[Paddlewise] A followup rant (ignorant race-support powerboaters)

Ralph, 
    I had the same experience during the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim, this 
June 11th.  Let me first explain to those unfamiliar with the race that the 
swimmers start on the western shore of the bay and swim in the area between 
the two spans of the bridge to the other side.  When they get to the last 
section of the bridge the swimmers have to swim under the south span and 
along an abutment to the finish line.  The distance from the last section of 
the bridge to the finish line is about 150 yards.   
    I was escorting the last swimmer (a 76 year old lady), and just as we 
were about to exit the area between the spans, one of the Boston whaler 
support boats came dangerously close to my swimmer and yelled that they were 
going to pull her because she was swimming too slow and looked tired.  I 
waved them off and said that I had been with her for all but the first 1/4 
mile, and that she was swimming steady and that she was okay.  The captain of 
the whaler backed off  for several minutes, then approached again and said 
that if she did not clear the span within two minutes they would yank her out 
of the water as per the orders of the race organizers.  I had been monitoring 
the VHF traffic and knew that this was not true.   I waved them off again and 
told them that she would make it.  Just as she swam under the bridge the 
captain again pulled dangerously close to her to prepare to pull her out of 
the water.  It was at that time that I lost my cool and yelled that they had 
better damn well leave her alone, that they should be so fortunate to be 
swimming across the bay at her age, and that I was not going to allow them to 
pull her, being that she had come this far and only had a short distance to 
the finish.  I told them that  I was going to radio the organizers if they 
didn't back off.  My threat  apparently worked because they did not harass us 
again.  
    It was almost comical during the last 150 yards.  At one point I counted  
7 (yes, seven!) power boats, sized from whalers to cabin cruisers, in a 
semicircle not less than  30 feet from my swimmer.  The noise was deafening 
and the diesel stench was almost asphyxiating.  But somehow my swimmer made 
it to the finish.  I believe her elapsed time was 4 hours and 15 minutes.  
Amazing for a 76 year old!
    Now for my real rant:  In contrast to the kayaker support which had been 
pre-briefed and  well organized by our club liaison, Mike VanDamm, the power 
boaters appeared to be disorganized, unconcerned with swimmer safety, and 
just out for a good time on the bay  (gross generalization, I know, but I 
believe accurate).  We had been told in our briefing that there would be only 
kayaks and no power boats in the area between the spans.  We (the kayakers) 
would be the first line of defense and that in the case of a distressed 
swimmer, we would tow the swimmer outside the spans to a  Boston whaler, who 
would then summon the paramedics if necessary.    It would have been a good 
plan if it had been enforced.   
    Unfortunately, the were quite a few Bozos in zodiacs that felt they had 
to zig-zag in and out between the swimmers and cross back and forth from one 
span to the other, creating a hazard for the swimmers and kayakers.  And do 
you know who most of these Bozos were?    They were members of the  volunteer 
fire departments from the various podunk waterfront communities that line the 
bay here in Maryland.  I don't mean to ignite a professional vs. volunteer 
debate, but these were just a bunch of "good 'ol boys" who should have stayed 
back at the fire house guzzling their beer and playing with Sparky.  Lets 
leave rescue work to the paid EMTs and paramedics.  And you could tell the 
difference:  the professionals stayed a respectable distance outside the span 
- and they wore PFD's!  (Granted, it may be difficult to fit a PFD over the 
beer-bellies that I saw on some of those volunteers).  Another zodiac was 
crewed by a man and what appeared to be his two 6 and 8 year-old sons.  They 
spent their time motoring  back and forth, around and between swimmers, 
seemingly unconcerned with the swimmers they were frightening.  No PFD's 
either.
    This was bad enough, but to make matters worse, the race organizers 
apparently were unconcerned that everybody with a power boat was lining up 
along the spans (thankfully, at least outside the spans).  And what a motley 
assortment of boats it was: everything from fishing boats to cabin cruisers 
to cigarette-type boats.  If there had been an emergency, all these boats 
would have surely gotten in the way of the official rescue boats.  And of 
course they were predominantly lined up on the windward side such that the 
noise and diesel fumes continually wafted over the poor swimmers.  There also 
were a number of testosterone throbbing boaters who were not content to 
simply let their engines idle: they were constantly gunning their engines and 
creating such a racket that the noise would have drowned out a swimmer crying 
for help.  
    I do not mean to diminish the efforts of all the good people who gave 
their time and money toward a worthy cause (March of Dimes), but there seemed 
to be a lack of organization and control over the power boaters.  A lot of 
these boaters seemed to forget that they were there to provide a service to 
the swimmers.  This was not a boat parade: a lot of these swimmers train long 
and hard and deserve every opportunity to finish the swim.  
      The swimmers should not be harassed by the self-centered  behavior of 
power boaters who use the opportunity to throw their weight around (the 
"captain complex"), or who  have become bored, tired, and just want to get 
back to the dock.  For some swimmers, like the one I escorted, completing the 
swim is a long held goal and would mark a milestone in their lives.
                                        Robb Holt
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