The Great Bay Swim Every year, on a sunny Sunday morning in early June, there is an amazing group of people who participate in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, swimming the width of the Bay right between the spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, 4.4 miles. They are endurance athletes whose stories and motivations are as widely diverse as they are. They are mature and young, life-long athletes and people who have found fitness to overcome life’s challenges, couples and parents and children and solitary swimmers. And there is a tremendous logistical effort put forth by The Chesapeake Bay Power Boaters Association to support these swimmers and keep them safe. They take this responsibility every year and tons of boaters come from all over the bay …show more content…
The race would start at 8:30 and we needed to be ready to help any swimmers who needed us. The event kicked off with swimmers leaving the beach at Sandy Point State Park and all the preparation culminates in the next 2-3hours of idling and adjusting position, like finding the right fishing spot, to stay where we were most needed. There are, understandably, no boats with any moving gear allowed anywhere near the swimmers, so if a swimmer needs help a kayaker tows them out to a boat. Most folks don’t need medical help, they just recognize, like a marathon runner, they won’t be finishing this year. We stay ready and vigilant, trying to stay stationary throughout the race. This year the weather and sea state was good, allowing more swimmers to make it to the finish line at Hemingway’s Restaurant on the eastern shore. We were needed by two swimmers this year. They all seem to come aboard with disappointment and resignation and we bring water and a towel and whatever else we have to offer them. Finding a place to sit, they settle in to wait for the end of the race, when our boat won’t be needed on the water anymore and we can take them to the marina where their supporters wait to console and offer solace to them. The official website for the event reports “The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (GCBS) is one of America 's premier open water swim challenges” and we’re honored