Catherine Breed Completes 900-Mile California Coast Swim

Catherine Breed completed a roughly 900-mile swim along California’s coastline in 111 days, finishing her journey at the Mexican border area in October. Her swim began at the Oregon border on July 1 and ended in Imperial Beach on October 18, followed by a ceremonial finish in Coronado the next day, according to reports of the event. Breed, 33, swam about 10 miles a day, with her support crew following in a 52-foot sailboat. The effort, called Swim California, took her from the northern edge of the state to its southern border. The reports describe her as the first person to swim the entire California coast, though they do not cite an independent record-keeping body or verification process for that claim. The swim took 111 days, despite an original timeline that had extended into November. Breed had to adjust her approach after she said a change in the coastal current made the planned southbound route difficult. She and her crew then traveled south by boat and completed swimming segments northward, a strategy she said helped them continue making progress. Conditions included cold water, strong currents, high winds and waves, according to accounts of the journey. Breed’s crew...