Catalina Crossing, 1932
Although many would later refer to it as a contest or race, the 1932 Catalina Crossing[1] by Tom Blake, Pete Peterson and Wally Burton was not so much a race as a test of endurance and a promotion to spotlight Tom’s Thomas Rogers production hollow board. “Blake did not consider the Catalina paddle a race,” emphasized his friend and biographer Gary Lynch. “He said it was a demonstration of the ability of his new Rogers [manufactured] paddleboards. To prove how they could perform in long distance rescue work. Also it was to prove the stamina of men who paddled then... He said it was not a race and unfair to call it one. Wally and Pete did Tom a favor, really” by helping him promote his boards.[2]
The Catalina paddle “was my idea,”
Out of all the paddling events of his life, the Catalina crossing was the one that held the most memories for Tom. “My motive was to prove the paddleboard a good rescue device. It [the Catalina paddle] reached into unknown territory and was well worth the pain. I trained for it by securing a paddleboard to the edge of the Corona del Mar [jetty] and paddling up to three hours [a day]. The trophy I won was a blue urn; for my ashes.”[4]
Tom’s board for the crossing was a
Originally, there were four paddlers entered in what some people called “a race from the
The crossing was well publicized in area newspapers. “Blake Takes Paddle Board Catalina Race; 5 Hrs. 23 Min.” began one article that went on: “Battling rough and choppy seas most of the thirty-six nautical miles between Point Vicente, on the mainland, and Long Point, Catalina Island, Tom Blake crossed the channel on a paddle board yesterday in five hours and twenty-three minutes actual time.
“En route he took thirty-two minutes for rest and refreshments.
“Preston Peterson was second, covering the distance in six hours and twenty-nine minutes, and Wally Burton third in six hours and fifty minutes.
“Blake is the Hawaiian paddle board champion and Peterson and
“The contenders were accompanied by the 40-foot cruiser Gloria H. under command of Capt. O.C. Olsen with timers and a physician aboard. They were taken to Avalon, where they were awarded prizes.
“The object of the contest, according to Capt. George Watkins of the
Another newspaper printed: “GUARDS CONQUER CATALINA CHANNEL. Blake, Peterson,
“Tom Blake, Hawaiian champion in 1929, and club guard here, made the fastest time in the unique contest, which originally was planned as a demonstration of the use of paddle boards in the open sea. Blake made the crossing in five hours and 53 minutes.”[8]
Under a sub-heading of “Peterson Second,” the newspaper report continued: “Second place went to Lieut. Preston Peterson, of the municipal lifeguard service, who made the crossing in six hours, 31 minutes. Lieut. Wally Burton was third, finishing in 6 hours and 53 minutes.
“The three men were exhausted when dragged from the water by Guards Pat Lister and Bob Butts, who rowed a dory alongside the paddlers the entire distance, quite a feat in itself. The Capt. O.C. Olsen Co. boat, Gloria H., chugged ahead as a convoy.
“The participants reported the crossing uneventful, except for the last few miles, when they were forced to battle through water made choppy by a brisk wind.”[9]
Under the sub-heading “‘Shot’ for News Reels,” the article went on to report: “News reels ‘caught them’ when they arrived at Avalon and were greeted by city officials and prominent yachtsmen of the island colony.
“Dr. J.S. Kelsey Jr., chairman of the lifeguard committee, which authorized the event, and J.H. Blanchard, a member of the committee, were among the Santa Monicans aboard the convoy boat.”[10]
“It started out as a test, not a race,” Tom underscored. “It really put the [hollow] board across as a rescue device... During the paddle, starting just after midnight, all of us separated. The convoy boat stayed with Pete and Wally. I moved on, alone. Finished alone, at Long Point.”[11]
Unfortunately for Tom, Pete and Wally, everyone on the escort boat Gloria H. ate whatever food was available on the way to Catalina. By the time the three paddlers reached the island, there was no food aboard to feed the weary ones. To make matters worse, despite their weakened condition, the convoy boat headed back for the mainland right after the finish of the race. On top of that, all three paddlers were sick to their stomachs.
Eventually, after getting back to
Two weeks later, a newspaper article summed-up
Under a sub-heading titled “Without Parallel” the article went on to quote that: “‘It was an accomplishment without parallel in the world of aquatic sports,’ Dr. J.S. Kelsey, Jr., chairman of the beach commission declared, as he introduced Mayor William H. Carter, who, in turn, introduced the recipients of the medals and lauded their efforts.
“Tom Blake, club guard, who won the paddle board race; Lieut. Preston Peterson of the Santa Monica service, who made the second best time, and Lieut. Wally Burton, who arrived third, stepped up to the mayor, bowed slightly as they received the medals, and then stepped back to the chairs on the rostrum of the bandstand.”[14] The medals had been decided upon early. Only a day after the crossing, “Gold, silver and bronze medals were ordered struck by the” Santa Monica “city council… for members of the Santa Monica lifeguard service who yesterday finished the world’s longest paddle board race by paddling from the mainland to Catalina Island.”[15]
“‘The feat is destined to bring world wide renown to the
A local
“Well, I didn’t see it exactly like that,”
Wally Burton’s criticism of Blake and the Catalina Crossing grew stronger toward the end of his life. At one point, Burton, who went on to become a Deputy Chief in the California Highway Patrol, claimed that Tom got Pete’s and Wally’s permission to paddle ahead the last couple of miles. This flies directly in the face of what we know about Tom Blake, one of the most intense swimming competitors of the early Twentieth Century.
“We were more or less advertising that thing for
“That’s when
“Well,” Wally answered about how he physically felt after the Catalina paddle, “I’ll tell you, I was pretty pooped. At one time there [during the paddle], I thought, ‘I’m going to duck this whole thing.’ I got sick, seasick really, rolling around on that board. And the chop was such that you lay on your stomach for that length of time, or get on your knees a lot of the time and paddle. But I forget what the time was… I was sick and so was Tom. I’ve got pictures of Tom and myself on the boat, after we’d come in, there. We’re both sacked out in bed, and we’re both sick.”[23]
Blake “told me,” Tommy Zahn wrote, “the Palos Verdes to Catalina paddle was arranged so that the seaworthiness of his newly patented board could be demonstrated (By the way, they all three paddled the
[1] This section is nearly identical to the one in Gault-Williams, 2007.
[2] Lynch, Gary . Email to Malcolm, 29 November 1999.
[3] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Tommy Zahn and Chauncy Granstrom, July 27, 1988.
[4] Lynch, Gary . Thomas Edward Blake Interview, April 1988. Tom’s notations.
[5] Blake, Tom. Letter to Tommy Zahn, October 12 & 14, 1972. Tommy’s notation.
[6] Blake, 1935, 1983, pp. 72-73. See also Lynch, Gary. Email to Malcolm Gault-Williams, 29 November 1999.
[7] Unidentified newspaper, October 1, 1932.
[8] Unidentified newspaper, “Guards Conquer Catalina Channel – Blake, Peterson, Burton Make Trip to Island on Paddle Boards,” October 1, 1932.
[9] Unidentified newspaper, “Guards Conquer Catalina Channel – Blake, Peterson, Burton Make Trip to Island on Paddle Boards,” October 1, 1932.
[10] Unidentified newspaper, “Guards Conquer Catalina Channel – Blake, Peterson, Burton Make Trip to Island on Paddle Boards,” October 1, 1932.
[11] Lynch, Gary . “Biographical Sketch of Tom Blake.”
[12] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Tom Blake, June 26, 1988.
[13] Lynch, Gary . “Biographical Sketch of Tom Blake.” Tom’s handwritten notation.
[14] Unidentified newspaper, “Guards Rewarded For Water Feat,” October 16, 1932. Wally misspelled “Wallie.” See photo of Tom, with paddleboard, cup, and presumably Dr. J.S. Kelsey, Jr.
[16] Unidentified newspaper, “Board Heroes – Guards Will Be Rewarded for Feat in Crossing Catalina Channel,” October 1, 1932.
[17] Santa Monica newspaper, October 3, 1932.
[18] Santa Monica newspaper, October 3, 1932. Wally’s name misspelled in paper.
[19] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Wally Burton, May 10, 2000.
[20] Lockwood, Craig. “Waterman Preston ‘Pete’ Peterson,” The Surfer’s Journal, ©2005-2006, p. 54. Wally Burton quoted.
[21] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Wally Burton, May 10, 2000.
[22] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Wally Burton, May 10, 2000.
[23] Lynch, Gary . Interview with Wally Burton, May 10, 2000.
[24] Zahn, Tommy. Letter to Gary Lynch, June 2, 1988; Tommy’s emphasis.
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