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No stranger to research, Bridgers began reading everything he could get his hands on about the Hellespont, Lord Byron and the three or four others he knew who had crossed the strait under their own power. Even the World Wide Web proved little help, he said.
"I was striking out until Dottie Thornburg gave Sue Ellen (Bridgers' wife) a magazine article titled 'Swimming the Hellespont,'" he said. "It was written by an archeologist working in Turkey on the excavation of Troy."
The article, which appeared in Archaeology Odyssey's winter 1999 issue, describes the author's participation in the Straits Marathon, which is sponsored annually by the Canakkale Rotary Club. From here, Bridgers had all he needed - address, telephone number and email - to prepare for the race. He knew it would be held Aug. 30 (the day before his 60th birthday) and that it was free. Even his fear of being run over by an oil tanker in the busy channel was put to rest when he learned that water traffic is halted for 2 hours during the race.
Bridgers and his wife planned their vacation around the race. They flew into Istanbul, only to be met with terrible news. The race had been cancelled due to the earthquake two weeks earlier that had killed some 20,000 people and left another 100,000 homeless.
"The Rotary club was hesitant to sponsor anything that looked like a celebration," he said.
Not ready to give up, Bridgers managed to track down Hussein Uluasian, owner of Troyanzac Tours. For nearly $500 Uluasian offered to ferry him to the Hellespont and follow along as he swam. The only catch was acquiring the necessary military approval, the guide told Bridgers, which turned out to be impossible in the limited time available to them. The Bridgers had plane tickets home the next day.
"'O.K.,' I told him, 'I'll be back next year,'" said Bridgers, who returned to the U.S. and under took another six-month training regiment beginning this spring with Smoky Mountain High swim coach Pat Briggs. This time he did not confine himself to the pool, but instead headed for area lakes. He worked up to swimming 3,000 yards a day, at least five days a week.
Bridgers and his wife set out again for Turkey last month; this time Uluasian was ready for them. At 5:30 a.m. on the morning of Aug. 21, Bridgers found himself on a boat just off Abydos Point, Leander's legendary home. Since the Asian shore behind them is now a restricted military base, Bridgers had to start his swim by jumping off the boat and into the salty waves.
"You know what they say about it being the darkest just before the dawn? Well, they're right. It was pitch black," he said. "No moon, no sun, no stars. Just pitch black water."
Before entering the water, Bridgers received these instructions from Uluasian: "Just swim into the current. If you need to change directions, we'll let you know."
Bridgers said his first thoughts upon entering the water were "do not panic and do not work too hard." Though he'd trained to swim the crawl, he decided to use the breaststroke instead.
"That's what Byron did, and as it turns out that was an easy way to do it," he said.
While it took Bridgers about 5 minutes to establish a routine to compensate for the waves crashing in his face, the designated lifesaver on board had to be held back from jumping in by Bridgers' wife, who knew he'd be all right.
The Hellespont's strong current makes it impossible to swim in a straight line across to Sestos. Thankfully, after swimming against the current to the halfway point, the water will almost carry you the rest of the way to European shore.
Bridgers said several things surprised and pleased him about his swim. First, the blackness of the water was not what he was expecting, and the temperature was warmer than he thought it'd be. Not only does salt water make you more buoyant than fresh water, but it also feels warmer, he said.
"Another thing is that (the swim) was much easier than I thought it'd be," he said, obviously proud of his accomplishment. "When it was over, I told Sue Ellen that when we go back, I'll swim both ways."
The solitary swimmer has no concept of time, Bridgers said. And though he forgot to stop his watch when he reached the shore, he's almost positive he swam the distance in about 70 minutes, the same time Byron reportedly spent swimming the Hellespont, though in the opposite direction.
The influence his high school English teacher had on his life turned out to be another pleasant surprise, Bridgers said. Though he's unsure if Mrs. Jimerson is still alive, he continues to think about her and wonders what she'd think of his achievement.
Ask Bridgers his thoughts about Turkey, and you'll get nothing but high praise for its friendly people and its similarities to America. The Islamic country is populated with a people who love their God. This discovery turned out to be one of many spiritual parallels between Turkey and the United States, he said.
"Most of what I'd read was anti-Turkey," said Bridgers. "It was interesting to see that's not the case. They love Americans."
It could be the influence of the brandy and green pears or the Turkish bath following the swim that brings out Bridgers' praise. Or it could be the hospitality extended by Uluasian. "Hussian had some very good stories," he said.
A father of three awaiting his sixth grandchild in October, Bridgers said he has no other swimming goal to achieve, though he plans to continue the sport for its health benefits. Instead he's taken up the string bass and hopes in a couple of years to be standing on the Main Stage at the Galax Fiddle Competition with his two sons-in-law.
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