Castro Wishes Swimmer Luck on Record Try

Cuban President Fidel Castro made a surprise visit Tuesday to the vessel of a 36-year-old American marathon swimmer and wished him good luck in his bid to break a world record ocean swim from Cuba to the United States.

Skip Storch of Spring Valley, N.Y., is scheduled to push off from the Cuban coast near Havana today to start the 177-mile crossing to Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

Castro, wearing his familiar olive cap and uniform, visited Storch’s support vessel moored at the Marina Hemingway on the western outskirts of the Cuban capital.

Members of Storch’s team who witnessed the meeting said the Cuban leader closely inspected the specially designed floating wire-mesh cage that will protect the swimmer from sharks, jellyfish and floating seaweed.

“I was down in the water snorkeling, checking out the cage and when I looked up there was Castro standing over the dock looking down,” said Tom Torello, also from Spring Valley, who is one of the team members.

Castro, known to be a keen swimmer, questioned Storch about his route through the Gulf Stream and how he intended to keep up his strength and spirits during the swim, expected to last more than 48 hours.

At the end of the informal half-hour meeting, the 66-year-old Cuban leader autographed a photograph of the swimmer.

Cuban scientists also presented Storch with a Cuban-produced cream made from fish oil that will help protect him from sunburn, the salt water and jellyfish stings.

The existing world record for an open ocean swim is 126 miles, but it was completed with flippers, a face mask and a snorkel. Storch will make his attempt without swimming aids of any kind.