NYCkayaker Poker Run

[ralph diaz]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leonhardt, William J" <wjleonhardt at bnl.gov>

> What I remember is you, me and Ralph doing the Little Red Lighthouse
> Swim in 1998.  The cigarette boat race drove a tanker into the middle of
> our swim.  Somehow we got all the swimmers safely around the tanker and
> all was well.  Gave us a story to tell our grandkids and, occasionally,
> we tell it on NYCkayaker.  ;-}
>
> Bill

Actually they were not actually racing but doing a grand flotilla review
heading for the starting line.  They therefore were massed (I think it was
50 of them) and creating probably more turbulence than when they are up a
planning in race mode and spread out.

As it turns out, the tanker was not forced over because of the cigarette
boats.  We thought that was the case when it all was happening. (I remember
it come straight at me with equal sides show on each side of the bow; I was
keeping my kayak between the tanker and my swimmer who I was urging out of
the way; we cleared it by about 40 or 50 feet, scary).  The tanker was
actually one that fueled the passenger liners and didn't give a damn about
the swim and kayak escorts.  I learned later the skipper had an ornery
disposition and didn't believe anything should be on the harbor waters that
was not related to commerce.

ralph diaz