Hamilton man, 60, set to swim 55 km around Pelee Island

Perhaps you plan on taking a relaxing dip in the lake during the remaining dog days of summer.

Not to make you feel bad about your plans, but Robin Lajoie, 60, is about to attempt an approximate 55-kilometre swim around Pelee Island later today. As far as he knows he's the only swimmer who has taken on this challenge in recent memory. While he has no examples to follow, he's feeling fairly confident.

"I've been doing 60-to-70 miles per week and I'm definitely strong enough to do it," said the Hamilton-based endurance runner and triathlete in an interview with CBC News before the swim.

Safety precautions

While he may be confident that doesn't mean you should attempt such a feat, says Cynthia Cakebread, the area chair for the Lifesaving Society in Windsor-Essex.

"We would never suggest someone try this kind of swim without some kind of preparation," she said. "Whether it's just a short swim off the coast or a long swim of 50K around the island like he's doing you'd want to take all the same precautions."

According to Cakebread, the key safety precautions to take for open water swims include: proper safety supervision along the entire route of the swim from some kind of support boat, as well as looking at water quality, water conditions and boating routes prior to the swim.

Lajoie will also have to contend with a huge algae bloom that encompasses Pelee Island right now. New satellite images show the bloom stretching from Point Pelee National Park to and around the island.

Swimming in algae blooms is not recommended by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Helping hands

Lajoie is set to start his swim around noon from Point Pelee, then circle Pelee Island. The entire swim will likely take between 24 to 27 hours, said Lajoie.

He has enlisted the help of a literal boatload of people, including Greg Horoky, who runs fishing charters on Lake Erie. Horoky, along with a first mate, will help guide the endurance swimmer throughout his journey. At least four people will also be onboard to keep an eye out for Lajoie while he makes his way around Pelee Island. ​

Horoky also doesn't expect any major issues.

"It's one of the busiest waterways for commercial ships, so we gotta watch out for those," Horoky said.

As for the currents? They'll actually assist the swimmer. They are also not concerned about the recent blue-green algae bloom in the area.

But one scary sounding creature Lajoie may encounter is an ugly eel-like, parasitic fish.

"We do have sea lampreys, but I have never heard of anyone been attacked," notes Horoky.

The map below shows where Lajoie will start and end his swim.

For a good cause

While it's fun to take a rare long-distance swim around Pelee Island, there is a serious side to the adventure.

The point of the gruelling swim is not to make you feel bad about your short dips in the lake this summer — it's all in the name of helping the place where the swim is taking place.

The event will help raise funds for the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, a non-profit charitable organization that studies our wild birds and helps preserve their habitats, according to a press release.

Interested in following Lajoie's swim in real time today? Search for the hashtag #swimforthebirds on Twitter.