SF Examiner | Alcatraz swimmers to mark escape date

Forty-five years ago today, three prisoners at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary escaped onto a makeshift raft and disappeared into the Bay. Their bodies were never recovered and it remains a mystery whether they ever made it to shore.

This morning, three Bay Area residents will commemorate the Frank Morris and Anglin Brothers escape by swimming from the South End Rowing Club to Alcatraz Island and back — for the 500th time.

The three accomplished open-water swimmers — Gary Emich, of Pacifica, Steven Hurwitz, of Burlingame, and Pedro Ordenes, of Mill Valley — will have to endure high winds, choppy waters and temperatures that can drop to 46 degrees during the two-mile swim.

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