Marathon swim from Isles of Shoals to Rye Beach comes 50 years after oil refinery fight

RYE — A 6.5-mile event featuring 20 expert swimmers going from the Isles of Shoals to Rye Beach on Sunday, Aug. 20 is steeped in local history.

It's also personal for Betsy Sandberg, daughter of Nancy Sandberg, one of three women credited with leading a successful fight 50 years ago to prevent business magnate Aristotle Onassis from building a $600 million oil refinery on the New Hampshire coast.

Betsy Sandberg, along with Bob Fernald, is organizing the marathon distance event called Save Our Shores. That's the same name as the citizen group her mother, Nancy Sandberg, led in Durham in 1973 to oppose the oil refinery. Betsy Sandberg will also be a swimmer on Sunday.

"I grew up on a farm in the estuary," Betsy Sandberg said. "We have animals, apples and a lot of stuff that would not be possible had that refinery come to our Seacoast."

She said her mother, Nancy, and her father, Malcolm, are very excited about Sunday's swim and its connection to the fight against Onassis 50 years ago.

“They still live exactly where they were then,” Betsy Sandberg said. “The field where they painted the snow red with the message ‘Ari Go Home’ is there. History was preserved. Our resources were preserved, thanks to them.”

Sandberg said the swim represents an important opportunity to tell the story, to make sure the next generation learns what happened, and why it is important.

“I often think if it weren’t for my mom, and those women, I might not still live in the Durham I love,” she said. “I might never have met the incredible people involved in our swim team. It’s because all these beautiful areas are still protected, still here for us."

“My mom will be on the beach when we swim,” she added, looking ahead to Sunday. “She will help host the gathering for the swimmers after we get in.”

The goals for Sunday's marathon swim

The event on Aug. 20 has three clear purposes, according to Fernald and Betsy Sandberg: To serve as a fundraiser for the Blue Ocean Society, a Portsmouth-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting marine life in the Gulf of Maine; to be part of Rye's yearlong 400th anniversary celebration, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the oil refinery fight.

"We decided they were the most fitting for the money we raise," Fernald said, explaining why Blue Ocean Society was selected. "Each team will raise or donate $500. ... We are reaching out to local corporations for donations. Our goal is to raise at least $15,000."

Remembering the oil refinery fight

There are several books on the 1970s oil refinery fight, including "Small Town, Big Oil" by David W. Moore. The subtitle for the book is: "The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the Richest Man in the World ― And Won."

The three women leading the charge were Dudley Dudley, a legendary former state lawmaker who was in her first term in office in 1973, along with Nancy Sandberg, leader of Save Our Shores, and Phyllis Bennett, publisher and co-founder of Publick Occurrences. They believed a massive refinery would change the Seacoast in a negative way.

Dudley has said the proposed refinery would have refined 400,000 barrels of oil per day and provided storage for 30 million barrels. It would have been built in Durham, home of the University of New Hampshire, with a terminal located at the Isles of Shoals and the oil pipeline running through Great Bay, Newington, Portsmouth and Rye.

The proposal for Olympic Oil Refinery came from Onassis, who had married widowed former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968. The plan was supported by New Hampshire Gov. Meldrim Thomson and Manchester Union Leader publisher William Loeb, who had widespread influence at that time. Local opposition and legislation led by Dudley thwarted the plan, even though Onassis' business had secured options on more than 1,000 acres of land.

Meredith Bennett, Morgan and Rebecca Dudley are also daughters of the oil refinery battle leaders. Fernald said swimmers will follow the approximate route the pipeline might have taken. Meredith Bennett will be one of the swimmers, and the Dudley sisters were involved in organizing the event.

More: How Seacoast women stopped $600M oil refinery in Durham

Betsy Sandberg said her mom, Dudley Dudley and Phyllis Bennett’s daughter Meredith recently gave a talk at the Rye Public Library about the oil refinery story.

What to expect from Sunday's Save Our Shores swim

Swimmers will leave in two groups, the first at 8:30 a.m., according to organizers. The public is encouraged to cheer on swimmers arriving at Rye Beach in the area of 1070 Old Ocean Blvd.

Save Our Shores is a marathon distance open water swim. Marathon swims are events 6.2 miles or longer. The cold, salty waters present unique challenges that make it an undertaking for only expert swimmers. Each swimmer will have a boat and tender, supporting them, encouraging them and to be there in case the swimmer requires help.

The Aug. 20 event required and received approvals from the town of Rye, the Coast Guard and New Hampshire Marine Patrol. In the event of inclement weather, rain dates of Aug. 21 and 22 have been approved.

"It is New England, so we could run into heavy rain, lightning or fog," Fernald said. "That could result in large wave swells. We will work with NOAA on the weather and ocean conditions."

There will be nine solo swimmers, and three relay teams of three to four swimmers each. They will begin at Appledore Island, with the blessing of Cornell University and UNH, which have marine research labs on the island. The group is also planning a beach cleanup.

"Each swimmer/team will have a boat dedicated to their safety," Fernald said. "They will provide navigation, do fuel replenishment (electrolytes, sugars). They will motivate and encourage the swimmers. I estimate the swim will take 5-6 hours."

What does it take to swim 6.5 miles? And what about sharks?

"You really need to have an ocean swimming background," said Fernald, 56.

He has years of experience.

"I did the Triple Crown of open-water swims," he said. "I swam the English Channel, circumnavigated around Manhattan Island, and swam from Catalina Island to Long Beach, in California."

Fernald is co-director of the Nubble Light Challenge off the York, Maine, coast, and swims it each year. He holds ocean safety awareness clinics, raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Michael Phelps Foundation and the YMCA.

Betsy Sandberg said she has six years of open water swimming experience.

"Mostly I have done it with Bob (Fernald), swimming weekly," she said. "I consider it training, so I mostly swim parallel to the beach. It's a great way to train, and it truly helped me cope during COVID and the pandemic. I have swum in all kinds of conditions, and we have big seas. This will be my first marathon swim, and I am pretty excited about it."

Yes, sharks are a concern.

"They are there," Fernald acknowledged. "We are in their house. The risk is real, but it is not likely. Some of the swimmers can choose to wear anti-shark technology, like magnetic bracelets. We will be watching but we are not too worried."

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Isles of Shoals to Rye NH swim honors oil refinery fight anniversary