Swim Marathon In Need Of Skippers And Boats

Organizers of St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound can reel off plenty of numbers that are going up — dollars raised, cancer patients and families assisted, athletes who have participated, volunteers mobilized. But there’s a number that’s gone down in recent years, and only one demographic can turn it around: boaters.

- Elaine Lembo

Owners who are willing to volunteer with their boats — sail or power, 22 feet and larger — are vital to the success of the 15.5-mile swim across Long Island Sound, which the World Open Water Swimming Association recognizes as one of the country’s top 100 open-water swims. “We can’t put swimmers in the water unless we know we’re going to have enough boats to protect them,” says Lyn McCarthy, executive director of St. Vincent’s Medical Center Foundation, which runs the event. “The more swimmers we have, the more relay teams we have, the more escort boats and perimeter boats we need,” she says.

Many of the boat volunteers return year after year, helping train newcomers and dealing with on-water problems, such as mechanical breakdowns. “Boat captains have been more than generous by participating in the marathon in the past,” McCarthy says. “We could get 200 swimmers this year. We had 160 swimmers last year, and we were losing boats. Boats register, and a week before the event, we can lose them. It’s more than stressful. Maybe this year the tide will turn.”