The following is part of a series of posts that details the planning and packing we're doing for my first marathon solo swim, In Search Of Memphre 40km. I'm documenting our preparations so that others might benefit in their own planning or contribute new ideas based on their own past swims - building community and sharing info is so important!
The swim kit has everything in it the support crew need to get organized on the boat. Here's the stuff on my feed kit gear list:
The swim kit has all my swimmer "extras"; extra meds, goggles, caps, etc, in case something goes wrong with what we're already using. It also has lots of supplies for the crew, such as clipboards, pens, scissors, batteries and so forth.
The swim kit also contains all of the key documents the crew need to use to run the swim:
swim plan
observer log
big laminated map
strategy map and toolbox
We're going to save the strategy map and toolbox for the next post, but I'll tell you about the rest here. The swim plan is a synopsis of all the key elements of the swim that the crew need to know. I used a template borrowed from one of my crew members, who is a very experienced marathon swimmer and has done this a number of times. The plan has been printed on water-resistant paper, but could have been laminated too, we want to make sure it survives in tact if it rains during the swim. There are 4 copies, 1 for each of the crew and 1 for the pilot if needed. Here's the document:
For the observer log, we're using the template provided by the Marathon Swimmer's Federation (MSF). The crew will log air and water temp, wind speed and direction, stroke rate, feeds, and any notes at every 30 minute feed stop. Also printed on water-resistant paper so that it survives through any rain.
The big laminated map is amazing, I picked it up so that I could explore the length of the lake and get to know the various parts of the journey. We'll bring ir along in case the crew want to do the same along the way...