Doug Comstock, right, and his daughter Haley in Spain waiting for Doug’s chance to try and swim across the Straits of Gibraltar.
In 2015, East Granby resident Doug Comstock swam 19 miles across the English Channel in his attempt to swim across the channel. He had to stop after swimming for more than 12 hours.
Comstock, now 64, is still in the water. He hopes to swim this week across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco on the African continent.
Depending on weather conditions, Comstock, a 1973 graduate of Canton High, could be in the water any day now. The swim is estimated at 16.1 kilometers or 10.0 miles.
“What makes it difficult is not the distance but water temperature and current, especially as you near Morocco” he said from Spain on Sunday. “Trying to get through (the) current at the other side is a real challenge.“
Comstock still wants to swim across the English Channel. This is part of preparation to challenge the channel again – hopefully next year.
“I wanted to test out my shoulder in similar conditions but with a shorter distance,” Comstock said. “Also, we each need something that moves our life meter. This sport helps move mine into the green zone.”
In high school at Canton, he was an excellent basketball player. He was a fisherman in Alaska for a few years in the 1970s. He is a two-time finisher of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bicycle race and 26.2 mile marathon) in the 1990s. He was a former heavyweight black belt on the U.S. Intersport karate team to Russia and Poland.
His latest passion the past few years has been marathon swimming.
You can follow Comstock’s progress by the position of guide boat.
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