Kenilworth MD to Escape from Alcatraz
On Saturday 3rd November, Neil Curtis, MD of online marketing agency Net Visibility will be aiming to swim from Alcatraz Island back to shore in San Francisco to replicate the famous prison escape, while raising funds for Warwick Hospital’s Aylesford Unit.
In 1962 two prisoners, Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin chipped through their cement cell walls, squeezed through a ventilation shaft to get to the roof, climbed down a drain pipe, scaled a 15-foot fence, and entered the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. They disappeared into the night, wearing only the meagre life preservers made from stolen rain coats, and were never found, seen, or heard from again.
Neil won’t have to break out of the famous prison but when he jumps out of the small boat, point-to-point, the swim is 1.5 miles (90 lengths of a standard swimming pool), further complicated by strong cross currents and water temperatures of 12 degrees centigrade.
Starting early in the morning, Neil will be joining 50 other swimmers all of whom will be aware that this summer more Great White Sharks have been spotted in the San Francisco Bay area than ever before. A technically challenging swim, the participants will have to aim for landmarks a significant distance away from the finish point and judge the tides so that they perfectly curve into the narrow entrance to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Training is going well and Neil is swimming the race distance at least three times a week and is also getting used to cold water at Cliff Lakes in Tamworth every Saturday. Here, he is swimming a minimum of 3000 metres, all before breakfast. The strong currents are still a concern and Neil is hoping a few swims in the sea in South Wales will somewhat prepare him for his challenge. All of this is a long way away from the middle age father of two who could only swim for 10 minutes at the start of the year before running out of energy.
Neil describes his challenge as “a bit of fun and wonderfully mad” but there is a serious side to his adventure. Five years ago Neil’s mum Sylvia was diagnosed with cancer and is currently receiving treatment from the wonderful teams at Warwick Hospital in their state-of-the-art, purpose built Ambulatory Cancer Unit. Funds raised during Neil’s swim will enable the unit to purchase better equipment for cancer treatment and help make patient and their families’ waiting areas more comfortable. Donations to the Aylesford Unit can be made at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AlcatrazNeil
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