Spotting for Alcatraz swim

Well, a lot depends on the tides, your swimming sped and the conditions the day of the race, so take
anything you hear with a grain of salt. The Fort Mason buildings (to the North of Aquatic Park) are
pretty easy to see unless it's really foggy. After you get 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in, you will be
able to see a red tile roof on a building at the yacht club. I haven't done the Alcatraz Tri, but
the Alcatraz Challenge (a swim-run) does this swim. They start at Alcatraz and time it so that there
is a north-bound current, and in those conditions aiming at Fort Mason for the 1st half and the St.
Francis Yacht Club for the remainder works well for a 30-35 minute swim. But if the current or the
starting point is different, you'll have to adjust based on the conditions.

James Kojo said:

Does anyone have any advice in terms of spotting on the alcatraz swim for tri-california's
Alcatraz triathlon?

I've done the swim before, but it ended in aquatic park, so I can't use the same landmarks as I
did before. I think the water exit is a bit west of aquatic park. Are there any tall buildings or
towers that make for a good point during the swim, assuming a slack tide?

Thanks,

James

In article said:

Well, a lot depends on the tides, your swimming sped and the conditions the day of the race, so
take anything you hear with a grain of salt.

Listen to what they tell you on the boat. They will do a test swim the day before and the guys who
do it are very experienced Alcatraz swimmers and know what they are talking about.

clm in sf

Quoted message said:

James Kojo said:

Does anyone have any advice in terms of spotting on the alcatraz swim for tri-california's
Alcatraz triathlon?

I've done the swim before, but it ended in aquatic park, so I can't use the same landmarks as I
did before. I think the water exit is a bit west of aquatic park. Are there any tall buildings
or towers that make for a good point during the swim, assuming a slack tide?

Thanks,

James

--
[email hidden] cathy morgan, san francisco, ca REMOVE x x to email