To commemorate next year’s 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking, U.S. organizers are inviting talented swimmers to participate in a relay swim along the entirety of the ill-fated ship’s intended journey.
The 17-stage, 661-km relay swim is tentatively planned to begin above the shipwreck in Lake Superior where a special tribute and memorial will be held for the 29 crew members who lost their lives in the stormy waters on Nov. 10, 1975.
Following the ceremony, a 27-km swim to the lighthouse and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point will kick off the adventurous trip.
Captain Ernest McSorley desperately tried to cover those same 27 kilometres and reach the shelter of Whitefish Bay before the ship went down.
From there, participants will swim south on Superior and tread along the St. Marys River through the Sault before entering Lake Huron. The relay will eventually conclude at Belle Isle Beach near Detroit.
Because the event is kicking off near a gravesite, a special permit will be required as even boats are often forbidden from passing over the wreck, according to organizers.
“The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim presents epic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for up to 68 swimmers to be part of history, play a role in a documentary film, and swim where no one has ever [swam] before and may never swim again,” said organizer Jim Dreyer, who swam across all five Great Lakes.
Teams of four swimmers will take on each swim stage.
Organizers noted the relay’s third stage may allow participants to safely get up close with massive freighters on either side of the Soo Locks.
Unsurprisingly, nobody will be expected to swim through the locks itself.
“Believe me, we tried to make that ‘first’ a reality,” organizers wrote. “Although you will need to board your support boat to go through the locks, it is safe to say that this is still a first-of-its-kind swimming experience!”
People in the area first learned of the relay last week on the popular Facebook group "Ship Junkies - Lakes, Locks & Rivers (LL&R)" — prompting thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments.
Some of the reactions were mixed.
"That is a ridiculous idea," one person wrote. "How does jeopardizing swimmers honor the Edmund Fitzgerald and all the other people that have drowned due to ships sinking in the Great Lakes?"
"Such an awesome tribute, good luck to those who attempt," another commented.
"Too dangerous to expect people to swim that length in water that is dangerous on so many levels," one member countered.
But organizers assure the event will carry out all safety precautions. Swimmers will have their own support team consisting of a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain, First Mate, Tactical Critical Care Paramedic, and Jim Dreyer (event director and world record swimmer).
Swimmers will be raising money for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) to help preserve the Whitefish Point Light Station in Michigan — widely regarded as a life-saving beacon for boaters and about a 90-minute drive from the Sault.
“The Edmund Fitzgerald has come to represent, in many ways, shipwrecks in general on the Great Lakes, and the Whitefish Point Light is the most important beacon for all vessels entering or leaving Lake Superior,” said Bruce Lynn, GLSHS Executive Director.
“Preserving the legacy of the 29 men who lost their lives in this historic maritime tragedy and helping to preserve a lighthouse that safeguards mariners along Lake Superior’s ‘Shipwreck Coast,’ are causes the swimmers can really rally around while they are themselves making history,” Lynn added.
Other notable crossings on the route include Whitefish Bay, Lake Huron between Michigan’s peninsulas, Saginaw Bay, and Lake St. Clair.
“The final four swimmers finishing at Belle Isle Beach in Detroit will present our delivery of iron ore to receiving dignitaries,” organizers said. “Then, all Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim participants and their guests will be invited to lead a tentatively scheduled march from the finish line to the Mariners’ Church of Detroit.”
In a memorial service, the church bell will be rung 29 times for each crew member of the Edmund Fitzgerald — like it was nearly 50 years ago.
The swim is scheduled to run from July 26 to August 28, 2025.
Participants will have the chance to be featured in an upcoming documentary film.
Readers brave enough to register can click here.
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