EPISODE 94, SWIMMING DOWN THE RHINE RIVER , RHEINFELDEN, SWITZERLAND,
alan skeoch
August 2020
Today, the third August week end, a thousand adventure seekers will be floating down the St. Clair
River from the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia to who knows where. They will be floating on an
assortment of plastic, rubber,wooden rafts. Some with beer coolers strapped down. Yes, it is
dangerous. Normally huge freighters thread their way down the St. Clair River but not this
week end. Attempts to stop the rafters have failed so the big freighters are not allowed
on the river this week end.
For those who are not familiar with geography, the St. Clair River links Lake Huron with Lake Erie.
A narrow stretch of fast water between two of the Great Lakes. Yes, it is an adventure. No one
organizes the FLOAT DOWN so no one is responsible therefore the Float Down is hard to
stop. Rescue boats from both US and Canadian sides of the river will hopefully retrieve
any person whose plastic raft springs a leak. Or drinks too much beer.
The international boundary between Canada and the US runs down the centre of
the river. Mistakes in navigation could land American adventurers in deep trouble…
especially with Covid 19 in the air … and in the lungs of some floaters.
As I was reading the article about the Float Down in the Toronto Star, I was
reminded of the sunny August day several years ago when our son Kevin
asked , “How about swimming down the Rhine today?”
We protested but finally caved in and stepped into the fast flowing Rhine
at Rheinfeldon, a Swiss town above Basel. There were a couple of others
in the water…moving fast. No need to swim,” just let the racing river carry you”
Once in the river, Kevin also told us to keep close to the Swiss side of
the river. “Don’t get out in the middle or you will miss our landing point
and end up floating through the City of Basel.”
We followed him and his kids. When he cut floating and began to swim
to shore, we did the same. “The landing point is narrow…you will only have one chance.”
We made it. Thrilled actually. Take a look at the pics below…not our families
but could well have been. We carried our clothes with us but did not have the
special clothing float bags of the Swiss swimmers.
I did get into a problem however.
We landed at a Swiss waterpark much like the playground below. Kevin
recommended we all take a slide down a hard plastic flume like the one below.
That was fine for slim adults and teen agers. Not so good for me. My bum
was too big so it spanned the water flume that made sliding possible.
I sat there, about ten feet down, immobile. Everybody laughing. It took a long
time to weasel my way down…sort of bum walking much to the enjoyment of
our family and any kids and adults interested. “Move along”, some seemed
to call in Swiss German. It took a long time.
alan skeoch
august 2020
