Race Logistics

So I've never even attended a tri before, and I think I have a pretty good idea of how it all goes down, but I'm just curious about general race logistics. (I'm doing the Danskin in Webster, MA, so if anyone knows specifics about that race from last year I'd love to hear from you ) I know every race is different, but I have to assume there are *some* similarities... Mainly I'm curious about the swim waves... How many people do they usually tend to put in a wave (ALL the people in an age group, or will they split it up if there's too many?) How far apart do they start the waves? My race will have 1300+ participants and probably 200+ in my age group, judging by last year's results. I'm also a little worried about parking for spectators (my parents probably aren't keen on showing up before the race actually starts, especially if I'm not in one of the earlier swim waves), but since that's location-specific, I don't really expect answers on that one

I guess I'm just getting really excited about the race, and I want to be prepared for anything. (Preliminary weather forecasts say no rain!) Hubby thinks I'm over-stimulating myself by reading the boards as much as I am and reading all the articles I can find, but it's just getting me pumped up to go out and do even better.