Open-water swimmer David Yudovin of Cambria has completed two difficult swims between sets of islands near one of the westernmost points of Africa.

His accomplishments— the most recent in a 36-year career of crossing tricky ocean waterways—reportedly were the first successful channel swims ever completed in the coastal country of Cape Verde, which includes an archipelago of 10 mostly barren islands in the central Atlantic Ocean.

Yudovin’s most recent swim, completed in July, was approximately 12 nautical miles long between Fogo Island and Brava Island. It took him 6 hours and 38 minutes to complete in what he defined as “horrendous conditions,” with winds of up to 25 knots and sea swells of about 6 feet.

Also, a support boat shadowing the swimmer had numerous mechanical problems and several breakdowns, adding to Yudovin’s concerns about completing the swim.

On June 26, he had completed a 10.3-nautical-mile swim between the islands of Santo Antão and São Vicente.

Yudovin said that the swim took 5 hours and 44 minutes, with conditions that “were really rough all the way.”

With a 20 to 25-knot wind blowing, it took two hours by boat to even get to the starting point. “I would not normally ever start a swim in those conditions,” he said, but he went ahead because he’d invested three years time to the logistics and difficulties in just planning the swim. Fortunately, he had the experience and skill to pull it off.

For more about David Yudovin, an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer, and his previous 35 swimming accomplishments, including the English Channel, go to www.davidyudovinchannelswimmer.com.