> That question about how far can you swim is like how fast can you run. My running speed varies, depending on the situation. If I am called to supper, I'm fairly fast, but if a bear is chasing me, I'm much faster. When I run in the rain, I don't go very fast. I know I'm going to get wet anyway and I'll dry out.
>
> Normally, I don't swim very fast or very far. I guess my distance depends on how far I am from the dock. But if I need to swim very far I can always swim a while, then float and rest, and swim some more. It takes forever, but so far I have always made it.
> Howard

I had to convert the US units to metric units in my head. If you ask me if I can swim ten feet, my first thought is "no idea". When I have made a quick calculation that it's about 3.3 metres, then I can answer that yes, that's about as far as I can swim. And I only learned to swim at about age 13 or 14.