Great Chesapeake Bay Swim

Can't believe it's been a decade since I've done this swim.  I would love to do it again though.

In 1997, water was 62 degrees and current was unbelievable.  I had to swim NNE to keep in between the spans and not be disqualified while still making little forward progress.  The cold was manageable once we got warmed up.  Very high chop (4-6 foot swells).  I did well but I felt like I was going at 90% effort the entire time.  (I can see this year being in the low sixtys as well since it's been so cold and rainy recently.  At least that means no sea nettles to contend with.) 

In 1998, water was 72 degrees and they timed the current perfectly.  Very little current and very fast.  Swam 35 minutes faster than previous year.  Very little chop.  This was a beautiful swim and I enjoyed every minute of it.   

Some things I learned --

• Be prepared for the smell of exhaust and fuel from the boats during the start.  Made me nauseous both years, but once we cleared the boats and got to the bridge, stomach settled. 
• If waves are high, you may be forced to breathe to your right to avoid a wave in the face.  If you normally breathe bilaterally, this will be an adjustment for you. 
• If the current allows, stay closer to the North span than the South throughout the race.  If you need a rest or need to sight better, you can do breast stroke or float for a little while and have more room to allow the current take you toward the South span and you can get started again without losing too much ground and fighting to stay within the spans.  Try to rest near the South span, and you may get taken outside the spans and disqualified.   
• At the very end, I remember it took about 3 seconds for the current to take me from between the spans to outside the South span for the final stretch to Hemingways, which surprised me.  I floated too long and had to work very hard to get back on course for the last stretch of the swim.   

From the look of your logs, you will do very well.  Enjoy it!       

Laurie

I did the swim in '06.  My only other advice to add would be to use a lot of Body Glide. And then use even more.  I used Bull Frog sunblock and it worked pretty well.

Listen carefully at the pre-race brief about the currents, but be prepared to adjust your plan accordingly if you find the currents aren't as advertised.  When you are near the pilings the currents can do some pretty crazy things, so you should be ready for that.  And, they have been wrong in the past with their tide predictions.  

Have fun and enjoy it! 

Here is a link to great pictures from the 1987 Bay Bridge walk:

http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Chesa_Bay_Bridge_Walk_Fullpage.html

I was about to suggest that you try to do the annual walk, but they've unfortunately cancelled it this year and next due to construction of the bus lots.  Before I did the swim the first time, I did this walk just to prepare myself mentally and help me visualize the swim -- it gave me an appreciation of just how large the channel is and helped me tremendously.  Hopefully, these pictures will help a little.   

Mentally, I had to break the swim down into manageable chunks -- pass that person ahead of me, get to the next tower, etc.  Before you know it, 4.4 miles is behind you. 

You'll all do great!  Looking forward to the race reports!

Laurie