by Sebastián Antón Leonís

MY OWN MEMORIES OF THE TABARCA SANTA POLA SWIMMING CROSSING

Sebastián Primer Organizador Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

The constant daydream of swimming across to the Island, started round about 1973, when I managed to swim 1500 metres in the Santa Pola del Este swimming pool, and I kicked the idea about without even knowing what the exact distance would be, to swim to Tabarca… one day.
I had been advised medically to keep swimming more or less continuously and, from time to time, the intention of
swimming to Tabarca kept coming back to me but without an actual study of it nor having made a serious plan.
At the start of the 90’s, I met Tano Gonzalez, who at that time was Head of the Escuela Taller (Study workshop) “Villa de Santa Pola” and he told me that he had completed the crossing alone; setting off from the beach at Carlotti area, accompanied by a small boat and, despite a few problems, managed to arrive safely on his own.
 
This livened up my expectations, but even then I didn’t pursue it any further, as I was then 40 years old and I knew that the distance to Tabarca wasn’t exactly the 2000m that I used to swim , because that depended on the wide arc that the state of the sea made you take, as well as losing one’s direction through lack of normal vision, so in fact was more like 4000 to 6000 metres.
At that time, I was a member of the Cycling Club, in which I helped to organise races, and I used to give relevant information to the press about their events.
 
One day, in May 1996, a Vicente Jaen turned up, a correspondent from Tele Elx (Elche) with a view to my giving them news of the Cycling Club racing events, and as we had nothing scheduled and I just wanted to put him off .
I told him I wasn’t organising any cycling runs, but now I was planning the swim crossing to Tabarca, and, as expected, he said goodbye and went away. Then just a few minutes later, he came back with a camera, saying that that news was more of interest, and would I explain more.
 
So it was me who was surprised then, as I had really invented the ruse, and really I had no advance plans beyond the fact that I had been dwelling on the idea for the last 20 years, Nevertheless, I said that my office was not the ideal place to perform the interview and we moved on to the promenade, next to the Polamar (Hotel). At that minute, Tano was going into the Town Hall, I stopped him and told him all what had happened, and we all went for a walk together, we told him everything that came to our mind, and we even named a departure date for it, for the end of July that same year.
 
As from that moment, all that was then merely in the planning stage, became reality, finding participants, organising the training, support craft and reception committee at the point of arrival. We managed to get 9 swimmers together. Tano “coerced” his wife, Rosa Clement to come and also to bring her brother Curro from Zaragoza, and, from the Town Hall, Andre?s Sempere and Javier Go?mez; Gaspar Garri came along of his own initiative and I also “conned” Vicky, my wife, and my neighbour Robert Mompo.
 

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

Other than Tano, the rest of us had no experience in open waters, in such long stretches; we usually practised in a swimming pool, so we had to reinvent ourselves and mentally prepare for the new environment in the sea, as we didn’t know how the wave fluctuations, floatability and currents would effect it and some were scared by the depth of the sea, the possibility of becoming isolated, the uncertainty of having enough strength to get there and above all, sea creatures around, whether they be jellyfish, sharks and other sea “monsters”.

 
For the training sessions, we chose the “Cadenas” area (chains) and on the first week by following the shore-line, we all swam together as far as the stone breakwater at Paqui’s kiosk, about 1500 metres there and back.
We didn’t stray far from the shore-line, just in case we tired, reaching the promenade and then walking back; the second time we went as far as the Santa Pola del Este swimming pool and every week, we went one breakwater further, going as far as the Vatasa shipyard.
 
On the last week, we reached the Town Hall, but only one way.
 
The distance and conditions seemed very similar, and by doing this stretch we gained confidence in our physical abilities.
As not very many were taking part, it was no effort to locate the support boats.
Loreto Serrano cooperated in the organisation part, and involved her brother Pepito Serrano in accompanying us in his boat, arranged for the Red Cross to get involved, because of the unusual nature of this event; she got Francisco Blasco involved in it. Also, through the Town Hall, she lent us the Aquarium’s zodiac, which my brother Esteban took charge of.
Javier was joined by his father, and Robert by his, with his boat. Vicente Jaen managed to get the Yacht Club to join in with a couple of yachts and came with us, also reporting on the crossing.
 
As the departure date came closer, we started to get butterflies in tummy, and we spent the days looking at the weather forecasts, visiting the masseur, in case we got a shoulder injury, but the encouragement we got from friends and acquaintances helped us overcome our misgivings and put stop to any thought of cancelling the event.
 
After all that, one Sunday at the end of July 1996, before dawn we started to gather in the Cadenas area. We were all very much awake, as the uncertainty, kept up the stress. When we met up, we kissed each other and shook hands, amid nervous laughter, to give us all encouragement, but almost without speaking, and like robots, we headed towards the breakwater area set aside for training which we already knew quite well.
 
We could see that the boats which we had been promised, were turning up and with the first rays of the sun, we entered the water aiming towards Tabarca. Later, I took part in 5 more crossings, but I just cannot recall another like that one.
There was a special feeling of comradeship. If anyone lagged behind, we stopped swimming to wait for them. A couple of times, we stopped to look at the Cape (Cabo) and to weigh up how we were getting on. So far so good.
 
But except for the start, we never saw Tano and her brother. Later we found they had made it in less than an hour and a quarter.
The most spectacular part was nearing the island; the distance to it kept getting shorter and we started to enjoy its beauty, the seaweed’s underwater prairie, the clarity of the water and the fishes. Looking at all that lessened the weariness and gave us an energy burst to make it there.
 
Our lack of experience meant that we were heading for the island without having settled on a suitable landing point, and we finished up on the Western breakwater mole about 500 metres from the harbour, although some did finish that spot and Rosa and I forced ourselves to swim against the head current, with the last strength we could muster, with Tano’s helping words of encouragement who was already in a small boat pointing in the direction of the finishing point.
 
But for all that, we managed to get there and with that inner contentment that you feel when you achieve something you’ ve yearned for over some many years. It had taken about 2 hours 45 minutes.
 
Vicente Jaen was waiting for us at the harbour, and he spread the news to the media. and the then Mayor Pascual Orts, who accompanied us on the swim and Loreto Serrano, who had talked the restaurateurs into treating us to a lunch, and above all, for those who purely unselfishly had been with us with their vessels as we ourselves, who were suffering with tongues so badly salted, that we could only down drink and eat melon.
 
THE SECOND ONE was an easier thing, as we already knew what we had to do and was practically a re-run of the one the year before.
As the news had got around, we now could call on 12 participants, 5 from the year before, 2 came from Madrid especially for the swim, and who slept in a van, at the Cadenas area, so as not to arrive late, and 5 new signings.
But the surprise was that at dawn a storm broke. We went down to the departure rock and the sea caught us and threw us against the rocks.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

In view of this, 6 decided not to go out, the other 6 dived into the sea, so, at least if we did not make it, we would get it all out of our system physically and emotionally, as well as proving our point with the wide coverage of the news media and the vessels Vicente Jaen had managed to get for us.
From the start, the sea was really rough, but we were making progress. We weren’t all together viewing the headland, but each one latched onto the wake of the accompanying vessel, I was with my cousin Andre?s, like the year before and the two after; he joked that he was my shadow. In between gulps of water and somersaults caused by the waves, and the odd vomit now and again, we were getting further from the shore-line, and when we felt we couldn’t go
on, the lee of the island lessened the choppiness, and after 3 hours and 15 minutes we managed to get there.
That time we were exhausted and to cap it all, we were stung by a jellyfish near the harbour in Tabarca. Javier Quesada was the first to arrive, in 2 hours 15 minutes followed by Maria del Mar, Javier Gomez and a lad who had appeared half asleep at the outset , dived in and when he got to Tabarca he stayed to eat with us with some friends . We never knew who he was, and heard nothing more about him.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

THE THIRD ONE was held in 1998. Although there were no prior bookings 57 swimmers covering both sexes, took part. That year the sea was totally calm, and I recall it being a pleasure to glide along the surface, and I managed my best time, in about 2 hours. My shadow, should I say, my cousin Andres, as well…..
It was the debut for Chelo Botella, Andres’ wife, and a repeat for Maria del Mar and Vicky.
The participants hailed from an assortment of places, mainly from Alicante Province, but French and English as well. The number from Santa Pola was about 20. Their times varied between 1 hr 5 min and 3 hours. The start was at 7.30 a.m..
This quite substantial increase in swimmers brought with it several problems, namely, because of the poor organisational set-up, which was vital to us, the overall control minimal, the support vessels few, and at the finishing point many mouths to be fed for lunch.

 
In view of this situation, and personal health problems, seeing the huge draw that the crossing was enjoying, so as not to lose it, I put it to the Sports Councillor, Maribel Rocamora, how apt it would be to let the Town organise it, to which suggestion she agreed, this being the FOURTH swim, in 1999. 106 swimmers were registered, although it could be that some other “gate-crashers” took part. 86 reached the Finish, with times of 1hr 9 min to 3 hr 30 min. of whom 16 were women; the best time figured was 1 hr 18 min and the worst at 3 hours.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

The swim was moved to the 29th August, departure time being 8 o clock and about 30 locals from Santa Pola took part.
That year I had had an operation in March, and I scarcely had the energy, but thanks to my cousin Andres, who let me be his “shadow” and stay with him throughout the swim, I managed to get there in
less than 3 hours.

 
The FIFTH, this organised on this occasion by the Alone Swimming Club which had been formed that same year based on the huge popularity that the Crossing was enjoying amongst Santa Pola swimmers, and with the object of establishing the swim as a permanent feature of its local sporting events, at the same time justifying the building of a municipal heated pool.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

More than 200 swimmers were registered, and the departure point was the area known as “Bancal de la Arena”, at 7.30 a.m. that being on the 27th August,2000, but, halfway through the course of the swim and owing to a bank of jellyfish stopping swimmers getting through, it had to be called off, picking up the swimmers in the safety craft, faced with the huge number of stings which were being suffered.
That year, i went together with Vicky and Domingo Vidal; the water was crystal clear near the island, and suddenly a barrage of small jellyfish arrived and which was spread out like a big spider’s web, wiped out all chance of getting through them without being stung.

 
Domingo, being a sailor, was used to being stung, and said there was no problem, and we could carry on but when the boat picked us up, his neck and chest were swollen.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

I still took part in the SIXTH, although I didn’t assist in organising it but I was just another normal swimmer. I can hardly remember any of it, except that it was a big struggle to finish; I was on my own, the current took me towards the Cemetery, and the Tabarca Alicante ferry passed by near me, the “Kon Tiki”, so I had to make a detour to avoid being run down by it. It took more than two and a half hours.
NOWADAYS, almost 12 years after the first crossing, when I look at the island it still seems incredible to me, and I get a strong feeling inside if I consider taking part again, a feeling lost as from the second crossing.

Grupo Primeras Travesía a Nado Tabarca Santa Pola

But I still remember the first as the best, because of the novelty factor, the comradeship among the competitors, and the personal achievement after having waited so many years.
But, all in all, one of the best memories of my life.