NYCkayaker Swim Support - This is how it can be done... ( - WARNING -- Long Article on a CPA Swim)

[David Gottlieb]

I am a member of the CPA (Chesapeake Paddlers Association because I sometime
go on their paddles particularly their Adirondack week....

Anyway, I just received the CPA newsletter and here is a very, very long
article (of which I have cut and pasted because I am not sure that I can
send you the link as the newsletter, I believe is restricted to paid
members.) However, before I cut and past this issues article on a recent
swim, this following link should take you to a page on Swim Support Skills:

http://www.cpakayaker.com/newsletter.html?article_id=68

Now here is that article on a recent CPA swim support that turned out great
despite bad weather, because an alternate plan for a different
swim,itinerary with printed maps, has also been prepared in advance.

Here is the article, cut and pasted, from the most recent edition of the CPA
newsletter:

Publication of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association. Inc., Volume 18, Issue 4
June 2008 Potomac River Swim 2008 By Brian Blankinship The Potomac River
Swim was once again interrupted by weather. Small craft advisories with a
possible thunderstorm and hail prevented the mass crossing. I car pooled to
the event with a new friend, Dan Peterson, and we had many laughs on the way
down. Setting up camp was fun, especially watching Isaiah Allen try to set
up a huge family tent by himself. Three of us quickly took pity on him and
we had it up in a jiffy. The pre-swim dinner and organization party was
wonderful and we ate to paddle, a reverse of our norm. It was nice seeing
new friends from SK102 at dinner and it gave us a chance to talk to the USCG
about radio frequencies for the swim. The skipjack captain reminded us all
that with small craft advisories, we would have to let safety be our guide
and make the go/no-go call in the morning.

A few of us decided to get up extra early and paddle across before the swim
started. I called Cheryl Wagner, the organizer, at 5:00 but from the sound
of the wind outside my tent, I already knew we were not going to make it. We
went to the alternate plan of a Lake Conoy swim and Cheryl even had
pre-printed course maps. Two ladies from MIT and one at Western Kentucky
University were planning to swim the English Channel in a couple months and
wanted the rough water practice. The captain of the 42 foot cabin cruiser
agreed to lead, and a few kayakers agreed to guide, so we had two swims
going on.

Nelson Labbé and I headed to the finish line beach were we understood the
swim would start. After waiting a while, we saw the cabin cruiser with
swimmers and kayakers headed out of the harbor and the chase was on. I
caught up to Isaiah at the front and he had two swimmers who were keeping
close together. Farther back was H. B. "Radar" Raynor in a recreational
kayak working hard to keep up with his swimmer. Matt Mcgillicuddy, also in a
recreational kayak, was doing quite well keeping with his swimmer. Behind
him David Mood, accompanying a slower swimmer, gave me the water for one of
the lead swimmers. By the time I got the bottle from David, his swimmer was
lost in the 2- 2.5 foot seas. It took a few minutes to find him despite his
bright swim cap.

Bringing up the rear was Jim Zawlocki¹s swimmer. Jim just installed a higher
seat in his boat making it very tippy. Considering the periodic three foot
seas, he was out of his element and he asked me to take over for him. I give
Jim double credit: Not only did he have the sense to overrule his pride and
recognize the limitation of equipment that was not right, but he also stuck
it out until relieved rather than abandoning his swimmer. Jim went to the
beach, advised Chris he was off the water, and monitored our progress
visually and on the VHF until we landed.

I called Nelson on the VHF to take over Jim¹s swimmer so I could check on
the others throughout the swim. I was using a wing paddle and Nelson a
Greenland so I had a bit of a speed advantage on him and could make it back
and forth easier. Once again, by the time Jim passed off the swimmer¹s water
and food to me, and I passed it to Nelson, we lost his swimmer twice. I
bring this up because Chris Bresnan, the organizer of the kayak support,
made a point at dinner that the sweeps should operate in pairs so one could
tend to the swimmer while the other helped the paddler in need. Boy was
Chris right, and I wished there were another sweep just for that purpose.

The plan was to swim about two and a half miles to a marker and return to
the beach finish line. By the time we were half way there, the swimmers were
spread out about 300 feet, with the wind and waves against us. We would
spread out even more on the return trip, surfing the waves. I feared some of
the kayaks would broach and flip in the occasional, but regular, 3-3.5 foot
waves, and was uncomfortable that I would be unable to get to someone that
needed help quickly enough. All of the swimmers and kayakers agreed to turn
around when the leaders reached them on their return, which would regroup
our party. About this time, a Boston Whaler joined our swim group and agreed
to sweep for us.

As the leaders turned, they took a short break. By the time they started up
again, the middle two swimmers were not that far from the buoy and didn¹t
want to turn before rounding it. Fortunately the other two swimmers turned
with the leaders. I asked them to wait for the ones rounding the buoy, but
they started getting cold so we pushed off again. We were now two groups.
The cabin cruiser was leading four swimmers and four kayaks, and the Boston
Whaler was with two swimmers and two kayaks. I got the opportunity to catch
a few nice surfing waves, and had water slamming down on my neoprene spray
deck. The two lead swimmers were separated, and the one Isaiah was not with
was headed off on a bad angle.

Isaiah agreed I should take over the lead swimmer. We stayed this way for a
while until we heard two blasts of a whistle from behind. I turned and
headed back to find the problem, leaving the power boat to watch over my
swimmer. I realized I could not find Dave Mood and his swimmer and feared
I¹d find an upturned kayak. Fortunately the Cabin Cruiser found him with
binoculars. Claire, his swimmer, was having shoulder issues and decided to
board the Whaler. That freed Dave up to sweep the rear two swimmer/kayaker
teams.

I resumed my post with the lead swimmer until she reached shore. After we
all landed, we had a great picnic provided by the swim support crew. Several
of us went back out to surf just off the jetties protecting the beach. I
didn¹t see how it happened but a paddler was out of his recreational kayak
with it being pounded against the jetty by the surf. I paddled up and said
to let go of his kayak and grab my bow, but he didn¹t respond. After
repeatedly asking if he was OK, the paddler-turned-swimmer finally turned
towards me and indicated he was OK. His painter was caught in the rocks,
locking his kayak to the jetty. He did not have a knife and was unwilling to
let go of the kayak and allow us to rescue him despite being repeatedly
bashed by waves. If he ended up between the kayak full of water and the rock
jetty while being pounded by the waves, we would have been badly injured. I
landed at the beach and told a worried Chris Bresnan that he was OK but
needed help.

Another paddler threw a whitewater throw bag to the paddler but he still
clung to his kayak instead. He kicked off his nylon spray skirt because it
was tangled up around his feet. Chris took care of my gear and I swam out to
the jetty from the beach side and used my PFD knife to cut the painter free.
The throw bag was also caught in the rocks and the owner released it.
Fortunately I was able to get the bag out of the rocks without having to cut
it as the paddler-turned-swimmer drifted in towards shore with his swamped
kayak. It had no supplemental floatation so he and I did a curl rescue to
empty it. I commented that I was glad we didn¹t have to do this rescue two
miles off shore.

LESSONS LEARNED: These are my opinions and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the swim support organizers, or the Chesapeake Paddlers
Association.

1. Chris was absolutely right, sweeps should be in twos when possible.

2. Sweeps are necessary to keep an eye on the paddlers and help out in
trouble.

3. Recreational kayaks may not be the best choice for paddling in small
craft advisory conditions on an open river. If one of them had the waves
crash on their skirt like I did on mine while surfing, I believe it would
have collapsed into the boat.

4. VHFs are wonderful things in swim supports or other occasions when
kayakers are likely to be separated.

5. Keep the support leader informed of your status, particularly if you
leave early.

6. People in need of rescue should follow instructions of those rescuing
them.

7. People conducting rescues need a back up plan for when the person being
rescued refuses to listen. If you like being out on the big water and are up
to the challenges, join other CPA members in future swim support efforts.