Pete, as you know from my FB feed, I swam the day before the race at the finish staircase (Crissy Field, but not at the ebb tide). I went in just as the last test swimmers came in. You also know I was sitting next to Andy Potts on the Hornblower at 6:28 when they made the announcement about the small craft advisory and then the cancellation. My two cents:
The current was a bitch even on Saturday.According to the WW staff, 10+% of the test swimmers did not finish, and more were repositioned, including several weekly WW swimmers who crashed into the rocks. Some that I saw at the finish were not looking so good.Andy did not utter a single word of frustration or disappointment at the announcement, simply stood up and offered his hand to help me up, said “follow me,” and 30 seconds later we were out the side door and 2 minutes after that talking to the RD. On the bus ride back we had a short discussion of how his race strategy might change because “first over the line” wouldn’t necessarily be the winner but mostly chatted about random stuff, including the best wetsuit lube and my bike fit photos that Dan published here a few months ago.Canceling the swim was absolutely the right decision, and really the only possible decision once the Coast Guard announced the small craft advisory. The paddlers and safety boats could not stay upright. I absolutely would not have jumped into that water without any safety personnel in the River. When you accept the “risk” of a race, you accept a “reasonable risk” – and swimming in water where boats can’t get you if you are in trouble was well beyond that.