If the officials do allow a swimmer to be in immediate danger, then they need to pull the swimmer and get out of the way. This is just common sense.
It is a relief to hear you say this. Thank you for explaining your perspective more precisely.
But unfortunately, this brings us back to the issue of prop guards. In urban waterways where things may happen quickly and unexpectedly, safety vessels need to have full power at their disposal to move quickly. Given the composition of the "Open Water Task Force" (yes, the scare quotes are purposeful), I'm just not convinced that USMS conducted a thorough evaluation of the various safety issues in different open water settings. Liability, yes. Safety, no.
If they had thoroughly evaluated safety issues, then we'd probably be seeing a better effort at defending the decision than having you come on here and tell people to "get out of the way of cruise ships."
It’s really tough for a cruise ship to sneak up on an escort boat and get to a point where ”A big cruise ship is bearing down on a swimmer”.
Let me ask you something: Did the "Open Water Task Force" consult any race directors who could actually give you a knowledgeable perspective on the situation of encountering large ships? Race directors of swims in crowded urban waterways, as opposed to placid inland lakes?
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www.marathonswimmers.org
If the officials do allow a swimmer to be in immediate danger, then they need to pull the swimmer and get out of the way. This is just common sense.
It is a relief to hear you say this. Thank you for explaining your perspective more precisely.
But unfortunately, this brings us back to the issue of prop guards. In urban waterways where things may happen quickly and unexpectedly, safety vessels need to have full power at their disposal to move quickly. Given the composition of the "Open Water Task Force" (yes, the scare quotes are purposeful), I'm just not convinced that USMS conducted a thorough evaluation of the various safety issues in different open water settings. Liability, yes. Safety, no.
If they had thoroughly evaluated safety issues, then we'd probably be seeing a better effort at defending the decision than having you come on here and tell people to "get out of the way of cruise ships."
It’s really tough for a cruise ship to sneak up on an escort boat and get to a point where ”A big cruise ship is bearing down on a swimmer”.
Let me ask you something: Did the "Open Water Task Force" consult any race directors who could actually give you a knowledgeable perspective on the situation of encountering large ships? Race directors of swims in crowded urban waterways, as opposed to placid inland lakes?
---
www.marathonswimmers.org
