When Kitty Yerkes,walking barefoot and in her swimsuit, saw the sirens of fire and police go by her Monday afternoon on the Causeway Bridge, she had an idea what the commotion was about.
Flagging down a passing Wrightsville Beach police cruiser, Yerkes had a simple question for the officer: “Are you looking for me?”
Indeed they were, as Yerkes test of the swimming conditions in Banks Channels demonstrated the power of the currents to sweep one away. In a training swim for the the Swim the Loop race this weekend, Yerkes’ friend Cheryl Maxwell lost sight of her as she swam in Banks Channel on Monday, sparking fears of a potentially missing swimmer as police and lifeguards responded to the scene.
Yerkes had been training for the 1.3 mile swim in the pool, but she knew that the open water conditions would be different. To get a feel for the waters, she asked Maxwell, a member of the Carolina Yacht Club, if they could go down to the club’s docks for a test swim, as she jumped into the water at about 2:30 p.m..
Yerkes said her plan was to swim from the docks downs to Docksides Marina and making it to the first green channel marker was no problem. But then, she learned first hand about the challenging conditions when the currents from Banks Channel turned directions as she made her way into Motts Channel.
Yerkes suddenly found herself unable to make any headway. She flagged down a boater, who offered help that Yerkes declined because the boat wasn’t going in the same direction. Yerkes swam some more, but the boat caused a problem for Maxwell as it cut between her line of sight of her swimming friend.
“I couldn’t see her from the dock,” Maxwell said.
Unable to find Yerkes in the water, Maxwell frantically called over a photographer in hopes that her zoom lense could help them find the missing swimmer. With still no sight of Yerkes, Maxwell contacted club officials who reported the missing swimmer to the town’s fire department.
But while emergency officials rushed to the scene across from the Carolina Yacht Club, Yerkes was embarking on her own adventure back to the dock. She swam in the direction of Atlantic Marine, eventually landing on the dock of a home on South Harbor Island.
She waved to Maxwell, but her friend could not see her. She hitched a ride to Causeway Drive and borrowed a phone, but could only remember the number of her husband and got his voicemail. Her message: “Please tell Cheryl I didn’t drown.”
From there, she started her barefoot walk over the bridge, before being picked up by police near Wynn Plaza. After a hug, Maxwell bared her feelings: “I’m in tears.”
Yerkes, who started swimming at the urging of her daughter to get more exercise, said she’s still excited for Saturday’s swim and feels a little more prepared.
“Now I learned that the currents are a lot harder than I thought,” Yerkes said.
Maxwell countered: “I’m glad I’m not doing the swim with you.”
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