by Amy Crocker

While most city folk were enjoying the newly warm weather, about 800 people from around the state (and a few non-Californians) converged on Aquatic Park to freeze their goggles off for the Alcatraz Sharkfest swim. Swimmers arrived Saturday at the Maritime Museum as early as 5:30 am to catch a ferry to Alcatraz. At around 8:45, they jumped off the boat for a 1.5 mile race back to shore. But even as they shivered out of the water, barely able to walk, let alone speak for numbness, swimmers remarked on this being the best conditions in recent memory. The water was about 60 degrees with fairly mild currents for the area.

The winners in the wetsuit division were Brad Hibbard from San Clemente with a time of 30.24 and Elizabeth Markman from Los Angeles, 34.41. The winners in the non-wetsuit division were Mike Sample from Berkely, 32.35 and Casey Merrill, 37.44, from Marmora, NJ. For complete results, go here.