8 BRIDGES 2012

Monday - Last day! Stage 7. George Washington Bridge to Verrazano Narrows Bridge (18.6 mi) 6 swimmers splash today, for the last time on a glorious adventure. I'll quote from Rondi's post on expected conditions and course: :applaud: July 1 WSJ story about 8 Bridges (mit Fotos): online.wsj.com/.../SB10001424052702304299704577501012085660788.html And they're all through! A lovely, splashy visit to Lady Liberty by today's 6 and the close of an inspiriting marathon swim! I'll bow out now and leave this thread to the organizers to comment. Thank you for keeping this thread updated VB! I have been a bit "occupied" this week. The course we followed for stage 7 was quite different than last year's. A stronger ebb, meant faster predicted finish times. Additionally, we had lots of eyes across the width of the river watching for the river watching for the dead water for splash time. THE BEST PLANS ARE FLEXIBLE ONES (will be my new mantra) After a week of hard work and sleep deprivation, I am exhausted but glowing from all the positive feedback. Grace is indeed amazing, and Rondi did so much of the legwork, organizing, group communications, etc.... AND swam the whole enchilada! The highlights of stage 7 are many... but a few stand out for me: 6 swimmers were guided by 6 kayaks and 8 boats through Manhattan. 4 radio channels and cellphone communication were used to keep the field informed of the headings, check on swimmers, and keep a safe distance from the abundance of commercial and recreational traffic. It was an honor to be a part of that armada. Martin Tarucky who just a few weeks ago became a US citizen got to swim past the Statue of Liberty... the most iconic land mark of 8 Bridges also signals that swimmers are in the home stretch. I was close by Amanda Hunt's finish. Janet joined her in the water for the last couple of miles to the Verrazano. There will be flood of pictures, blogs and articles hitting the web in the next few days, and I look forward to seeing/hearing/reading everyone's perspectives. Peace.

Monday - Last day! Stage 7. George Washington Bridge to Verrazano Narrows Bridge (18.6 mi) 6 swimmers splash today, for the last time on a glorious adventure. I'll quote from Rondi's post on expected conditions and course: :applaud: July 1 WSJ story about 8 Bridges (mit Fotos): online.wsj.com/.../SB10001424052702304299704577501012085660788.html And they're all through! A lovely, splashy visit to Lady Liberty by today's 6 and the close of an inspiriting marathon swim! I'll bow out now and leave this thread to the organizers to comment. Thank you for keeping this thread updated VB! I have been a bit "occupied" this week. The course we followed for stage 7 was quite different than last year's. A stronger ebb, meant faster predicted finish times. Additionally, we had lots of eyes across the width of the river watching for the river watching for the dead water for splash time. THE BEST PLANS ARE FLEXIBLE ONES (will be my new mantra) After a week of hard work and sleep deprivation, I am exhausted but glowing from all the positive feedback. Grace is indeed amazing, and Rondi did so much of the legwork, organizing, group communications, etc.... AND swam the whole enchilada! The highlights of stage 7 are many... but a few stand out for me: 6 swimmers were guided by 6 kayaks and 8 boats through Manhattan. 4 radio channels and cellphone communication were used to keep the field informed of the headings, check on swimmers, and keep a safe distance from the abundance of commercial and recreational traffic. It was an honor to be a part of that armada. Martin Tarucky who just a few weeks ago became a US citizen got to swim past the Statue of Liberty... the most iconic land mark of 8 Bridges also signals that swimmers are in the home stretch. I was close by Amanda Hunt's finish. Janet joined her in the water for the last couple of miles to the Verrazano. There will be flood of pictures, blogs and articles hitting the web in the next few days, and I look forward to seeing/hearing/reading everyone's perspectives. Peace.