Thanks you pilots! We can not put on this event without you! Swim the Suck is a beautiful paddle and the longest open water swim event in the TN river.
The swimmer's registration fee covers everything for you (2 full meals, a t--shirt, original art award and beer at the end).
Motor Boat Pilots - If you have a motor boat, we’d love to have you pilot! Your job will be to patrol up and down the course and watch after swimmers, communicate with kayak pilots, and pick up swimmers should they need to end their swim early and shuttle them to the Pot House.
What is my job as a kayak pilot?
Schedule:
You will be required to attend the pasta dinner on Friday night for the swimmer and pilot briefing and to meet your swimmer. Please see the schedule.
1) Keeping Swimmers Safe From Motor Boats
- A primary responsibility of you as a pilot is to keep your swimmer safe from boat traffic. Stay near your swimmer so that they are more visible to boats.
- If a boat is coming near you and your swimmer, wave your paddle in the air so the boat knows to stay away.
- If needed, position yourself in between the swimmer and the boat.
- We will have the US Coast Guard slowing down boats and well as several motor boat volunteers out on the water patrolling the swim and assessing any needs you or your swimmers may have. In case your swimmer needs to quit, they will load the swimmer up on the boat and take them to the finish. You can paddle to the end of hitch a ride on the boat as well.
2) Where do I stay in relation to my swimmer?
- This will be up to your swimmer. They might want you to stay immediately in front of them, beside them, or slightly ahead of them either on their right or left side. I prefer my pilot to be slightly ahead and to the left and a couple of yards away, at least.
3) Keep your swimmer on the swim route/course.
- Our permit with the coast guard mandates that we swim on the river right side. You do not need to hug the bank exactly but just try to keep your swimmers right of center to stay out of the main channel in case of boat traffic.
4) Feedings
- Your swimmer will want to eat a little snack we call a feeding every 20- 30 minutes. Most swimmers feed every 30 minutes.
- One of your jobs is to keep time so at the 30 minute mark you wave at your swimmer, stop them, and say "Snack Time!" The swimmer will come over to you next to the kayak and you will hand them a snack while they are treading water.
- Do not pull over the the side and get out as this takes too much time. Also, swimmers are not allowed to get out.
- Some swimmers may want to keep their snacks on the back of the kayak (depending on the kayak and if there is a place) where they can grab it themselves. You may also keep their feeding back in the cockpit either near your legs or behind your seat. As long as it is easy access for either you or the swimmer to grab it, that is fine.
- Most swimmers will bring bananas, gu, gatorade, energy bars and drinks such as hot chocolate and gatorade. Most pilots will open the snack for their swimmers and hand it to them so it is ready to eat/drink. Hopefully the swimmer will bring some extra snacks/drink for you as well!
- You will need to collect the trash from the feedings in the kayak.
- Swimmers should try to avoid touching the boat or your during theie feedings.
5) What to wear?
- It's up to you, really, but you may want to have layers for if it's chilly or if it's warm. A wetsuit would be ideal. River shorts and a rash guard, a spray jacket and water shoes would b great (wear clothes like you would wear to go rafting). A fleece and a warm hat may be good to have. Sunglasses! If it were me I'd wear a wetsuit with a bathing suit underneath so I could peel it down half way if it gets hot. Wear clothes that you don’t mind peeing through if you have to jump in an go number 1.
6) Kayaking Experience
- Outdoor Chattanooga will provide kayaks, paddles and PFDs if you need them (limited to 35 boats total). You can see them and test the kayaks at the Friday swim/paddle before the Pasta Dinner.
- If you do not have much or any experience in a kayak let me know and we will go over the basic skills with you on the Friday before the the event in the practice swim/paddle and at the dinner. I am a whitewater kayaker and Philip Grymes is an experienced boater and we can teach you how to properly hold the paddle, position your knees in the kayak, turn, go straight, reverse, etc. It's pretty much instinctual but we will be there to help!
- The swim course is flat water (with some downstream current) and flat water is the easiest water to paddle on. There hopefully will be a little current that pushes us downstream. You do not need to know how to roll a kayak and in fact will likely not even wear a spray skirt.
7) When nature calls
- Since the swim will take most people around 3-4.5 hours, most pilots will have to go number 1. My suggestion is to pull to the side of the river, get out, and stand in the water and go. The best time to do this is during a feeding. Feed your swimmer and let your swimmer go ahead and hug the right bank, you do your business, and then you paddle up and catch them. This is what I have done in the past when piloting for swimmers.
8) Packing list:
- A digital watch for timing your swimmer.
- A dry bag or box if you have one for your cell phone and keys.
- Your cell phone
- wetsuit or river clothes
- hat (visor or warm beanie)
- sunscreen
- sunglasses
- fleece
- drybag for fleece
- your swimmers should bring you some snacks and drink, but it's best to bring some snacks and drinks for yourself in case you do not like what they bring for you.
- waterproof camera if you have one
9) Can I SUP instead of kayak?
- Stand up paddling will be fine, but you will have to bring or rent your own.
10) What do I do at the finish line?
- The swim finish is 4 miles past the Pot House at a residence/property called Living Water. You will see a boat house with a green roof and an American flag. The property there is flat next to the river and you will see a retaining wall and grassy fields. There will be a buoy and a motor boat waiting there. Your swimmer will finish at the buoy and exit the water at the boat ramp. The kayaker will need to paddle over to the motor boat to get their swimmers bag of warm clothes to bring it out. The kayaker will also exit the water at the boat Ramp at the Living Water Property. There will be a changing tent and coffee at Living Water. There will be shuttles that take swimmers, pilots, kayaks and gear back to the Pot House where awards, refreshments provided by The Big Table, a keg, and showers inside.
11) Any questions? email karahnazor@gmail.com or call karah (423-488-3143).
