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BaySwim.com | Lin-Mark Sports | March of Dimes



Yearly Results
List of Winners;  GCBS Difficulty Rankings; Basic GCBS Statistics

Brian J. Earley started what what has become the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (GCBS) on June 13, 1982, with a solo swim across the Bay in memory of his father, Joseph Earley, who died of diabetes complications in 1981.  Brian used the swim to raise donations for the American Diabetes Association, which continued through the 1991 event.  Brian's initial swims (1982-1985) were from Kent Island to Sandy Point State Park.

Race organizer Fletcher Hanks began a separate Bay Swim event in 1984, entitled the "Chesapeake Bay Bridges Swim Race," which attracted 2 swimmers the first year and 67 (48 finishers) in 1985.  On June 15, 1986, the Hanks and Earley events merged when 211 swimmers successfully swam from Westinghouse (south of the bridges on the western shore) to Hemingway's Restaurant (now Libbey's Coastal Kitchen).  The following year, the event started at Sandy Point State Park, which established its present course.  The June 14, 1992, event scheduled by Fletcher Hanks was canceled.

The 1992 event was rescheduled for June 28th as a charity event, entitled the "Great Chesapeake Bay Swim," for the March of Dimes.  From 1992 to 2019, Race Director Chuck Nabit orchestrated an impressive set of volunteers and sponsors to provide a safe and popular sporting event for the benefit of the March of Dimes.

The race was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. In 2022, Jason Chance took over as the Race Director. In 2023 Jason introduced the “Safe Swim” concept to control the flow of swimmers and reduce contact between swimmers at the start. At the start, swimmers now self-seed (faster swimmers in front) and enter the water in waves about 10 seconds apart. There are two starting gates (one for wet suit and one for non-wet suit swimmers) with 10 swimmers starting from each gate.

The 2024 Bay Swim was canceled due to unsafe conditions. High winds made it too difficult for the safety fleet to provide adequate support for over 600 swimmers participating in the 4.4 mile swim.

Event #

YEAR

 Sunday,
June		 Start
Time		 # of
Start Waves		 Course*

40th

pdf2023

11

8:00 a

Safe Swim

A

39th

pdf2022

12

12:00 p

2

A

38th

pdf2019

9

12:00 p

2

D

37th

pdf2018

10

10:30 a

2

A

36th

pdf2017

11

8:30 a

2

A

35th

pdf2016

12

12:15 p

2

A

34th

pdf2015

14

12:15 p

2

A

33rd

pdf2014

8

10:30 a

2

A

32nd

pdf2013

9

8:25 a

2

A

31st

pdf2012

10

11:00 a

2

A

30th

2011

12

11:30 a

2

A

29th

2010

13

8:00 a

2

A

28th

2009

14

10:20 a

2

A

27th

2008

8

10:00 a

2

A

26th

2007

10

9:30 a

2

A

25th

 2006

11

10:00 a

2

A

24th

 2005

12

10:30 a

2

A

23rd

 2004

13

9:30 a

2

A

22nd

 2003

8

12:30 p

2

A

21st

pdf2002

16

11:00 a

2

A

20th

pdf2001

10

10:30 a

2

A

19th

pdf2000

11

9:45 a

2

A

18th

pdf1999

13

7:19 a

2

A

17th

pdf1998

14

10:50 a

2

A

16th

pdf1997

8

10:00 a

2

A

15th

pdf1996

9

8:30 a

2

A

14th

pdf1995

11

1:00 p

2

A

13th

pdf1994

12

10:00 a

2

A

12th

pdf1993

13

9:15 a

2

A

11th

pdf1992

28

8:30 a

2

A

10th

pdf1991

9

8:05 a

9

A

9th

pdf1990

10

8:00 a

1

A

8th

pdf1989

11

8:00 a

1

A

7th

pdf1988

12

8:00 a

1

A

6th

pdf1987

14

8:00 a

1

A

5th

pdf1986

15

10:00 a

1

B

4th

1985

9

12:00 p

1

C
 

Hanks Event

16

10:40 a

1

A*

3rd

1984

10

n/a

1

C
 

Hanks Event

17

9:30a

1

C

2nd

1983

12

12:15 p

1

C

1st

1982

13

n/a

1

C
*  Course:
          A - Sandy Point State Park to Hemingways
          A* - start straight from shore (did not curve under bridges; about 4.1 miles)
          B - Westinghouse to Hemingways
          C - Kent Island to Sandy Point State Park
          D - 2.2-mile triangular course from the eastern shore of bay
n/a - Information Not Available (bayswimarchive@gmail.com if you have information)

1992-2019

 Race Organizer:  Charles J. Nabit (also w/Lyn Brooks; Robert D. Vigorito)  -  Charity: March of Dimes

1984-1991

 Race Organizer:  Fletcher Hanks  -  Charity: American Diabetes Association (1986 - 1991)
    -  In 1986, the Earley event and the Hanks event, which were conducted separately in 1984 and 1985, merged.

1982-1985

 Founder:  Brian Joseph Earley  -   Charity: American Diabetes Association

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