Instructions for the 2012

Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim

 

Please read these instructions carefully before beginning the application.

Applications should be filled On-Line, printed and signed.

 

 

Application Process

 

100 swimmers will be accepted.  Registration is closed when we reach this number, or on the cutoff date of July 1. There will be no swimmer substitutions.

 

Only completed applications will secure a berth.  An application is complete when signed swimmer and kayaker forms and $100 are received.

All applicants (swimmer and kayaker) must be 16 years or older on the day of the Swim.   There are no exceptions.

Filling out the Application

 

1. Fill out the application ON LINE, then print and sign, include $100 fee and send to the Brightwaters P.O. address listed below. If you must complete the form by hand, please print legibly!  Registration fees are non-refundable.

 

2.  If you and your kayaker are applying separately, each must fill out the application ON LINE, print and sign, and cross-reference one another on the form.  The $100 entrance fee is for BOTH the swimmer and the kayaker !  The entrance fee covers the expenses of organizing the swim. 

 

3. Each swimmer is additionally expected to attain a sponsorship level of $500 or greater .   The Maggie Fischer Memorial Cross Bay Swim is a 501.c(3) not for profit organization.

 

4. Swimmer and kayaker shirts are ordered when registration closes. You will receive the shirt sizes you designate on the registration form. If in doubt, order larger!

Kayaks

 

1.      If you wish to place your kayak on the FI Ferry you must indicate this on the application.  The ferry can only accommodate 50 kayaks so it will be on a first come basis. Inflatable kayaks will not be allowed, due to past experience.

 

2.     Drop off for kayaks using the ferry for transport will be on Thursday, July 19 between 6PM and 8PM at the Ocean Beach Terminal, Maple Avenue, Bay Shore.

 

3.     Permission has been granted by the Parks Department for the day of the Swim for drop-off at the turn around at Robert Moses just east of Field 5.  This provides easy access for swimmer and kayaker to the start of the Swim. Kayaks can be walked to the bay along a short path on the side of the Parkway. For a view of the area showing the car turn-around and path to the bay, click here .

 

4.   For those of you who cannot get an experienced kayaker, the L.I. Paddlers kayak club has offered its services. Please contact the club's president, Ken Fink at  kayaken1@aol.com or Steve Berner  at   pastpresident@lipaddlers.org and check out their website   http://www.lipaddlers.org/   .  They have a limited number of volunteers available

 

5.      Safety Requirements: Each swimmer must have a kayak operator in close proximity. Each kayak operator must have on board:

 

Fresh water for swimmer and operator(s)

Hand held horn or whistle

Life preservers for swimmer and operator(s)

Sea anchor strongly suggested

 

 There will be a swimmer/kayaker meeting Friday July 13, at 7:00  PM (tentative) at the Great South Bay YMCA.  It must be attended by either the swimmer, the swimmer’s kayaker, or a representative.

The swim is a 5.25 statute mile open water course that finishes at Gilbert Park in Brightwaters (see last year’s course map as the same course will be set this year).  It is the swimmer’s and the kayaker’s responsibility to be properly prepared for the physical rigors and navigational challenges that this event presents.  It is each swimmer’s responsibility to procure an experienced kayaker with a kayak.

All swimmers should be strong swimmers with open water experience. All kayakers must have strong skills: kayakers should be confident that you can accompany your swimmer the entire distance regardless of conditions. PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR KAYAKER CAREFULLY!  Conditions can be more difficult for the kayaker than for the swimmer. Your kayak is your support! Any swimmer who doesn’t have a kayaker will be removed from the course.

The event will be considered complete 4 hours after the start.  Any swimmer remaining in the water at this time will be picked up by a patrol boat.

 THE SWIM IS ‘WEATHER PERMITTING’. THE ORGANIZERS HOLD THE RIGHT TO CANCEL IT AT ANY TIME, IN THE INTEREST OF SWIMMER SAFETY. THERE IS NO RAIN DATE.

 

Please mail completed applications to:  

Maggie Fischer Memorial Cross Bay Swim

PO Box 332

Brightwaters, NY 11718