8 Bridges Hudson River Swim - 2012

evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
edited January 2017 in Event Announcements
[Courtesy of David Barra]

Hello Swimmers,

I'd like to introduce you to the (2nd annual) 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim...

From June 25 - July 2, David Barra ( @david_barra ) and Rondi Davies ( @rondi ), in collaboration with Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS), will present the second annual seven-stage 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim.

From the peaceful Catskills to the dramatic Narrows, swimmers will cover more than half of the Hudson River's great stream, from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Hudson down to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge — the throat of the New York Harbor. For one week, each day's marathon swim will begin just North of one bridge and end on the South side of the next, covering distances ranging from 13.2 miles to 19.8 miles.

The swim will string together the Rip Van Winkle Bridge; Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge; the Mid-Hudson Bridge; Newburgh-Beacon Bridge; Bear Mountain Bridge; the Tappan Zee Bridge; the George Washington Bridge; and finally, the spectacular Verrazano Narrows Bridge, covering over 100 miles of rolling river.

Up to twelve swimmers are invited to swim an individual stage, or the whole thing for an epic journey. Race Director Barra dubs it a "weeklong open-water swimming odyssey to celebrate the mighty Hudson and the New York Harbor".

Full details and schedules for each stage are available at www.8bridges.org. Public viewing will be possible along many places on the River.

For more information, contact: David Barra, dvdbarra [at] yahoo [dot] com, www.8bridges.org
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Comments

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    Am SO very excited to be doing the final stage (that sounds terminal). Can't wait!
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
    Plan to do part of this in 2013, job-willing.

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    So, I'm sorry to say that our 7 stage solo swimmers have had to pull out this year. I would really like to see a couple of swimmers go the distance, as no one has yet completed the whole thing. Spread the word... wanted: intrepid swimmer(s) to cover 120 miles in 7 Stages!

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member


    The finish of stage 6.
    MIMS swimmers experience a similar view, but closer to the Manhattan side of the George Washington Bridge. Passing Spuyten Duyvel was certainly a highlight of this stage.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • OMIGOD I would love to do all the stages as a solo - 120 miles :) !! Australia (where I live)is so far from the US and the Europe.... *sigh* I am sure it will be an AMAZING event like last year!!
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Chloe, we would love to have you and Paul visit NY again!

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Rondi, Willie and I took my newly fitted Zodiac on the river for a test ride today. We put in at the Chelsea (Dutchess Cty) public boat ramp and headed south... covering a bit of Stage 3, all of Stage 4 and about 2/3 of Stage 5. It was a glorious day to be out on the river... sunny and 80 degrees; the water temp is almost 60. Stage 4 is perhaps the most picturesque with Bannerman's Island, West Point, Break Neck Mtn, etc. The deepest sections of the Hudson are also encountered on this stage.

    Grace van der Byl has signed up to attempt the whole distance this year... we are thrilled to have her "on board"! I have no doubt she will set the bar high!

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    Yay! Look forward to swimming behind Grace!!
  • timsroottimsroot Spring, TXCharter Member
    I'd love to be in shape enough to think about all of them.

    How much current push do you get from any of those swims?
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    timsroot wrote:
    How much current push do you get from any of those swims?

    There are calculations on the web site for minimum average pace one should be able to hold to complete each stage. These are based on the predicted current speeds for the dates.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • timsroottimsroot Spring, TXCharter Member
    There are calculations on the web site for minimum average pace one should be able to hold to complete each stage.

    Outside of the city, which stages are, in your opinion, the prettiest?
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Stage 6 features the Palisades.
    Stage 4; Bannerman's Island and castle ruins, West Point, the deepest and most serpentine section of the river, and Breakneck Mtn.
    Stage 1 passes the Saugerties Lighthouse
    Stage 2; The Kingston and Esopus Lighthouses
    Stage 3 is short, straight and sweet.
    Stage 5; Indian Point nuclear plant, Sing Sing prison

    Each has its charm. If you like lighthouses... I'd recommend 1 or 2.
    Natural beauty... 4 and 6.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Rondi is going for ALL SEVEN
    (still no men???)

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    Go Rondi!!!!
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Two more swimmers! Elias Falcon - Stage 4 and Jaimie Monahan - Stage 1!

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    22 Swimmers Registered.

    Countdown..... 5 days.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim 2012 (the longest stage-swim event in the universe!)
    Stage 1 (Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge) Results:
    1. Grace Van Der Byl 4:31
    2. Rondi Davies 4:39
    3. Hannah Borgeson 5:04
    4. Leonard Jansen 5:45
    5. Jaimie Monahan *7:21 (*includes a storm interruption)

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • gregocgregoc Charter Member
    Can't wait for Grace to set a universal record!
  • slowmoslowmo Member
    david this is a swim i will put on my list...I grew up in staten island so I look foward to heading out east and doing some of the swims.
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    edited June 2012
    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim 2012 (the longest stage-swim event in the universe!)
    Stage 2 (Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Mid-Hudson Bridge) Results:
    1. Grace Van Der Byl 5:28:45
    2. Rondi Davies 5:37:30
    3. Lisa Neidrauer 5:47:05
    4. Janet Harris 6:31:19

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
    David, is there a chance you could add the miles of each stage when you list the results?

    And to all the swimmers, awesome job!

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    http://www.8bridges.org/stages/
    Stage 1 = 18.3 miles
    Stage 2 = 19.8 miles

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    Getting excited and nervous!
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Results for Stage 3: Mid-Hudson Bridge to Newburgh Beacon Bridge (13.2 miles)
    Grace van der Byl 3:42:31
    Rondi Davies 3:45:15
    David Barra 4:10:59
    Devon Clifford 4:22:58
    Suzie Dods 4:50:50
    Ricardo Grossman 4:58:20

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Results for Stage 4: Newburgh Beacon Bridge to Bear Mountain Bridge(15.2 miles)
    Grace van der Byl 4:10:46
    Rondi Davies 4:19:53
    William Miller 4:39:48
    Eli Falcon 4:49:16
    John Reagan 4:55:54
    Mary Kavaney 5:30:29
    Martin Turecky 5:45:07
    Suzanne Sataline 6:28:35

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Dates for 8 Bridges 2013 are June 15-22.

    Look for applications to be available in November 2012.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Stage 7 is the most complicated and most expensive day of 8 Bridges. As of today, we don’t have enough commited swimmers to include Stage 7 in this years event.
    If there is anyone out there waiting for the last minute... it has arrived and past.

    Message me or email dvdbarra@yahoo.com if you would like to swim it on June 22.
    We need a minimum of 5 participants. The current predictions are strong for this day, it should be fast.

    There is an outrigger canoe race also taking place in the NY Harbor that day... we will be crossing paths with some of the racers.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

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