CHARLOTTETOWN - The waters were rough and the tide was against him, but Denis Sonier said he persevered until his fingertips reached out from the waters of the Northumberland Strait on Thursday and touched Prince Edward Island.
The victorious moment marked the second time the 70-year-old man had completed a swim from New Brunswick to P.E.I.
Sonier, of Quebec, said he did it partly for personal accomplishment and partly to raise awareness about the 2009 World Acadian Congress.
After training for more than three hours a day for the last two years, Sonier said he knew he could do it.
Still, he admits the swim was a challenge.
"The wind and the waves gave me rough time for the length of the swim," he told the Charlottetown Guardian on Friday.
"I drank about two gallons of salt water because ... the waves were so strong. They were in my face all the time. Every time I took a breath, water was coming into my mouth."
But Sonier said he pressed on and didn't give into the exhaustion that began to overtake him after the first hour and a half due to the strong current.
Sonier said he set out from Cape Tormentine in New Brunswick at exactly 7:27 a.m. After seven hours and two minutes, he finally touched land in Borden, P.E.I.
"When I reached Borden and touched my hand onto a rock, this was an unbelievable feeling of satisfaction," he said.
"I thought, 'At last, I've touched Prince Edward Island."'
Quebec man, 70, swims across Northumberland Strait for the second time
- Published on August 22nd, 2009
- Published on January 1st, 2010
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The Canadian Press
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