9.1 Tossing a feed out onto the water

A well-executed feed stop from a boat is part skill, part circumstance. The boat will drift forward as the swimmer is stopped and taking their feed, so the crew's objective is to time things to avoid having the swimmer drifting back behind the boat. It helps to observe the water conditions, the speed of the boat as it slows down, the speed of the swimmer’s stroke, and the speed at which they generally take their feeds. But know that you won’t always have perfect alignment, and the swimmer needs to get that feed on schedule, so use your best judgement and just go for it.

8.1 Delivering feeds from a kayak

As most swims that make use of a kayak and paddler will be providing the paddler, they should already be experienced and trained by the swim organization so we won't cover any instruction here. Even if the swimmer has a paddler of their own that intends to seek permission to paddle for the swim, the swim organization would still be providing them with the necessary instructions specific to the waterway's conditions. The paddler will either hand the feed to the swimmer or toss it to them using a feed line.

Justine Brousseau, Manhattan Island 2022

Justine Brousseau, English Channel 2024 daytime feed and nighttime feed

8.3 Feed stop tips and suggestions

If any crew members are new to tossing feeds, use the first couple of feed stops as group practice. If you toss it out too close or too far, or if the swimmer misses the feed bottle and keeps swimming past it, just reel it in and throw again. If the swimmer has a hard time spotting the bottle, especially if there's no buoy on the feed line, you can throw it a little further out and let them swim over the feed line. If you happen to throw the feed line out a little too far, chances are the swimmer will feel it as they swim over anyhow.

Feed stops should be as fast as possible, especially if there are currents or conditions are chilly. As the day goes on and the swimmer gets tired or if they have issues putting down feeds, their feed stops may become longer which adds time to the overall swim. Some swimmers feed in an upright position, and some lay on their backs like an otter to get the feed down faster. Practicing body position and the speed of feeding should have been part of the swimmer’s training for the swim, only they can manage how quickly they can drink a liquid feed or eat solid foods without gagging, choking or even vomiting. If there are currents pushing the swimmer back or the conditions are chilly, the crew may need to encourage the swimmer to move a little faster or not dawdle after the feed is down to help them avoid their body getting cold or colder than it already is. But if the conditions are warm and the break seems to be doing them good, the crew can advise them of the feed duration if the swimmer wants this but consider letting them manage their speed of intake. Discuss the best approach to use with the swimmer as part of your planning.

Attach everything being sent out on the feed line at the same time wherever possible, so that it doesn’t have to be sent out and brought back multiple times on a feed stop. The swimmer should try to ask for changes or special things 1 feed ahead of when it’s needed, but as they get more tired it may be within the same feed stop. If this is the case then the feed line might have to go out twice, or the crew can simply toss the extra things out onto the water.

The feed stop is also a great time to relay messages of support, instructions or questions to the swimmer. Consider using a whiteboard and thick erasable markers as much as possible, so the swimmer doesn't have to remove their earplugs to hear. Or just shout real loud.

8.4 Taking the swimmer's stroke rate after a feed stop

The crew will need to monitor and track the swimmer's stroke rate so it can be documented on the observer/crew log (see Section 9 of the crew guide) and to check for signs of decline in the swimmer. Wait at least 5-10 minutes after the feed stop is over to take the stroke rate so the swimmer can ease back into swimming and level out again, a little longer if the water is cold as the swimmer may need to rev up their stroke to warm their body back up after having been stopped. The goal is to get their baseline stroke rate at each feed stop interval, so you could even take it halfway through the time between feed stops - this means you'd take the stroke rate at the 15 minute mark between 30 minute feed intervals (or halfway through whatever interval the swimmer is using).

Depending on the swim organization's rules for the observer/crew log, the crew may need to take the stroke rate at minimum every couple of feeds or at every single feed - every feed is best anyhow, so you can monitor the stroke rate for signs of decline over time. And it can be taken at any point between feeds as well, if closer monitoring of the swimmer for decline is needed.

Start the timer once one of the swimmer's arms is outstretched into streamline (0), and start counting when the opposite hand and arm enter the water (1), keep counting each arm stroke as a single count (2,3,4,5...). Stop counting once your timer reaches 60 seconds. Let the other crew know you're counting if needed, so they don't accidentally distract you! You will likely need a backlit timer for nighttime counts, and since you won't be able to see arm strokes, you'll have to listen for them instead.

Shannon House Keegan, In Search of Memphre Double 2025

8.5 Taking the water temperature after a feed stop

The crew may also be asked to take the water temperature after feed stops. The boat pilot may be able to take a reading from the boat itself if there's a sensor, or the crew can simply have a thermometer on a rope that they can drop over the side of the boat.

Another way to take the water temperature can be to attach small weights to a thermometer with a probe and drop it into the water or attach it to the side of the boat. In the example below, we attached 2 small fishing lure weights to a fish tank thermometer so that it sinks into the water even when the boat is moving, along with a small piece of pool noodle to serve as a float about 10 inches up from the probe. That way the thermometer's probe ends up sitting in the water in the depth of the swimmer's torso. This one was zip tied to the side of the boat's railing so the crew could simply lean over, turn it on and take the reading.

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8.2 Delivering feeds from a boat

When feeding time rolls around, here are the steps you can follow:

2-3 minutes before feed time, communicate with the boat pilot that you're getting ready for a feed stop and they will slow the boat down and try to come to a stop (but there will likely still be some drift). Hold up the feed bottle to catch the swimmer’s attention as they turn to breathe towards the boat or if permitted you can blow a whistle. If the swimmer is a bit far out from the boat, this will be their cue to start swimming in closer to the boat’s hull. Keep the bottle up in the air until you are confident they are within your throwing reach.

Toss the feed bottle and feed line out into the oncoming pathway of the

swimmer (not directly at them) a few feet out in front, they will swim

to the feed bottle and take their feed. Let the feed line drop into the

water with generous slack so they won’t have to fight a tight feed line

to get the bottle to their mouth. If you're timing the feed stop, start

the timer when the swimmer stops moving forward and stop it when

they begin to swim again.

During the feed stop, the swimmer must face the boat so the crew can

interact with them and assess their condition. As the swimmer finishes

taking their feed, the crew can ask questions or provide information if

needed. When the swimmer is done the feed, they’ll drop the feed

bottle into the water and start swimming again.

Reel the feed line back in as soon as the swimmer is done so that it doesn't drift to the back of the boat and get tangled up in the motor. Coil it up as you go to keep it from getting tangled, and making it easy to throw back out to the swimmer on the next feed stop. Set the alarm for 30 minutes (or whatever the swimmer's feed interval is).

Provide the observer any details required for entry into the observer/crew log (or enter them into the log yourself if it's a task delegated to the crew), see Section 9 of the crew guide. This would likely be the actual feed volume consumed and meds.

If the swimmer is taking cold feeds, get ready for the next feed stop right away by pouring the next feed into the feed bottle and putting it aside. If the swimmer is taking warm feeds, don’t pour it into the feed bottle until about 3-4 minutes before the next feed stop so that it doesn’t cool down too much. Be sure to check the temp before you toss a warm feed to the swimmer, you want to be sure it’s not too hot or it will burn their mouth and throat. Add a splash of cold water if needed.