NYCkayaker Manhattan Island Swim report/assessment

[Erik Baard]

Below is my kayak escort assessment of the Manhattan Island Foundation's
2008 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. I've done a good number of these trips
and have had my share of complaints.



A few things have, however, improved:



1) Check in was efficiently and friendly. I received snacks, a very visible
swimmer (in this case, relay team) number, gift bag and shirts,
dinner-qualifying waterproof wrist band, instruction sheets (good fail-safe
for me, for though I'm a veteran I missed all three teleconference
opportunities), and help in carrying my boat and goods. Dock hands were also
quite eager and able to help.



2) Motorboats ran more quietly and cleanly. I was in the far back, so I
didn't have a full day in a clot of boats and swimmers, but no craft at the
Battery rounding seemed noxious. I later learned that MIF undertook the
expense of improving the engine of the infamous Due Amici.



3) After the race, Morty Berger offered to buy more marine radios. I believe
it makes sense for him to buy a handful of handheld, waterproof marine
radios to ensure that enough kayakers are directly connected. He'll need to
find a way to make sure they are protected against sinking and "extended
borrowing."



4) Two kayaks (including some tandems) were assigned to each swimmer.



6) Inflatable kayaks that performed poorly at the recent Governors Island
Swim were taken out of service so that the fleet used in the MIMS was
reliable. Morty assured me that they won't be used again.



Some things need to improve:



1) A bridge back to local paddle veterans must be built. Many of the
kayakers were not from New York City and didn't know these waters. Some
weren't experienced kayakers in any location as evidenced by the following
exchange: I remarked to one pair of sit-on-top paddlers that in the '90s
only decked boats were welcomed. I was happy for the change. One of the
replied, "Oh, they only give these to the inexperienced people."



Experienced paddlers from out of town should be paired with harbor veterans.
Inexperienced paddlers don't belong in this event at all.



2) MIMS and area boathouses should host on-water rescue and safety practice.
For example, how many paddlers know the swimmer rescue technique of having a
swimmer wrap around a bow with his or her head off to one side? At minimum,
this should be illustrated in kayaker and swimmer materials alike, and a
demonstration should be given before the start.



MIMS and area boathouses might also wisely cooperate in scheduling and
funding CPR classes.



3) Motorboat captains should respect the judgment of kayakers. Sit downs
between the two types of captains help, and kayakers would do well to have
marine radios so they are in on all the data and discussions. By the way, if
CG crews call us "captain" why doesn't the MIF or its motorist volunteer
pool? That might effect some culture change.



Short of that, there must be a way to stop the incessant barking of
incorrect, contradictory commands from mariners who often come to these
waters only for the swims and reveal their ignorance at each bellow. In my
case, I had two nearby motorboats yelling conflicting commands at me. For
example, at Spuyten Duyvil I was ordered by one motorist again and again to
go further out, even past the middle of the Hudson River. I replied that I
knew the routine and thought we should be just a bit left of the red buoy.
Then south of the GWB I was ordered back into shore by another motorist and
chastised for taking the swimmer that far out. In the East River west of
Wards Island, I had to ignore another motorist who opposed my taking the
swimmer closer into the wall where I knew an eddy would help her overcome a
slightly opposing current. Several other kayakers, I am happy to say, did
the same.



Sometimes you just have to laugh though. One chase boat kicked up a huge
wake on my swimmer in the Hudson when it zoomed off after a small craft
along the far-away NJ shore, and some distance behind us, to yell, "SLOW
DOWN! SWIMMER IN THE WATER!"



Another kayaker was swamped and overturned by a "safety" motorboat.



4) A kayaker should be put on point at South Cove to make sure swimmers make
the turn. I did that for two swimmers. Another comic moment was when a guy
in a straw hat worked up quite a froth yelling down from the South Cove
west-facing wall at me to escort the first swimmer directly to the ladder.
That would have left the second swimmer, and the last in the event, without
a point at all. I replied, "I'm on the point for both of them! She's fine!"
And she was, turning in and climbing up flawlessly. The second swimmer swam
up to me and shook my hand (I don't think he was overly concerned about
being disqualified for a gesture that took more effort than swimming
directly to the ladder) before heading in. Not exactly a panicky situation.



5) That brings me to another point: Calm the heck down! Twice the motor
crews flipped out over tree bits in the water. First the whole lot of them
screamed and yelled as my swimmer approached a log about the size of her
calf. Her own "bow wave" pushed it aside. I gently explained to the crew,
"Newtonian physics still apply. Force equals mass times acceleration.
There's not much mass or acceleration involved here!" The second time was
north of the sewage plant in the Hudson, at 150th Street. There was a rather
broad and long field of light debris. We were about halfway through its
length and edging along its western side when the over-zealous chase boat
swooped in again, siren blaring and tossing up a wake, to say, "Look out!
There's a lot of debris in the water." My swimmer and I laughed
hysterically.



Kayakers are sometimes equally guilty of hysteria. My own peeve is the
overuse of the word "rescue," for example. Not every person who is wet and
helped back into a boat is "rescued." Not every swimmer who is guided into a
safer channel is "rescued." Hyping the dangers might seem to bolster our
apparent value to some, but I find it simply emotionally charges the
atmosphere and works against clearheaded evaluations.



6) Swim caps should again be multi-hued. They were all blue this year. I
believe the caps came in different colors in the past because swimmers were
released in waves, and maybe they distinguished between relays and
individuals. But the colors needed have organizational significance – when
I'm trying to find my swimmer, just knowing I can eliminate a good portion
of the swimmers in my visual range helps make quicker work of it.





I'm sure other kayakers, especially veterans, would have additional insights
and recommendations. I hope they decide to seek a way to be heard and be a
directly constructive force in the MIF swims. I suggest that a group of them
(others have suggested a working group for this task be formed) and make a
list of clear, quantifiable and verifiable improvements that should be made.



I disagree, however, with those who believe the secret will be to appeal
directly to swimmers.  My experience is that they are the last to agree to a
race cancellation or anything that could hamper the scheduling of swims.
They pay a good deal of money to participate, and fly great distances. They
need these events to qualify for more significant challenges. In short,
unless lightning is causing the Vaseline in their armpits to sizzle, they
are eager to press on.



I hope this helps!



Salty regards,



Erik


-- 
Erik Baard

www.licboathouse.org
www.naturecalendar.com