Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

evmo — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 07:12:37 GMT

don't think water temp was 78 last year either...certainly not in the main channel. Good point. According to some, it was more like 80.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:52:58 GMT

don't think water temp was 78 last year either...certainly not in the main channel.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:50:46 GMT

we observed a moment of solemn silence fir graham before this years race

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

evmo — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:03:52 GMT

Does anyone know if there was any sort of investigation into the death of the swimmer in last year's GCBS, or if it was made public? Reading this thread in retrospect, it's interesting how three facts were mentioned: 1. Someone died of an apparent heart attack during the race 2. Almost everyone wears wetsuits in this race, because of the incentives created by not separating wetsuit/non-wetsuit results 3. Water temps were quite warm - 78F. Yet all were mentioned in isolation. I'm curious if the heart attack may have been related to over-heating. Interesting, also, because this occurred less than 8 months after Fran Crippen's death in very warm water.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Swimmy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:55:34 GMT

I did the one-mile swim. I was in Wave 3. While standing in the start corral I noticed a guy in my heat who was wearing a center-mount snorkel on his head. They called our heat and we walked over the start pad. When I got to the water I saw another Wave 3 participant, already standing in the water, putting on scuba fins. This person also had a snorkel. Are snorkels and fins really allowed in this swim? Hi Jayhawk, I saw that guy with the snorkel too. I was wondering if he was allowed to wear that. I did not see the fin guy. It was nice seeing you at the race. :cheerleader:

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Swimmy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:52:39 GMT

I think everyone should be able to wear fins that are the same overall size as Michael Phelps feet. I agree...haha....I have little feet, so I am at a disadvantage.... :cheerleader:

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:51:16 GMT

I think everyone should be able to wear fins that are the same overall size as Michael Phelps feet.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:48:59 GMT

if you're going to allow wetsuits, what difference does it make! (let the bullets fly......) Probably not much. I get the snorkel, if the person has medical reason that pertain to the neck area. I know of several people that swim with open water groups that wear snorkels because of damages to the neck area that prevent them from turning their head to breath. The snorkel allows them to participate in the swims with the rest of the group. If someone is wearing a snorkel, odds are that that person won't be near the lead pack.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:28:02 GMT

Are snorkels and fins really allowed in this swim? if you're going to allow wetsuits, what difference does it make! (let the bullets fly......)

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:01:18 GMT

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:51:00 GMT

Congratulations to everyone who did the GCBS, especially my very fast husband, Rob. I'm thinking that my being nine minutes slower than the last time I did it three years ago isn't too shabby. (Both non-wetsuit.) This was the first time in foru crossings that I stopped and took a gel (at mile 3 food boat)- and it was worth it, I think. The people on the boat were nice enough to take my gel wrapper so I didn't have to litter the Bay. That made my day. Tough day, sad day, but as always, also an amazing day.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

mermaid522 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:29:46 GMT

Thanks for the info, guys - I guess I'll have to call. I didn't get a chance to go to the merchandise table either.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:55:03 GMT

YouTube - ‪Jim M preps for the Bay swim‬‏

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

sarah_q — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:07:50 GMT

broadneck.patch.com/.../hundreds-take-the-challenge-at-the-great-chesapeake-bay-swim This article has good coverage of the event, including information on the man who had a heart attack during the swim. Hopefully he died doing what he loved. My condolences to his family and friends.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:55:38 GMT

They have a number you can call on this page. www.bayswim.com/merchandise.html They had plenty at the table Sunday so I imagine there are more available.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

swimmieAvsFan — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:49:31 GMT

so no mention of the 43 year old man who suffered a heart attack and died?

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Grappledunk — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:54:00 GMT

Remember that cheer that went up when they told us the current wasn't going to be strong? Suckers... :D I was one of the diagonal swimmers, though - I wasn't paying enough attention and had a moment of panic when I looked up and realized how close I was to the bridge. It was so sad to hear about the man who died... my thoughts are with his family and friends.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:22:37 GMT

Oh you shy guy Matysek... YouTube - ‪MSS: Jim and Joe Matysek‬‏

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:51:29 GMT

Tough day for everyone. Hot air temps. Hot water temps. Wicked ebb current between mile 1 and 2. Lightening. Yikes. Regardless... Another great event by Chuck, Linda and crew. Sad: Grahame Rice (age 43, from Annapolis) died during the race. He had done the swim in 2008 - not fast but he completed it.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Julie Roddin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:44:32 GMT

Congrats to everyone who did the swim! It was tough, but a great experience for me. I went a LOT slower than I expected...but at least I got to finish, which was my goal. On a side note, does anyone know where to get those "4.4" stickers (or it might be a magnet....) for your cars? Or were those given out only in years past or something? Thanks!! Congratulations on your swim! This year was my 6th time and definitely the most challenging conditions. They have sold the 4.4 stickers at the race in previous years along with previous years shirts, etc. I have no idea if they were selling them this year because we took off shortly after I finished when the storm came through.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Swim_McG — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:08:09 GMT

I was one of the lucky finishers (actually 44th place 1:55.59). I am very thankful that I decided to go without a wetsuit- I was hot in a regular suit and I was really de-hydrated and cramping up that last mile. They told us before the race that the the currents were not bad this year but everybody I talked to afterward said they swam slower than previous years. I definitely felt the current in the middle - lots of folks were swimming diagonal/sideways at one point. Hate to beat a dead horse but I think I could have placed higher if they did not allow wetsuits. Oh well. It was a fun event and I might even do it again next year. I might even wear a wetsuit and see if I can jump up a few places. If you can't beat them, join them. I recommend this race to anyone looking for a well orgainized, safe and challenging swim.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

mermaid522 — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:45:25 GMT

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:35:36 GMT

I was close to puking for a solid two miles, because of the lovely combination of chop and super warm water. And I also got caught up in the current in the first channel, losing a lot of time. I was maybe a quarter of a mile shy of the 4 mile buoy when a kayaker approached me shouting that we had to get out. I was really bummed until, from the power boat, I actually saw a bolt of lightning strike the water in between the bridges. There were 6 swimmers on board the boat commiserating, and we all fell silent when we saw that. Better safe than sorry ... It seemed like they were taking things very seriously, and working really hard to pull the over 100 swimmers still in the water. We could hear on the radio that they were arresting people who refused to get out, and that a few swimmers in the last stretch had interpreted the command to get out of the water by climbing up on the embankment to walk to the finish. Word on the radio was that those swimmers would not be allowed back in the race in the future, but I don't know if they are going to enforce that. All of that made me feel pretty good about the fact that I swam right for the power boat when I was told to get out. But then last night, when I looked at the results, I saw that a lot of people were allowed to finish long after I was pulled. I was pulled around 2:20 pm, and it looks like people came in until about 2:45. So now I'm back to feeling bummed.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:48:30 GMT

Here's a little tidbit on this year's 4.4-mile winner: "The winner was Frederick Hviid with a time of 1.35.57. (He also swam in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics for Spain." Fred won the 1997 European championship in the LCM 400 IM.

RE: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday.

Former Member — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:50:24 GMT

This is posted on the Lin-Mark web site: Why The Event Was Interrupted The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim is known to be one of the safest open water swims in the Nation. The decision of the U.S. Coast Guard to halt the event, based on the threat of the impending storm was made to insure maximum safety for all participants. Swimmer Accountability 620 Individually Scanned and Confirmed 4.4 swimmers entered the water at Sandy Point State Park. 78 Total Swimmers DNF (Did not Finish) Of the 78 swimmers who did not finish, 16 DNF were pulled prior to event interruption 62 DNF were pulled as a result of the event interruption. While the early end of the event was a disappointment to everyone, the Race Director and all of the advisory agencies of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim count swimmer safety as their number one priority.