8 Bridges Hudson River Swim - 2016
david_barra
NYCharter Member
The 6th annual 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim will take place from June 26 to July 3, 2016.
We will be expanding the field to 20 swimmers per stage this year. To make this possible, we are working on logistical changes that will keep the kayakers and kayaks from needing to board the support/transport boats to the start and finishing points each day. It will require a few more land based moving parts but I believe it will pay off in convenience and free up precious real estate on the boats to transport more swimmers.
We are planning to open registration on November 7th for swimmers looking to enter all 7 stages, and then on December 1st, for all other swimmers, kayakers, volunteers, and boaters.
Check here, 8bridgs.org and our FB page for details, updates and general info.
As always, please feel free to contact me at dvdbarra1@gmail.com with your questions or concerns.
Hoping to see you in the Hudson!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Comments
Does this mean Launch 5 won't have a kayak rack to hang my hammock on?
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
I imagine we will still have the rack mounted to L5. We have to able to evacuate the field if necessary.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
ATTENTION!
With just 1 week left until we open general registration, I would like to clarify the policy.
Currently registration is open only for swimmers that want to swim ALL 7 STAGES.
On December 1, swimmers can register for 1 OR MORE STAGES.
Once registration for any stage is closed out with the maximum number of swimmers covered by our permits, WE CAN NO LONGER EXCEPT REGISTRATION FOR SWIMMERS WANTING TO DO ALL 7 STAGES.
If you are on the fence, you have one week to secure your spot in the Longest, Most Epic Open Water Swimming Event in the Universe!!!!!!!
We have had a tremendous and enthusiastic response from many of our very favorite kayakers who stand by ready to guide you through the most unforgettable week of swimming of your life!
You know you want it!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
BOOM!
Stage 6 into the waiting list.
All other stages still open for business.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
@david_barra Are you going to start publishing swimmers lists for each stage?
http://www.8bridges.org/more/swimmer-list-2/
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Stage 4 is full.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
I sent this out to 2016 participants last night:
Though the website isn't quite all in order yet, visit us soon at...... nyopenwater.org
8 Bridges News
Dear Swimmers, Paddlers, Boaters and Friends of 8 Bridges,
It started in 2011… the first 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim was a dream of mine; an experiment; an expedition that took the full support of Rondi, CIBBOWS, Greg Porteus (Launch 5), and dozens of paddlers and swim buddies to pull off. Because of the dedication of all the aforementioned folks, it was successful. The longest open water event in the world was born!
2016 will be the 6th annual 8 Bridges and we have had a tremendous response from swimmers and paddlers from the moment we opened registration. Rondi and I are truly proud that so many people continue to come back year after year to spend a week with us on the river… it gets into your blood; this river.
The CIBBOWS – 8 Bridges association has been a blessing for us during these past 5 years, providing us with mentors, and lasting friendships in a tightly knit community of open water enthusiasts. I can honestly say the encouragement I received from them was instrumental in growing this event… and we have GROWN!
As I write this, we have more than 50 swimmers registered for more than 110 stage swims! I haven’t done the math yet, but that’s got to be close to 2000 miles of swimming that’s going to take place… many bridge shadows crossed.
Because of this unprecedented interest in 8 Bridges, we have decided to move forward our plans to form NEW YORK OPEN WATER, a 501(c)(3) organization with similar mission to that of CIBBOWS… the main difference being our regional focus. We are excited about the potential to host additional open water events for swimmers and paddlers, and will continue to work with CIBBOWS to coordinate a calendar to serve the community. Additionally, NYOW will provide logistics, sanctioning, and recording of solo marathon swim in bodies of water throughout NY State under Marathon Swimmers Federation rules.
We, NEW YORK OPEN WATER are excited about directing the 2016 2 Bridges and 8 Bridges events. Stay tuned for additional 2016 offerings!
Its going to be a great season!
Peace,
David
PS: On January 20, Rondi and Andy gave Marin a little brother.
WELCOME ARIES!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
So many congratulations to the 8 Bridges family!
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
Awesome! \m/
Love it!
Well done, Dave, et.al.
Inspired a vision for sister org, CA OW! B-)
This could become a thing...
Maybe this too should make my bucket list!
Congratulations to the 8 Bridges/New York Open Water folks, especially David and Rondi (with friends), for making such a romantic, epic swim as 8 Bridges happen in the first place, and keep happening for 5 years; additional congratulations to Rondi and Andy on the birth of Aries.
It's very nice to see 8 Bridges draw international participation.
looks awesome. putting on my list for next year!
Stage 1 is today.
http://track.rs/8Bridges
The tracker.rs is really cool, it's fun to watch the swimmers as they go down the river.
Is it possible to include a map legend, so you can see the distance to the finish, or between swimmers?
Thanks. This is the first live test of the multi-participant version of track.rs, so I'm just trying to make sure the simple stuff works.
Additional features forthcoming.
This is really cool, thanks for sharing!
Is everyone using trackers? I only see 9. Agree with @swimrn62, it's really cool.
The tracking of 8 Bridges is all through a smartphone app. It is up to each individual swimmer whether they choose to install the app and register with my platform. The majority have done so, but not everyone.
And they're off!
track.rs/8Bridges
I have 8 Bridges envy...
Cheryl and Paige are flying!
Really, really cool. This will distract me all week!!
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Looks like the Stage 2 leaders have the Mid-Hudson bridge in sight
Its a dead heat between three fine swimmers, coming down to the wire!
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Just speculating, but based on the sudden spread in the field, and the current locations of the leaders near the shoreline... the tide may have turned.
Backing up the speculation with data:
Progress per 5 min of co-leader Cheryl Reinke:
It is all adding up.
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
Stage 2 results:
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
malinaka, at what site(s) did you obtain the observed (USGS) vs. predicted (NOAA) current data? How much delay is there in the USGS source's posting of the observed data relative to real time? Was the previous day's observed data also shifted by ~1 hour relative to the predicted value?
I know that the race organizers set the start time for each stage based on the predicted slack time between the flood and ebb. I wonder if it is feasible for the race organizers to adjust a stage's start time based on observed vs. predicted data, perhaps using the previous day's deviation as a guideline.
@hmeerman the USGS data is found at a number of sites, but the primary data home is here: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/current/?type=flow. You would need to click on the gauge you were searching for (they are up and down major rivers.) I think Andrew may have made his own graph, unless there's a secret site I don't know about that mashes up two data sets from two different agencies!
As for the delay in posting to the web, for USGS data, it's usually no more than 10-15 minutes, but the gauges don't all take measurements in real time (look up the issue with USGS stream flow budget cuts -- it's a bloody miracle we get what we do at this point.) Most only take a measurement every 30 minutes or so. NOAA gauges from the data buoys tend to be every 6 minutes and make the web within 5 minutes.
Wind and upstream rainfall have a huge influence on how the currents may diverge from the predicted tides (which are solely based on what's called the astronomical -- meaning the times/speeds/heights that would occur if the only influence were the moon and sun.) The deviation from the previous day may be completely different than the deviation for the next day. There's been a gnarly southerly wind in these parts for the past 24 hours and I think I saw Dave Barra posting somewhere else that the wind was the reason why the flood started early.
Weather = part of the fun of marathon swimming. Can't control nature!
Rondi does an amazing job of adjusting for conditions. She'll make start times for each individual if she has to. If anything, she's conservative and will make you start on a still-flooding tide if she thinks it will give you a chance to finish.
To get a sense of the role currents and wind play in this events, look at the times for the last few years. Last year was a fast year in the lower half of the swim compared to the year before, and both years made today's Stage 2 look like cake. A 15 mph head wind vs a 15 mph tail wind not only gives you a ~1 mph disadvantage, but also plays around with when the ebb stops and, like today, can cause an early flood.
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
@evmo will the 8 Bridges GPS Tracks from Tracks.RS be added to the permanent storage? http://tracks.marathonswimmers.org/
Also is there a way to turn on the tracks/trails for the event or is it just set up to show their current location?
PS Loving getting to watch each stage. Awesome :-)
Watching the track today as well and in total amazement and admiration. I think it is such an achievement to come back the day after an incredibly tough swim, whether finishing it or not, and do It all over again. I know that after a long swim, particularly a tough weather one, my big accomplishment is putting on a shirt. To go out an swim another 13 plus miles is amazing.
Hahaha! Well said...
What happened to Jamie Tout? Following the track.rs, it looked like Jamie came from way back to catch Paige/Cheryl and the three of them were drag racing down the final stretch. Did he DNF??
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Yes!
Working on it...
Unclear, but evidently a DNF.
From facebook.com/8bridges
Stage 3+4 swimmer Kim Hedges is using a custom tracker. Unlike the overall 8 Bridges tracking, this one shows the track & speed stats:
http://track.rs/kimh
@rosemarymint and @malinaka, thank you for your replies. I appreciate your explanations and info, and am glad to hear that Rondi is able to individualize and adjust start times in response to conditions, if necessary.
I'm embarrassed: that previous graph had the USGS times off by an hour - they use Standard Time even during Daylight Time. So the currents weren't off by quite as much as previously stated.
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
Shout out to Kim. It was a little over a year and a half ago that she came to me, through an "Intro " class, wanting to swim Alcatraz. .. She has since completed a myriad of SERC swims and is a stalwart morning swimming as well as working diligently in the pool. Very thorough in her preparations, funny as he** and I am sooo excited to see her attempt ( it looks as if she's close to finishing!) this swim.
Watching my friend Devon Clifford creeping down the shoreline is riveting. I've been plotting her progress for the past hour. Hell of a girl. Love this new thing, @evmo
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
However, a real problem for productivity at work!!
Seriously.
I think I figured out my confusion about Jamie (and others). From watching the track.rs feed on Stage 2, it looked like Jamie fell way back at the start, then suddenly surged forward to catch the leaders. Then it looked like the three of them (Jamie, Paige and Cheryl) duked it out all the way to the finish. But then the Facebook page announced Paige & Cheryl finished and said nothing of Jamie.
Later that evening, Devon Clifford told me that Jamie DNF'ed a couple of hours in. So I'm guessing after his kayaker got him onto a boat, he/she powered up through the field, either forgetting to give Jamie his cell phone or the kayaker was the one with the tracking app. So while Jamie was wrapped in a towel, sipping noodle soup, the track.rs feed showed him carving up the field like Katie Ledecky. Or maybe Jamie had his cell phone when the boat picked him up and the boat drove up to the leaders.
By the way, looks like Cheryl is making her move today. She's hung about 1,000 meter gap on Paige as they're rounding West Point. What a boss...
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Right... I am soo embarassed for you as well. ( sarcasm font needed), as if I had any clue..
After Jamie resigned, his kayaker paddled forward to join the leaders.
Keep in mind: the trackers are on the swimmers kayak escorts.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Today is a built in rest day... for swimmers, kayakers and those of us that have trackeritis.
What a FANTASTIC day yesterday!!
I loved every second of Stage 4!! I had so much fun and the Hudson was simply incredible to us.
Thinking of all Stage 5 swimmers as they get ready for tomorrow, and yup, I'll admit it--Super Jealous!
track.rs/8Bridges
Forum member @pavlicov is on track.rs/martina
Fantastic indeed, Sydne came in 2nd place by under 2 minutes!
(blushing)
It was a good day.