Finger Lakes

Bridgette Hobart and Claire deBoer after swimming across the Cayuga Lake in the New York Finger Lakes

Bridgette Hobart is nominated for the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year for her New York Finger Lakes swims between 11 July and 26 September

The New York Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, basically north-south lakes in the west-central section of upstate New York in the United States. This region is defined as a bioregion. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes' shapes reminded early map-makers of human fingers, and the name stuck. Cayuga (435 feet, 133 m) and Seneca (618 feet, 188 m), are among the deepest in the United States, with their bottoms well below sea level. Both are close to 40 miles long (64 km) from end to end, and never more than 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide. Cayuga (38.1 miles ) is the longest, and Seneca 66.9 square miles (173 km2) the largest in total area. Oneida Lake is generally not considered one of the Finger Lakes, but it is sometimes called the "thumb", while Seneca is the middle finger.

Open Water Swimming

There is a long history of open water swimming in the New York Finger Lakes. Bridgette Hobart completed the Nazareth College Finger Lakes Challenge (or The 5 Majors & The 6 Minors Swimming for a Cause), a 9-stage 167.01-mile solo swim, starting on 11 July 2015, where she will attempt to swim across 9 of the 11 New York Finger Lakes. Her course is two challenges within the New York Finger Lakes: the Majors and the Minors. The Majors includes the lakes over 11 miles, ranging from 15.5 to 38 miles each with Canandaigua, Keuka, and Skaneateles in July and 38-mile Cayuga Lake and 38-mile Seneca Lake in August. The 6 Minors includes the lakes under 11 miles that she will cross over the weekends in September 2015.

Minors and Majors

There are 11 Finger Lakes, referred to as the Minors and Majors including the following:

Minors

• Canadice 3 miles
• Honeoye 4.5 miles
• Otisco 6.21 miles
• Owasco 10.56 miles
• Hemlock 7.45 miles
• Conesus 8.07 miles

Majors

• Skaneateles 16.03 miles
• Canandaigua 15.5 miles
• Keuka 19.88 miles
• Cayuga 37.9 miles
• Seneca 37.9 miles

New York Finger Lake Swims

There is a long history of open water swimming in the New York Finger Lakes. Bridgette Hobart completed the Nazareth College Finger Lakes Challenge (or The 5 Majors & The 4 Minors Swimming for a Cause), an 9-stage 156-mile solo swim, starting on 11 July and ending on 26 September 2015. Her course included two challenges within the New York Finger Lakes: the Majors and the Minors. The Majors included the lakes over 11 miles, ranging from 15.5 to 38 miles each with Canandaigua, Keuka, and Skaneateles in July and 38-mile Cayuga Lake and 38-mile Seneca Lake in August. The 4 Minors included the lakes under 11 miles that she crossed over the weekends in September 2015.

Stage 1 - Canandaigua 15.5 miles in 7 hours 38 minutes on 11 July
Stage 2 - Keuka 19.88 miles in 9 hours 7 minutes on 19 July
Stage 3 - Skaneateles 16.03 miles in 7 hours 27 minutes on 26 July
Stage 4 - Cayuga 37.9 miles in 20 hours 33 minutes on 8-9 August
Stage 5 - Seneca 37.9 miles in 24 hours 31 minutes on 28-29 August
Stage 6 - Honeoye 4.5 miles in 2 hours 2 minutes on 18 September
Stage 7 - Conesus at 8.08 miles in 3 hours 47 minutes on 19 September
Stage 8 - Otisco at 6.21 miles in 2 hours 2 minutes on 25 September
Stage 9 - Owasco at 11.1 miles in 5 hours 57 minutes on 26 September

NY Finger Lakes Sampler - 10k Madness

It is site of the NY Finger Lakes Sampler - 10k Madness, a 4-part 10 km marathon swim in the New York Finger Lakes of Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga.

Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival

The Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival is held on 23-24 September 2017 and offers 0.5-mile, 1-mile, 2-mile and 10.5-mile lake swims.

External links

• The Legacy Of Russell Chaffee
• Give A Hand To Swimming Across The Finger Lakes
• Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival
• Finger-licking Good On Seneca Lake
• Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival Registration
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Bridgette Hobart Completes Her First Finger Lake Crossing
• Bridgette Hobart Gets A Surprise From 31 Years Ago
• Five Major Deals Done By Bridgette Hobart
• Bridgett Hobart Finishes Stage 3 Of 9
• More People Have Hand In Finger Lakes
• Missing Two Fingers, But It's Still A Challenge
• Discipline Enables Bridgette Hobart To Meet Demands
• Bridgette Hobart Goes 9 For 9 In The Finger Lakes
• Finger Lakes Open Water Swimming
• New York Fingers Lakes Sampler Swim Times Four