Lynne Cox
Encyclopedia
Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island
Channel in California
. She was always the slowest swimmer in her swim classes. She has twice held the record for the fastest crossing (men or women) of the English Channel
(1972 in a time of 9h 57 mins and 1973 in a time of 9h 36 mins). In 1975, Cox became the first woman to swim the 10 °C (50 °F), 16 km (10 mi) Cook Strait
in New Zealand
. In 1976, she was the first person to swim the Straits of Magellan in Chile
, and the first to swim around the Cape of Good Hope
in South Africa
.
Cox is perhaps best known for swimming the Bering Strait
in 1987, from the island
of Little Diomede in Alaska
to Big Diomede
, then part of the Soviet Union
, where the water temperature averaged around 4 °C (40 °F). At the time people living on the Diomede Islands
-- only 3.7 km (2.3 miles) apart—were not permitted to travel between them, although the Eskimo communities there had been closely linked until the natives of Big Diomede
were moved to the Russian mainland after World War II. Her accomplishment eased Cold War
tensions as Ronald Reagan
and Mikhail Gorbachev
both praised her success.
Another of her accomplishments was swimming more than a mile (1.6 km) in the waters of Antarctica. Cox was in the water for 25 minutes, swimming 1.22 miles (1.96 km) . Her book about the experience, Swimming to Antarctica, was published in 2004.
Her second book, Grayson, details her encounter with a lost baby gray whale
during an early morning workout off the coast of California. It was published in 2006.
In August 2006 she swam across the Ohio River
in Cincinnati from the Serpentine Wall to Newport, Kentucky
to bring attention to plans to decrease the water quality standards for the Ohio River.
The asteroid
37588 Lynnecox
was named in her honor.
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
Channel in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She was always the slowest swimmer in her swim classes. She has twice held the record for the fastest crossing (men or women) of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
(1972 in a time of 9h 57 mins and 1973 in a time of 9h 36 mins). In 1975, Cox became the first woman to swim the 10 °C (50 °F), 16 km (10 mi) Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 1976, she was the first person to swim the Straits of Magellan in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and the first to swim around the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Cox is perhaps best known for swimming the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
in 1987, from the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Little Diomede in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to Big Diomede
Big Diomede
Big Diomede Island is an unpopulated island among the Diomede Islands in the middle of the Bering Strait. The island is a part of the Chukotsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia.-Geography:...
, then part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, where the water temperature averaged around 4 °C (40 °F). At the time people living on the Diomede Islands
Diomede Islands
The Diomede Islands , also known in Russia as Gvozdev Islands , consist of two rocky, tuya-like islands:* The U.S. island of Little Diomede or, in its native language, Ignaluk , and* The Russian island of Big Diomede , also known as Imaqliq,...
-- only 3.7 km (2.3 miles) apart—were not permitted to travel between them, although the Eskimo communities there had been closely linked until the natives of Big Diomede
Big Diomede
Big Diomede Island is an unpopulated island among the Diomede Islands in the middle of the Bering Strait. The island is a part of the Chukotsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia.-Geography:...
were moved to the Russian mainland after World War II. Her accomplishment eased Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
tensions as Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
both praised her success.
Another of her accomplishments was swimming more than a mile (1.6 km) in the waters of Antarctica. Cox was in the water for 25 minutes, swimming 1.22 miles (1.96 km) . Her book about the experience, Swimming to Antarctica, was published in 2004.
Her second book, Grayson, details her encounter with a lost baby gray whale
Gray Whale
The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...
during an early morning workout off the coast of California. It was published in 2006.
In August 2006 she swam across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in Cincinnati from the Serpentine Wall to Newport, Kentucky
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
to bring attention to plans to decrease the water quality standards for the Ohio River.
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
37588 Lynnecox
37588 Lynnecox
37588 Lynnecox is a minor planet discovered at Palomar Observatory by Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy on April 15, 1991. It is named after swimmer Lynne Cox.- References :...
was named in her honor.
Works
- Swimming to Antarctica, Alfred A. Knopf, 2004 ISBN 0-15-603130-2
- Grayson, Alfred A. Knopf, 2006 ISBN 0-307-26454-8.
External links
- CBS News on the Antarctic swim
- Lynne Cox website
- Lynne Cox Profile Page - - Video clip, book listings, speaking topics.
- Lynne Cox reading Grayson online multimedia e-book (Chapter 1).