Expect that the boat will be exposed to sun and rain and prepare accordingly. Bring your own food, drinks, and other items for a full day on the water. Bear in mind that the boat will not have a head (toilet). You may enter the water to relieve yourself with the consent of the boat captain.
Immediately after the swim, before you go home, send a clear scan or photos of your completed log sheets and stopwatch showing the finish time to info@nyopenwater.org. If the log is wet and you need it to dry out, send the photos within 24 hours of completion. Keep the log until you get a confirmation of receipt. Do not give the log to any NYOW personnel in person; we accept it in digital form only.
Mandatory Itelms
- At least 2 timekeeping devices that record hours, minutes, and seconds. If using a phone, make sure it is fully charged and that you bring a means to recharge. We recommend that you sync your devices to time.gov for consistency with other watches and cell phones on the water.
- Extra pens
- Clipboard
- NYOW will provide printouts of the observer log at boat loading. If you bring your own printouts, make sure they are the of the current version of the log (linked here).
- Durable shoes
- WATER
- Food: Be ready for a whole day on the water, so bring something like a PB & J in addition to snacks including a “reward snack” that will make your brain say “yay!” but not melt in the sun. (No bananas — or at least ask the boat captain first.)
Optional Items
- Sunscreen
- Lip balm with SPF
- Sunglasses, preferably polarized ones that wrap all around your eyes
- Whistle
- Marine radio: The Icom M25 is on the more costly side, but is highly endorsed by our head kayaker and is the one that we use. If you are going to be observing several times over the years, this one is a solid investment.
- UV blocking shirt
- Long, UV blocking pants
- Sun hat
- Rain gear
- Towel or baby wipes
- Seasickness medication
- Tylenol or ibuprofen
- Eye wash