UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Channel Cats hosted its fourth annual Blue Lakes Open Water swim on Monday, Aug. 4.

The team began its mile-long swim at The Narrows Lodge Resort, owned by Art and Sharon Cerini. From the Narrows, the team swam to Pine Acres, a half-mile away.

Some swimmers finished at this point, but the majority of the team turned around and swam back to the Narrows Resort to enjoy a picnic dinner.

The youngest swimmers swam 100 yards along the shoreline and were the cheering squad for the mile-long swimmers.

Team supporters Greg Hadfield, Mike Clifton and Dr. Peter Stanley also swam with the Channel Cats.

“This is an important event for our evolving swimmers,” said Head Coach Agustin Merodio. “They learn to swim in a pool that contains clear water, lines on the bottom to guide them and a wall at each end for support. The open-water swim is an entirely different venue for the swimmers. They need confidence and endurance to swim for a mile in Blue Lakes. We were proud of all the swimmers.”

The team’s focus was safety and called upon many swim parents and community members to help monitor the swimmers in the water.

Kayaks were deployed to follow swimmers and Art Cerini launched two pontoon boats to provide a vantage point for coaches to keep an eye on the 34 swimmers who participated in this fun-filled event.