Arms around Bainbridge       

  1. Summary

Date: August 15th, 2009
Starting point: Public access at Port Blakley- First swimmer in the water at 5:15 AM
Major check points for Counter clock wise swim around the island

  • Yellow team starts swimming  from Port Blakely at 5:15 AM
  • Orange team start swimming from Fay Bainbridge at  10:00 AM
  • Blue team starts swimming from Dock Street at 1:00 PM
  • Red team starts swimming from Point White dock at 4:15 PM

Port Blakely Rock epilogue:

      • Port Blakely rock swimmer pick up at public access in Port Blakley is 6 PM sharp.
      • Swim starts at approx 7:00 PM to pace the Red team to the finish at the Green’s residence
  1. Overview of swim
    1. This is an open water swim, to be performed in the cold and often rough waters of puget sound. All swimmers must be strong, experienced and fearless. All swimmers must wear a full body wet suit with a hood, goggles, booties and gloves. All swimmers must demonstrate prior to the swim their capacity to swim in the open waters of puget sound. All swimmers must be capable of getting in and out of a boat during the swim without assistance. All swimmer will agree to follow the instructions of the swim director. This swimmer must be aware that there are many obstacles to avoid along the way. Cold water, sheets of seaweed, jelly fish in all sizes, curious seals, shoreline anchor buoys, docks and submerged obstructions are just the anticipated obstacles.  In addition, current, wind and moving boats add real danger to the swim. Swimmers must be capable of tracking with an escort kayaker. The escort kayaker will establish the route for the swimmer and the swimmer(s) must follow.  The kayakers will be observing the progress and condition of the swimmer. If a swimmer is having trouble, or if the conditions warrant the swimmer will be signalled to stop and directed to a safe exit from the water.  
    2. There are several stages to this swim as follows:
      • The main event is a swim consisting of a continuous relay of swimmers or groups of swimmers aroung the the perimeter of Bainbridge island. The swim will start at  5:15 AM start with an 8:30 PM finish. ( or sooner) The start and finish point is on the North shore of Blakely Harbor at the location of the public access. ( Finish is at the Green’s residence on the north shore of the Harbor)
      • The majority of the swimmers will be assigned to the third leg of the relay. This section is the blue leg of the swim and has a scheduled start of 1:00 PM at the latest. Swimmers should be ready to go at Dock street by 12:30 PM sharp.
      • There will be an epilogue swim from Blakely rock into the Bay to the finish point. The planned start of the swim ranges between 6:45PM and 7:15 PM depending on the arrival time of the relay swimmers at the rock. Arrive at Blakely Harbor for transport to the rock no later than 6 PM sharp.
  1. The Main Event: How it works
    1. The swim is divided into four major sections. We are designating a color for each major section: Yellow, orange, blue and red, swam in that order.  A group of swimmers will be assigned to each of these sections and will work together in relay fashion to complete their assigned distance. The start and finish times for the swim are scheduled such that each section will be completed before the subsequent section begins. Should a section fail to finish within the allocated time the next section will begin at their designated start time. This is necessary to hit Agate passage swimming with the current and to finish the swim before dark.
    2. One or more swimmers will be designated to swim for a designated distance or time. When the distance or time increment is reached another swimmer(s) will enter the water and continue on the next leg of the swim. The swim will be continous around the island .  
    3. The starting swimmer will leave from the head of Port Blakely Harbor no later than 5:15 AM. The finish of the swim is designated at the same spot and is planned for approx 8:30 PM. ( Could be as early at 7:45 PM)
    4. Qualifying swimmers will be assigned to a team by the swim organizer based on a combination of your desired swim times, the difficulty and required pace of the section and the groupings of swimmers. To participate in any leg you must be confident in the water, you are healthy at the time of the swim, you have prepared yourself both physically and mentally in advance of the swim and have the endurance to swim for a minumum of one hour in open water . Additionally, to be eligible for the yellow and orange legs of the swim, each swimmer must demonstrate the capacity to swim a mile or more at an average pace of 25 minutes/mile. This is 1:25 per 100 yds. (Your pool time average should be 1:20 per 100 yds) We need these two legs completed at this rate in order to time the currents through Agate Pass. For the red leg each swimmer must demonstrate the capacity to swim a mile or more at an average pace of 30 minutes/mile. This time pace is 1:40 per 100 yds (1:30 per 100 yds in the pool). For the blue leg the time each swimmer must demonstrate the capacity to swim a mile or more at an average pace of 30 to 35 minutes/mile. Exceptions to this pace will be considered for the blue leg provided the swimmer meets all the other qualifying criteria. 
    5. Preparations and Logistic plan
      • Swimmers will be required to sign up in advance of the swim. This information is included on the website. As the swim approaches additional information with respect to preparation and logistics will be issued. Each swimmer will be issued a swimers packet prior to the swim. It will be full of essential instructions and helpful tips.
      • Logistical preparations include getting all your swim equipment together,  arranging for a ride to the start of your section, arranging for a pick up at the end of your section, bringing along a change of clothing and personal supplies.  Additional Instructions will be included in the swimmers swim packet.
      • Swim bags, recommended clothing and food items will also be explained in the swim packet. We plan to have some highly qualified volunteer support to assist the swimmers throughout the day. 
    1. The Swim Plan
      • Section 1, the Yellow Team.
        • The yellow team swimmers and kayakers arrive at 4:45AM at Port Blakey. The lead swimmer(s) prepare for water entry and start of swim at 5:15 AM. The balance of the yellow team will be shuttled out to the boats via the skiff.
        • When the swim starts, the boats will trail the swimmer and kayakers. Drops and pickups of a swimmer will be made in the water, not on shore, with assistance from the skiff. Yellow team swimmers and kayakers may choose to exit the water when you arrive at Fay Bainbridge . The skiff will support the exchange.
      • Section 2, the Orange Team.
        • All swimmers and kayakers arrive at 9:00 am at Fay Bainbridge. The lead swimmer(s) prepare for a water entry and start of swim at 10:00 am. This could be slightly sooner if the yellow team finishes a lttle early. (We want this to happen so be ready) The other swimmers in the section will be transferred via the skiff to the boats.
        • When the swim starts, the boats will trail the swimmer and kayakers. Drops and pickups of a swimmer will be made in the water, not on shore, with assistance from the skiff . When swimming through Agate passage all swimmers must stay close together due to the heavy boat traffic through the channel.  
        • After exiting Agate pass, the Orange team will continue until Dock Street is reached. Orange team swimmers and kayakers may choose to exit the water here. The skiff will support the exchange.
        • Parking is limited at Dock Street. We will be issuing special instructions for all swimmers planning to enter or exit at Dock street. Off site parking and shuttle service will be required to limit the vehicle load at this road end.  
      • Section 3, the Blue Team.
        • All swimmers and kayakers arrive at Dock street at 12:15 PM. The lead swimmer(s) will prepare for a water entry and start of swim at 1:00 PM or sooner if the Orange team finishes early. The lead blue team swimmer will start here. The balance of blue team swimmers will be shuttled out to the boats via the skiff.
        • Parking is limited at Dock Street. We will be issuing special instructions for all swimmers planning to enter or exit at Dock street. Off site parking and shuttle service will be required to limit the vehicle load at this road end
        • The Blue team will continue in relay fashion with drops and pick ups made in the water until the finish at Point White.  On this leg there will be an an intermeadiate water exit planned for the beach a few hundred yards past Battle Point. This is approx 5k or 3.1 miles from Dock street. Logistical instructions will be issued prior to the swim at Dock street.
      • Section 4, the Red Team.
        • All swimmers and kayakers arrive at 3:00 pm at Point White. The lead swimmer(s) will prepare for a water entry and start of swim at 4:15 pm or sooner if the blue team finishes early. (We want this to happen so we can finish our swim before dark)
        • The Red team will continue in relay fashion with drops and pick ups made in the water until the finish at the head of Blakely Harbor. 
        • The Red team will swim to Blakely rock from Restoration point. When these swimmers arrive the start of the “BACK TO BLAKEY EPILOGUE SWIM” will commence. Swimmers will head directly back to the finish line arriving at dusk.
        • As many participants as possible coordinate with each other to greet the last swimmers at Blakley Harbor.
      • Section 5, the White Team
        • The white team is the ground support, and post event party organizer. Post event party is located at the Green Residence on the North side of Blakely.  Stay tuned for more details.           
  1. The Back to Blakely Epilogue: What it this anyway?
    1.  The Blakley rock swim event was added this year to include this outcrop into the around the island swim.  The swim from the island is approx 1. 5 miles and is planned for the end of the swim  just before dusk.  This epilogue swim will commence at approx 7 PM. Swimmers will escort our red team to the finish at the Green’s residence. All eyes will be on Restoration point for the Red team to round the tip and head north to the rocky island. Make sure you arrive early for the 6 PM shuttle out to the rock from the head of the Harbor.  Have your gear nearly on and ready for a splashy wet boat ride out to the staging area at the Rock.
  2. Safety and Emergency procedures
    1. There will be a swim director with a designated chain of command on the water and on the ground. Swimmers must agree to follow the instructions issued by the swim director which may include specific instructions on how we keep track of the swimmers in the water. We will have a pre race check of swimmers gear and and equipment. Safety instructions and communications protocol will be issued prior to the swim. Swimmers must arrive one hour in advance of the swim time for each section  in order to receive these pre swim instructions. Swimmers and kayakers will be checked for proper gear and preparation. Weather conditions may change rapidly. The director will communicate conditions and instructions regarding the swim to the support team on the water and to the swimmers. 
    2. Safety and emegency procedures will be communcated to each participant prior to the day of the event.

MAP AND SCHEDULE
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