Mayor to swim across Bay to raise funds for iconic sea lion sculpture

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Damaged by winter storms, the Sausalito Sea Lion sculpture is being restored. (Sausalito Foundation via Bay City News)

SAULSALITO, Calif. - Sausalito's mayor is hoping that a planned plunge into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday will help cover the last leg of a fundraising effort to restore her city's iconic Sea Lion sculpture.

An experienced swimmer who has swum English Channel, Mayor Melissa Blaustein plans to dive into the bay from Angel Island at 8:30 a.m. and swim the two miles to her city's waterfront.

"We are close to raising enough money for the restoration of our iconic statue," Blaustein said. "This is my way of contributing my (sea) lion's share."

Before it was damaged by winter storms, the bronze sea lion could be seen offshore at high tide and perched on the rocks at low tide.

Fabricated in concrete in 1957 by local artist Al Sybrian, the sculpture was starting to wear down by mid-1960s and was replaced by a bronze cast of the original.

Sausalito Mayor Melissa Blaustein.

The cost of repairs and reinstalling the 1,900-pound sculpture is about $50,000. Organizers with the Sausalito Foundation said Tuesday that they hope to have it back on the waterfront by the end of summer.

Although the Bay is challenging for even the most capable of swimmers, Blaustein has an edge. She swam the English Channel in 2018 and is a dedicated marathon swimmer.

She hasn't made the sprint from Angel Island to Sausalito before but said she has often swum other routes across the Bay, and especially along the Sausalito waterfront.

The Sausalito Foundation is raising funds for the sea lion sculpture restoration at https://www.thesausalitofoundation.com/ .