The fourth time was the charm.

On Tuesday, nine open-water swimmers completed a relay swim across the Nantucket Sound from Eel Point on Nantucket to the Edgartown Lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard, something that had never been done before. 

Doug McConnell, Josh Thomson, Greg Mason, Jon Chatinover, Andy Neuberger, Noah Froh, Jason Snow, Allie Keefe and Jennifer Passafiume all took part in the history-making team.

The final strokes after a very long journey.

Ray Ewing

The final strokes after a very long journey.

Ray Ewing

“We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. It was one of my best Tuesdays ever,” Mr. Thomson after completing the swim.

Three times before, Mr. McConnell had tried to do the swim by himself. An experienced open-water swimmer who lives in Illinois, Mr. McConell had completed swims of the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Molokai Channel, across Tampa Bay and looped around the island of Manhattan.

But the Nantucket to Vineyard swim eluded him, the difficult tides proving too much, along with stinging jelly fish, weather and health issues.

“The tidal currents are crazy, so it all depends on when you start, based on the tide, and when you hit these roller coasters of tidal currents and stuff like that,” Mr. McConnell said.

A job well done - swim raised money for ALS and for the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard.

Ray Ewing

A job well done - swim raised money for ALS and for the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard.

Ray Ewing

So he turned to Vineyarders he had met over the years, many of whom had been a part of his support team during the previous attempts.

Doing it with others was instrumental to the swim’s success, according to Mr. McConnell.

“These are all friends that I’ve made here on Martha’s Vineyard,” he said. “Each of them are swimmers from here on the Island and just wonderful people. I kind of threw out this crazy challenge, and they just leaped at it. It made it very, very special.”

For Mr. Thomson, who thought of the relay idea originally, the energy of the team was essential.

Suport team was key!

Larry Glick

Suport team was key!

Larry Glick

“Having Doug and Susan [McConnell] and that whole team... they’re so experienced and it’s so reassuring,” he said. “Having them as leaders and knowing what’s important and what safety measures are needed, it just made it so easy for us.”

The day began before dawn, as the team gathered at Owen Park in Vineyard Haven at 5 a.m. As the sun peeked over the horizon, bags filled with snacks, water, signal horns and shark repellent bracelets were loaded onto the boats. Then Mr. McConnell gave the swimmers a brief tutorial about how the shark bracelets worked before everyone headed out to sea.

After reaching the sister Island, the swim officially began at about 8 a.m. when the first swimmers hit the water. They reached Cape Pogue at approximately 3:40 p.m., and then swam ashore at Edgartown Lighthouse for a ceremonious ending at 3:57 p.m.

“The crew did it perfectly. Middle of the strike zone,” Mr. McConnell said.

The man with the plan: Doug McConnell.

Ray Ewing

The man with the plan: Doug McConnell.

Ray Ewing

The swim is also a fundraiser. Mr. McConnell’s family has a long history with ALS, which his sister died from in 2018, and his long swims have been a way to raise money for ALS research. This year’s swim will also raise money for the Learn to Swim program at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard. So far, approximately $20,000 has been raised.

Ms. Passafiume, who is the aquatic director at the YMCA, said she is grateful for the fundraising efforts.

“Learning how to swim is so important to all the kids here, so we started talking about [fundraising] back in May or June, and then here we are now, in July, having just finished the swim,” she said.

Mr. Thomson is also a swim coach at the YMCA and has seen firsthand how important it is to offer swimming lessons on the Island.

“It comes full circle and a lot of us swim with Jen at the Y,” he said. “To be able to support that kids program, because all our kids have been through it, is great.”

He hopes to make this an annual swim that brings the Islands together.

“My goal is to bring Nantucket swimmers and Martha’s Vineyard swimmers together, because we’re cousins,” Mr. Thomson said. “It’d be cool to unite the Islands in something like this.”

The swimmers gathered with family and friends at Nomans afterwards to celebrate, where they received a shoutout from the evening’s performers Mike Benjamin and Company and well-wishes from strangers and loved ones alike.