Quatro Break
From Openwaterpedia
noun - Quatro Break or the Quatro Crown of Prison Island Swims is an extension of the Triple Crown of Prison Island Swims, otherwise known as Triple Break.
It is a minimum of four ocean swims where swimmers challenge themselves to escape by swimming from the world's most well-known prison island swims: Le Château d’If, Fort Boyard, Devil's Island, Île de Gorée, Robben Island, Alcatraz Island, Spike Island, Rottnest Island, and Sainte-Marguerite.
While the traditional Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming consists of the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the open water presents an aquatic path of prison escape.
Contents
Origin
The Quatro Break (or prison island swims) was first coined by Ned Denison.
Quatro Break Sites (listed by region and country)
Africa
- Mogador Island (Morocco): 2.2 km to mainland, was used as a prison in the late 1800s
- Île de Gorée (Senegal) 5.2 km to mainland, was known as the location of the House of Slaves
- Robben Island (South Africa): 7.4 km to mainland, was the former isolated prison home of Nelson Mandella and other South Africans
- Changuu (Tanzania): 34 km to mainland and 4.5 km to Zanzibar, was used in the 1860s as a prison for rebellious slaves
- Saint Helena (UK Colony in South Atlantic Ocean): 1,800 km to mainland was used as a prison for Napoleon
Asia/Australia
- Rottnest Island (Australia): 19.7 km to mainland, was used as an Aboriginal prison between 1838 and 1931 for men and boys
- Fort Denison (Australia): 1 km to mainland, was used as a prison and for hanging in the 1800s
- Cockatoo Island (Australia): 0.5 km to mainland, was used as a prison from 1839 to 1869
- Gunkanjima Island (Japan): 15 km to Nagasaki, was used as a prison from 1930s to 1946 during World War II
- Sado Island (Japan): 40 km to Japanese mainland, was used as a prison from 722 to 1271
- Kwajalein Island (Marshall Islands): 2,865 km to Papua New Guinea, as reported in "Unbroken - Louis Zamperini Story" - Execution Island from WWII
- Côn Sơn Island (Vietnam): 85 km to mainland, was used as a prison from the 1960s to the 1980s
Central America
- Isla San Lucas (Costa Rica): 4 km to mainland, was used as a prison 1873 to 1991
- Coiba (Panama): 20 km to mainland, was used as a prison from 1919 to 2004
Europe
- Alderney Island (Alderney, Channel Islands): 15 km to mainland, was a camp for Russian slave workers for the German occupational forces during WWII
- Spitbank Fort (England): 1.3 km to mainland, built in 1878 and served later as a prison
- Île du Levant (France): 12 km to mainland, was used as a children's prison
- Fort Royal de Sainte-Marguerite (France): 1 km to mainland, was used as a military prison and where the famous Man in the iron mask was held captive
- Le Château d’If (France): 5 km to mainland, was a fortress and prison for 400 best know through the novel The Count of Monte Cristo
- Fort Boyard (France): 18 km to mainland, is an oval-shaped fort and military prison
- Île de Brescou (Brescou Fort) (France): 1.5 km to mainland, was used from late 1600s for 200 year as a state prison for crimes such as treason
- Oleron Island (Île d'Oléron) (France): 3 km “organised race” to mainland, was used as a state prison between 1789-1870
- Château du Taureau (France): 0.7 km to mainland, was used in the 1720 as a small prison (10 prisoners maximum)
- Belle-Île (France): 15 km to mainland, was used from 1902 to 1977 for children
- Ile d’ Yeu (France): 20 km to mainland, was used until 1950s the 1860s as a state prison – famous for Marshal Petain
- Saint-Martin-de-Ré (France): 16 km to mainland, was used as a transfer prison for convict destines for Devil's Island
- Makronisos (Greece): 5 km to mainland, was used in the 1946-1949 as a prison political prisoners
- Fortress of Bourtzi (Greece): 0.5 km to mainland, was used from the 1865s as a prison
- Spike Island (Ireland): 2 km off the larger Island of Cobh, was the former isolated prison home of infamous Irish inmates
- Isola di Capraia (Italy): 62 km to mainland, was used as a penal colony between 1873 and 1986
- Pianosa (Italy): 18 km to mainland, was used from Roman times and later for Mafia members as a prison, part of the Tuscan Archipelago
- Elba (Italy): 22 km to mainland, was used as Napoleon’s prison, part of the Tuscan Archipelago
- Isola di Capraia (Italy): northwesternmost of the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, 30 km to Corsica, 32 km to Elba, penal colony from 1873 to 1986
- Grmožur (Montenegro): 1.5 km to mainland, The “Alcatraz” of Montenego from 1843
- Mamula Fortress (Montenegro): 1.2 km to mainland, was used as a prison in the 1800s
- Cabrera (Spain): 25 km to mainland, was used in the early 18060s as a prison during the Napoleonic Wars – once housing 25,000 prisoners
- Tabarca (Spain): 21 km to mainland, was used in the 1700s as a prison
- Isla de San Simón (Spain): 0.4 m to mainland, was used from 838 to 1927 as a prison and leper colony
- Långholmen (Sweden): 0.3 km to the center of Stockholm, was used as a prison for 250 years – closed in 1975
North America
- Alcatraz Island (U.S.A.): 2.3 km to mainland, was the former isolated prison home of Al Capone and other celebrated American criminals
- Santa Cruz (U.S.A.): 33 km to mainland, was use to house prisoner after Mexico's independence from France
- Fort Warren (U.S.A.): 11 km to mainland, was used as a prison in the American Civil War 1862
- Fort Jefferson (U.S.A.): 110 km to Key West Florida, was used as a prison for USA Civil War deserters and plotters to kill Abraham Lincoln
- McNeil Island (U.S.A.): 4.5 km to mainland, was used as a prison in the 1880s up to 1,200 inmates
- Johnson Island (U.S.A.): 5 km to mainland, was used as a prison from 1861 with up 2,500 Conference prisoners
- Peddocks Island (U.S.A.): 0.4 km to mainland, was used as a prison during World War II for Italian prisoners
South America
- Robinson Crusoe Island (Chile): 597 km to mainland, 1704, British privateer Alexander Selkirk was marooned from 1704 to 1709
- Gorgona Island (Columbia): 35 km to mainland, was used as a penal colony between 1946 and 1959
- Isabela Island (Ecuador - Galápagos): 1,100 km to mainland, was used as a penal colony between 1959 and 1984
- Devil's Island (French Guiana) 14 km to mainland, was a well-known location of the French penal system and a leper colony
- El Frontón (Peru): 5 km to mainland, was used as a prison until the 20th century
Escape from Fort Royal de Sainte-Marguerite
1.3 km swimming escape from the Fort Royal de Sainte-Marguerite to Palm Beach in Cannes, France by Ned Denison, Jean-Yves Faure and Jacques Tuset escorted by Jean-Christophe Grand.
10 Escapes Video
Courtesy of Jacques Tuset and Team Aquadeus
