her including Alex right by her side on the kayak. The last few kilometers we navigated the last few swimmers of a boat race, a whole pack of beginner sailing boats, a kayak instructor training students to flip and get back on their kayaks and the random boat coming in and out of the area. Basically a very busy area of the water which made the final approach a little more critical for close attention.

At the shore Jill was welcomed by family, friends, several news broadcasters and the crew from Canuck Place Children’s Hospice where they celebrated raising over $60,000 for their cause and the incredible stories of an adventure well done. Jill’s mom had made a rushed journey by seaplane to ensure that she could be there on shore to watch her daughter’s accomplishment. After saying our goodbyes to a few of the crew, most of us were on our way back on the boat for the six-hour ride back to Victoria. We celebrated with a lasagna dinner and drinks and enjoyed the view and conversations as we backtracked the route traveled the previous day.

We arrived back to shore at 8:45pm, said our goodbyes and I once again was hosted by Yuko who welcomed me in at about 10:00pm for a quick night’s sleep before waking up at 5:00am to take me back to the ferry to return home. I took the 6:10am ferry ride and after an hour and 30 minutes returned to Port Angeles to reconnect with Kristin and the kiddos and enjoy a nice relaxing Sunday on shore.

A few days after the event I was able to be a part of a podcast interview with Luis Escobar and Jill on the Road Dog Podcast. During the podcast I heard from Jill that the total fundraising was just over $70,000! The next words out of her mouth were even more exceptional. The Vancouver Canucks hockey team had gotten wind of her swim and reached out on social media announcing that they would be matching her donations which put the total at over $140,000!!! It’s incredible to be surrounded by people doing exceptional things and to see how the world around us conspires to make it even that much more impactful.