RYE He was armed with an aluminum sword and protected by an “armored wetsuit,” but Josh Blake could not successfully swim the seven miles to the Isles of Shoals on Sunday. Blake informed the Portsmouth Herald via e-mail at about 6 p.m. that he turned back about a mile into the swim. He said water conditions were not ideal and his boat support canceled on him earlier in the day. “I am looking into when we can try again. The wetsuit worked great in the water,” he said. Blake dove into the water at Pirates Cove on Sunday as he set out on another seven-mile swim to the Isles of Shoals. He has made the trek before, but this time, for added protection, he donned a wetsuit with pieces of lobster trap affixed to it in order to provide greater protection against sharks. Blake, 22, a Kittery, Maine, resident and student majoring in nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, set off on his adventure to the Shoals at 1 p.m., just as high tide arrived at the beach at Wallis Road Extension. Blake said the purpose of his mission was to raise funds and awareness for the Portsmouth High School Eco Club’s efforts to have solar panels installed on the high school, where Blake attended.”We should all be fighting for the environment together,” he said.Blake said people can support his mission by making donations through his Web site, www.saveearthtoday.org, or by mailing checks made out to the Eco Club to Portsmouth High School. He said that if he is able to raise $10,000, he will swim to the Isles of Shoals and back in one swim.

I’m not sure it’s possible to hate somebody more than I hate this kid. Like I’m all for raising money for the environment, but give me a break with this shit. Kid is a fucking clown with his lobster trap shark repellent wetsuit. And how about him saying if he raises 10K he’ll swim back and forth in one trip? Umm how about you make it past one mile first tough guy? How about that? In fact I got a proposition for you big mouth. I’ll put up the 10K (internet dollars) myself for you, but if you don’t make it you owe me 10K. How about that? That’s a Davey Pageviews challenge right there. Put your money where your mouth is. You want to help the Eco Club homebody? Let’s do this thing. Nobody has ever deserved to lose 10K and get eaten by a shark simultaneously more than this guy.

PS – This kid is 100% in Scope at UNH.