- In 2025, 70 swimmers attempted to complete the Edmund Fitzgerald’s journey across the Great Lakes. The legendary freighter sank during a storm on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975.
- The feat is chronicled in a new documentary called, “We Finished Their Journey: The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim.”
- The film is available now in theatres and for streaming through the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, killing all 29 men on board the ship. Last year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, a team of 70 swimmers attempted to complete the journey that those sailors started.
The feat is chronicled in a new documentary called, “We Finished Their Journey: The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim.” The film will be available in theatres and for streaming through the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
Jim “The Shark” Dreyer, a record-setting open-water swimmer, served as the event director of the project. He started to develop the idea for the memorial swim in 2023 as he realized the 50th anniversary of the ship’s sinking was quickly approaching.
“And I thought, 'We can't let this anniversary pass without doing something,'” he said. “Just something to help continue the legacy so that, you know, when it's 100 years, people are remembering the 29 men who perished.”
The 411-mile journey began at the site of the shipwreck, and ended on Belle Isle in Detroit. 70 swimmers broke up the journey over 17 stages. The longest stretch spanned 35 miles across Lake Huron between the Upper and Lower Peninsula.
“I've been organizing events for 30 years, but there's never been an event I've organized that that's had this many moving pieces,” Dreyer said.
For 38 days, the swimmers were at the mercy of the Great Lakes. Some faced storms with waves as high as 15 feet. Others suffered sports injuries. Dreyer recalled one incident where a neighboring boat nearly collided with the swimmers.
“You're always facing something that could be catastrophic when you're swimming on the Great Lakes,” Dreyer said.
Corey Adkins, the producer and director of the documentary, remembered the mix of individuals who took part in the swim.
“Everybody had a different personality. Every stage had a different personality,” Adkins said. “We had a guy named Smilin’ Mike. And Smilin’ Mike, I mean, you could probably hit him in the face and he'd still be smiling.”
Another swimmer, Sheila Fitzgerald, was related to the ship’s namesake. She traveled from London to take part in the project.
During the final stage of the swim, Adkins said, he continually texted updates to Heidi Wilhelm Brabon, whose father, Blaine Wilhelm, worked as an oiler on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Brabon was only 12 when the ship sank. She wanted to be one of the first to welcome the swimmers back to shore.
“It just brought out, you know, everything good in humanity right there,” Adkins said. “People that actually cared about [Brabon’s] father and the other 28 people, guys that went down on the Fitzgerald.”
Being able to greet Brabon at the finish line, Dreyer said, helped to cement the purpose of the project.
“If anybody had any question as to the sincerity of the participants in this event, all they have to do is watch the finish, and see the emotion at the finish line, and see that it was real,” Dreyer said.
How to watch 'We Finished Their Journey: The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim'
- When: Film premieres at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026
- Where: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society YouTube page and in select theatres
- For more: Check the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum website.
