PEOPLE

Posted September 15, 2000

If Alaska Airlines had an award for the most inspirational employee it would almost certainly go to Scott Lautman.

Alaska's manager of employee relations; and former Olympic hopeful; returned to a hero's welcome this week after successfully swimming the English Channel at age 47.

"It was one of the hardest things I've done," says Lautman. "I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad it's over."

Lautman's epic swim began in the wee hours of the morning as he stepped out of his hotel at Abbots Cliff, a small fishing village near Dover. A boat stood by offshore to guide him across the channel and bring him back from France — if he made it across.

Although Lautman had trained long and hard for the swim, the prospects of success were less than certain. Winds were whipping up four to five foot waves, and he had to get within two miles of the French coast before the tide turned. A friend had given up a few days earlier when he misjudged the tide and realized that it would take him another 10 hours to swim the last few miles to France. Another friend had to admit defeat less than 600 yards from shore.

"The boat captain told me to wave when I was ready to go," says Lautman. "But when I raised my hand to adjust my goggles, he sounded the boat horn, so off I went."

As an official English Channel swimmer, Lautman was only allowed to wear a swim suit and goggles. No wetsuit. No life jacket. No swim fins. Insulation was provided by the 27 extra pounds he gained on a training diet of Oreo cookies.

On the plus side the water temperature was a balmy 65 degrees, "much warmer than Puget Sound where I trained," said Lautman.

He was not allowed to touch any part of the boat during the swim. Food and water were handed to him at regular intervals with a 10-foot pole. Fuel consisted of Fig Newtons, bananas and frosted animal cookies.

Five hours into the swim Lautman was ready to throw in the towel. "I didn't know where I was," says Lautman. "The boat captain, who had a GPS unit, wouldn't tell me because he was afraid I would slow down." Then his brother, who was on the guide boat, told him he had just passed the half-way point. "That was all I needed to hear," says Lautman. "I just put my head down and said, ‘Let's go!'"

A little after 2 p.m. he reached France at Cran-aux-Oeufs on the coast of Cap Gris Nez. He had been swimming for 10 hours and 37 minutes. Tides and currents had pushed him up and down the channel in a great arc, forcing him to swim a total of 34 miles. Of the hundreds who have tried, Lautman was only the 21st person to successfully swim the channel this year — and with the best time of the season.

"A lot of people ask me if I jumped up and down when I reached France," says Lautman. "Truth is, I was so tired I stumbled ashore."

A welcoming committee of family and co-workers greeted him on the beach. Five minutes later he headed back to England. That night everyone gathered in a local pub to celebrate his victory. "I went to bed about 10:30 p.m., but I'm told the party went on until 3 a.m.," says Lautman. "My family and friends celebrated for me."

Lautman credits his success with good training and the prayers of his friends and co-workers. "It was great to know that a lot of people were praying for me," he says.

In the end, Lautman estimates the swim cost him $6,000 - $7,000. Co-workers have started a fund raising drive, but not to defer Lautman's expenses. The money will go to Healing the Children and Hope International to commemorate his swim. Checks payable to the Lautman English Channel Swim may be sent to the Alaska Airlines Employees Credit Union for deposit into account No. 16362.

Since the swim Lautman has lost eight pounds and been interviewed by the Seattle Post-Intellegencer.

But the story is far from over. Lautman is now making plans to swim the Straits of Gibraltar; the Bosporus, which separates Europe and Asia; and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.