Matthias Kaßner on The Search

Photos by Kathleene Marcil

Matthias Kaßner Completes Gnarly 25-Mile Crossing of Lake Memphremagog, In Search of Memphre

NEWPORT, VT: On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, in 10-minute intervals starting at 12:01 am, three Swimmer Scouts set out from the Newport City Dock and Boat Ramp In Search of Memphre, a 25-mile international swim the length of Lake Memphremagog between Newport, Vermont and Magog, Quebec.

Cheryl Reinke, 60, of York, South Carolina started at 12:01 am. She swam strong and fast, completing 9 miles in 4 and a half hours. But, she is grappling with a recently diagnosed heart issue, learning how to couple that condition with her love of marathon swimming. Her blood oxygen dropped to 80% and she decided that she needed to terminate her swim. She was escorted by Robert Roberge in his pontoon, The Office. Co-piloting was his cousin, Guy Roberge. Cheryle’s husband Christian served as her crew. 

Cheryl is an experienced open water swimmer. She’s competed in many events over the past fifteen years, including all four lakes of the SCAR Challenge (2015) and all seven stages of Eight Bridges down the Hudson River (2016). She will take some of the lessons learned in her Search for Memphre to adjust her treatment and training regimen.

Matthias Kaßner, 56, of Berlin, Germany entered the water in Newport, Vermont at 12:11 am and exited the water in Magog, Quebec at 7:58 pm, for an elapsed time in the water of 19 hours 47 minutes. He was escorted by Gary Corburn and Vera Rivard in kingdom Game’s pontoon, Molly. Ina Kassner and Paula Yankauskas crewed for Matthias. 

He is an experienced open water swimmer, having completed the Triple Crown and five of the Ocean Seven swims. He is a regular at Cork Distance Week where he met and became friends with Paula, who skallywaged him to join The Search.

This was a gnarly swim for Matthias. As he puts it, "I had problems with getting food down, heartburn (boy that can hurt!), throwing up, a bloated stomach, a blocked bladder... and for the last 10k or so I swam with a hick up... But what a beauty of a lake: deep forest, mountains in the fog, beautiful islands... it was just stunning! A piece of my heart will stay there! "

He didn't see our lake monster; he said his difficult crossing scared Memphre away.

Benjamin Bryant, 65, of Brunswick, Maine was the third to enter the water at 12:21 am. He swam through the night and into the day. But he was cold, very cold. As the sun rose, we were all hoping that he would warm up. But the day’s warmth did not come quick enough for Ben. He pulled himself after completing 12.6 miles in 8 and a half hours. Ben was escorted by the Kingdom Games Pontoon, Lucky, piloted by Phil White of Derby, VT and Michel Gagnon, of Levis, QC. Cynthia Needham and Ben’s wife Mellissa crewed for him. 

Ben is relatively new to long distance open water swimming, having swum Around Key West in 2022, the 10-mile Kingdom Swim in 2023, and the Border Buster at Kingdom Swim in 2024. His longest night swim before this week was about 1.5 hours, earlier this year. He too learned much from his gutsy swim, and, like Cheryl before him, was aware enough of his circumstances to decide when to pull.

This summer Ben joined us as a Memphre Boat Pilot on a couple of Searches. We are happy to welcome him into the family of Clubhous Gangstas. We know we have many shared journeys ahead.

The conditions were fair. Winds were light from the south, generally less than 5 MPH but rising occasionally to 10 MPH. Water temperature was 70 F throughout. Nighttime air temperatures dropped into the mid 50s at night and rose to the low 70’s after about 11 am.

Each swim was conducted in full conformity with traditional channel crossing rules as published by the Marathon Swimmers Federation. Matthias’s completion has been ratified by the Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association. Spot Tracker services were provided by Kingdom Games in conjunction with Evan Morrison of MSF.

Darcie DeBlois Rivard helped send off each swimmer at the boat ramp. Peter and Geneve Channel greeted Mathias in Magog. Kathleene Marcil served as the Kingdom Games Photographer. Here's a link to Photos of Window VII, along with a link to Selected Photos of Window VII.

Once again, we appreciate the willingness of the Canadian Border Services Agency and US CBP to facilitate our ability to cross the border into Canada and return to the United States. It was not as seamless as it has been in previous swims, but the issues that arose were resolved quickly and with good spirits.

Each swimmer, in his or her own way, battled their own limitations during this swim. There was no quit in the experienced Matthias, but make no mistake there was a fierce battle to complete. 

We started Kingdom Swim 16 years ago with the battle cry NO LANES – NO LINES – NO LIMITS. We love to see “The Stretch” as swimmers consciously take on challenges that extend them beyond their comfort zone. But, even as they break through their perceived limits, it is critically important for them to be able to recognize when they have reached their own real limits on any given day. Cheryl and Ben reminded me of that lesson. They showed wisdom and self-awareness to pull when they did, to live and swim another day.

The day following the swim, we gathered at The Clubhous, signed one of Matthias’s nameplates and tacked the other to the Clubhous garage wall along with the German flag. It did not go unnoticed that the German flag was flying next to the Polish flag. It signified a Europe with nations at peace with each other and united in their commitment assist Ukraine in its battle to defend herself against the Russian aggression. Matthias told me that he grew up in West Berlin surrounded by “The Wall.” It was not until he was 21 that The Wall fell and Germany was reunited. We talked about fighting for freedom every single day and that dark forces exist every place in the world, throughout history.

And, of course, Matthias and Ina joined us at Jasper’s Tavern to sign the ceiling above the bar. At dinner that evening we explained why we fly the Pirate flag at The Clubhous. It comes from combining the expressions Carpe Diem and Bocca del Lupo. It signifies that we steal each and every day out of the mouth of the wolf.

These three swimmers, swimming in Window VII of The Search 2024, were fearless Pirates all. On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, they indeed stole the day (and night) right out of the mouth of the wolf. It was our privilege and honor to be a small part of their journeys.

One more Search is still ahead before we close down this extraordinary summer of open water swimming. We have set the schedule of Eight Three-Day Windows in 2025 and have started taking reservations, with 6 Swimmer Scouts already signed on.

And a shout to Newport Downtown Development and VOREC for grant funds that allowed us to upgrade our pontoon boats a bit and build a robust corps of Escort Boat Pilots, necessary to grow the capacity of The Search to accept swimmers from all over North America and the world. And a Tribute to Barbara Malloy, Vermont's First Lady Dracontologist, for her tireless work over decades to document over 170 sightings of our swimmer-friendly Lake Monster, Memphre.

Kingdom Games now hosts over 50 days of swimming, running, and biking events in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the Eastern Townships of Quebec. They are highly acclaimed, recreational athletic endurance events, challenging to the very best, with options that make them accessible for all, newcomers and seasoned veterans, young and old alike. They are held in venues that showcase the very best of the Northeast Kingdom, its four seasons, its wide open “vista riddled” roads, its legendary lakes, and its working agricultural landscape.

Over the past decade, Kingdom Games has drawn thousands of participants, kayakers, volunteers, friends and family from over 45 states and 4 Canadian provinces as well as Mexico, Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Latvia, Finland, Russia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. 

They have been made possible by a host of sponsors, partners, friends, and volunteers who support the mission of The Games to help make the Northeast Kingdom a mecca for these sporting communities of swimmers, runners, and cyclists.

Kingdom Games is a small business that pays taxes and, based on the principles of Newman’s Own, dedicates all net profits to local charities, organizations, and good causes. Over the past 9 years this has totaled over $65,000. We purchase all products and services from local businesses, whenever possible.