Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.
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At age 17, Canadian-born, Angela Kondrak, a resident of
Toronto, became the 9th person (6th female) to cross Lake
Ontario.
Her swim started on 22 August 1976. She completed the swim, the following day (Her 17th Birthday), with a time of 23 hours 48 minutes. Angela's success, with coach Art Dufresne, came after two previous attempts to cross the lake in 1974 and 1975. Her first attempt, at age 14, was after she had successfully competed in the 1974 La Tuque, 24-hour, relay swim. |
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| 1976 Lake Ontario Finish |
Angela is seen here 18 years after her successful
swim at the dedication ceremony for the plaque
at Niagara-on-the-lake . |
On page 12 of their Monday, 19th August 1974 issue, The Sherbrooke Record published a report on teh challenges faced with the planning of Angela's 1974 swim.
The Team:
* Swim Master: Ian Lenathen
* Coach: Arthur Dufresne
* Pacers: Cliff Lumsdon, Bob Bannerman
* Navigator: Ted Dinsmore
* Motorman: Larry Scharfe, CUDA
* Lead Boat: Banshee II. Owner T. Dinsmore
* Inflatables, either side of swimmer: 15' and 18' each with a 7.5 HP motor. "The Rubber Duckie" and "CUDA Rescue 2".
* Starboard Flank: Pegasus. 30' Blue Hall. Owner T. Bontje. Carrying doctor & Mother
* Port Side Flank: The R.B. Owner CFRB Radio
* Additional Boat: Harry's Toy. 18' White Hall. Owner Harry Gallenger. Carrying Pacers.
* Rear Boat, 1: The Alethia, 26' Blue Hall safety ship
* Rear Boat 2: Arbee. Owner CFRB. Backup and safety
Details
* Start: 1:35 am, 22 August 1976 at Niagara-on-the-Lake
* Finish: 1:28 am, 23 August 1976 on the mainland north of Ontario Place
* Total Time: 23 hours 48 minutes
Swim Master Ian Lenathen reported that Angela averaged 60 strokes per minute (ranging between 55 and 63), and fed a total of 14 times on a variety of nutrients that included: peaches and honey; chicken broth; herb tea: and Lucozade (a carbonated, carbohydrate drink).
During her swim, her coach, Art Dufresne, talked, and played Angela's favourite music, into a transmitter which was picked-up by a receiver on the inside of Angela's swim cap. A calm start to the swim, at 69°F, had changed to a south-west wind with a 1.5 to 4 foot chop by daylight. The wind eventually died down when she was about 4 miles from Ontario Place but, with darkness, a heavy mist set in and obscured the Toronto skyline; however, a fireworks display at Ontario Place helped to lift Angela's spirits. The Swim Master reported that pacers, Bob Bannerman and Cliff Lumsdon, were major assets in Angela's success.
Details taken from Swim Master, Ian Lenathen's, official report
Many of the images were obtained from the extensive Digital Archives of the Toronto Public Library
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Created: 7th December 1998
Last Updated: 14th March 2023
