Mark Zen wrote about swim supports --- In the old, early days sea kayak support for swimming races was regarded as suspect-- like, they can come if the want to, but the real rescue personnel will be in the stink pot power boats. And now they have come to view sea kayakers as absolutely the prime rescue craft. FANTASTIC. Yeah, it's true, Mark. Mostly. In the Chesapeake Bay Bridge swim, which is held in the area between two parallel spans crossing the Chesapeake at Annapolis, swim support kayaks are the first line of defense, in with the swimmers. The slower or tired swimmers eventually get caught by the tide, and are washed out to the vultures in the stinkpots --- sorry, our powered friends --- who can grab them as soon as they are washed past the pilings. Inside, the swimmers depend on us. But in Joe Stewart events, each swimmer has a kayaker to set and maintain a course, provide food and water on schedule or demand, and to be down there with the swimmer. However, these folks are pretty serious, and I have no trouble believing that any of the swimmers we paddle with could tow <us> in if we got in trouble. Although each swimmer/kayak is normally backed up by a Boston Whaler, as well. On a seven and a half mile crossing, you can't afford to get a lot wrong! But it's nice to be needed. (See Greg Welker's article in the next CPA Newsletter!) Joq *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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