June 2004

A horn sounded, and with his hands securing his goggles and cap, Andrew Hewitt leapt off the dock and into the Hudson River, the smack of the brackish water his baptism for the day ahead. The Manhattan Island Marathon Swim had begun, and Hewitt's race number, inked onto his left bicep, gleamed in the early morning light. 

Dozens of swimmers were attempting a circumnavigation of Manhattan, and the water grew choppy as they kicked and stroked their way out of the cove. Tracing the island counterclockwise, Hewitt and the others would head down the Hudson, around the Battery, and up the East River. From there they would cross the Harlem River and then swim back down the Hudson. At twenty-eight and a half miles, the swim was longer than either the English or Catalina Channel swims. It was Hewitt's first triple crown event. 

A 41-year-old former Navy Seal, Hewitt hailed from San Diego. Like the other racers, he had two support boats accompanying him, a small fishing boat and a kayak. The kayaker's job was to stay close to Hewitt, providing orientation and if needed, help. The entire convoy of small craft, led by Harbor Police boats, would protect the swimmers from being mowed down by larger vessels. 

Hewitt breathed every three to four strokes, rolling his head to the west on one breath, towards New Jersey on the next. As he edged closer to the Battery, the Staten Island Ferry approached in the distance. Had he been a whale, his sonar would have detected the chaos of New York Harbor.

Hewitt rounded the tip of the island and entered the waters of the East River, his pace accelerating. The salt water tide swept him past the South Street Seaport, the United Nations and up the East Side. He passed under the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges. 

When he entered the Harlem River, the current slowed noticeably. Hewitt slogged through eight miles of dirty water. Relief from the intense sun came from the shade provided by the river's 15 bridge spans.

By the time Hewitt  crossed under the Henry Hudson Bridge connecting Riverdale to Upper Manhattan, he was almost on his final leg. He had  been in the water much of the day. Anytime he stopped to hydrate, refuel, or apply sunscreen, he treaded water or floated on his back while supplies were extended to him from the fishing boat. Touching either boat, he would be disqualified. 

By mid afternoon, Hewitt was at last back in the Hudson. The outgoing tide was not strong enough to assist. It wasn't hindering him; it just wasn't pulling him along. As big a relief as it had been to exit the confines of the Harlem River, the vastness of the Hudson still lay before him. Other swimmers had long dropped out of the race. Hewitt, the former Navy Seal persevered. 

Eight hours, twelve minutes, and forty-one seconds after his start, he hauled  himself up the ladder onto the float dock at South Cove. Of twenty-two finishers, he placed twelfth.