Freedom found in annual Charlotte Harbor Swim

PUNTA GORDA -- Nelson Edwards may not be diving into the Charlotte Harbor this year and taking part in the annual July 4 Freedom Swim.

Edwards has other commitments that may keep him away from the swim this year. But if he can't be there, he will be there in spirit.

Sixteen years ago, Edwards was among a small circle of friends who first started what's become one of the most popular non-event events in Charlotte County.

"I thinks its popularity is that it has no rules," Edwards said. From a few friends, the swim now sees more than a hundred swimmers and boaters participating.

"People would call us up, asking if they could join us, but wondering whether they had to swim the whole way," Edwards said. "We'd say it's a 'freedom swim' -- you do anything you want. You can float an inner tube or you could jump off a boat swim for five minutes and jump into a boat.

"You could do it anyway you want, so no one is intimidated," he said. "The fun is just being there, being part of it."

The Freedom Swim starts out near the foot of the Albert W. Gilchrist Bridge (U.S. 41 South) and ends up at Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda.

No one organizes or plans the Freedom Swim. It just happens as it always has happened. People and boaters just show up. As in past years, the swim is timed to start with the outgoing tide. This year, the Freedom Swim will start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"I never thought it would be this big, but I think it's wonderful," Edwards said.

Sandy MacGibbon, Frank Desguin and Michael Haymans are the trio credited with creating the Freedom Swim. The idea emerged when they casually thought about doing something special on the Fourth of July. Desguin credits his father, Victor, and his father's boyhood friends as a genesis for the swim. In the 1940s, Punta Gorda boys would swim across Charlotte Harbor.

Edwards wasn't at that first meeting, but he was up for it. As a teen, he made a mile swim across the harbor to become an Eagle Scout.

He was also up for another tradition of the Freedom Swim.

Traditionally, swimmers' bathing suits would be hung from the sailboat mast by their friend, Bill "Copey" Copenhaver. They would put their trunks back on before they emerged. The harbor's dark brown, tannin water allows for modesty and diminishes any embarrassment others might feel. Before the swimmers reach the end of the swim, the trunks go back on.

The second year of the swim, Edwards' daughter, Emily, now 28, was the first girl to make the swim. His son, Ben, now 33, also join the swim the second year.

"I didn't swim it because I was worried about my children and followed in my boat," Edwards said. "I didn't know if I would have the strength to save both of them -- if I had to. But Emily did great."

Edwards, now 59 and the owner of Certified Mobile Marine, did concede the harbor seems to get wider each year. Four years ago, he decided not to attempt to swim the entire way.

"Five years ago, my daughter stopped by a boat to get a drink and we got separated," Edwards said. "I was swimming and got a cramp. We were swimming nude -- which I quit also -- and I thought I was going to drown.

"Finally, I got a boat to come to me, but I had to apologize to the ladies on board," he said. "They very kindly produced a pair of shorts before they allowed me to come into the boat."

His best advice to someone trying the swim for the first time is to swim it with a partner and try to find someone with a boat.

"Talk to anyone out there and ask if they have a boat following them or ask if you can swim with them," Edwards said. "The main thing is don't be afraid to ask for help and don't over exert yourself."

For those in following swimmers in boats, Edwards asked they load up their boats with water to share with the swimmers.

Extra swimming trunks might also serve a swimmer or two well.

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