Minors

noun - The Minors are the smaller lakes of the New York Finger Lakes, a group of eleven long, narrow, basically north-south lakes in the west-central section of upstate New York in the United States.

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 Lakes

The Finger Lakes 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 4 Minors Swimming for a Cause), an 9-stage 156-mile solo swim, starting on 11 July and ending on 27 September 2015. Her course included 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 4 Minors includes 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 18 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 7-9 August
Stage 5 - Seneca 37.9 miles in 24 hours 31 minutes on 28-30 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 56 minutes on 26 September
Stage 9 - Owasco at 11.1 miles in 5 hours 57 minutes on 27 September

External links

• Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival
• Finger-licking Good On Seneca Lake
• Finger Lakes Open Water Swim Festival Registration
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• The Legacy Of Russell Chaffee
• Give A Hand To Swimming Across The Finger Lakes
• Bridgette Hobart Completes Her First Finger Lake Crossing
• Discipline Enables Bridgette Hobart To Meet Demands
• Bridgette Hobart Goes 9 For 9 In The Finger Lakes