LAKE ST. CLAIR, Mich. — Jim Dreyer has been freestyling his way across Lake St. Clair for more than 48 hours.
Dreyer battled nightfall for the second night in a row Tuesday. According to the last ping from his GPS, he was about 2 miles away from his destination at Belle Isle, which is the gateway to the Detroit River.
FOX 17 caught up with some of his friends, who told us they received a text from Dreyer at about 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday that read, “Fin is up. Shark is holding his own.”
“His friends call him ‘Shark’ because he pretty much owns the water,” said Catrina Murphy, a friend.
Dreyer set out on his journey across the lake at 8:36 a.m. on Monday. His plan was to swim 22 miles while tugging a ton of bricks behind him in two boats. Dreyer will sign the bricks, his supporters say, and sell them, with the proceeds donated to Habitat for Humanity.
One of the boats came detached from Dreyer on Tuesday. His supporters say they’re not sure where it is on the lake. Later that night, Nate Zandee, a friend, said he swam out to Dreyer to check on him. “We were concerned a little bit that he’d be running out of supplies and food. He’s looking great though.”.
Zandee told us Dreyer had enough food and supplies at that time to finish his trip.
His supporters, which include members of Habitat for Humanity, have been out at Belle Isle since the beginning. They say they’re not leaving until he’s on dry land.
“He’s putting it all out there on the line for us, so I’m going to be here until I see him,” said Sandra Pearson, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Michigan.
Murphy also said she’s sticking around until the very end. “We are going to be here to watch it and support him. We’re not leaving.”
