Ti2Y Treasure Island to YMCA Bay Bridge Swim Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

kasey w.
San Francisco, CA

  (10-14-2009)

"I wasn't planning on racing the Ti2Y, but got pulled into it thanks to a few others from my club (Golden Gate Triathlon Club). Sometimes, peer pressure is good!

But that wasn't what I was thinking when my alarm went off at 5am. I didn't register in advance, so I had to get there early, fill out consent forms, and write a check out for $110. The moment I stepped out the door, I could tell it was going to be a rare beautiful morning - warm, no fog, and no wind.

Got there around 7, and the guides had already begun to explain the currents and the sighting. Wasn't really listening, but caught a few details about which buildings to sight for.

The YMCA on the Embarcadero is a really nice facility, and we were able to use their locker rooms and even bag-check our belongings.

Suited up, we went out to the ferry and departed with about 200 other swimmers. The ferry stopped right before Treasure Island. By that time it was almost 8am, and the sun was up.

The 200+ swimmers started jumping off the sides of the ferry, and since we had huddled at the back of the boat, we were one of the last out the door. Unfortunate for me, because they started the race when I was still on the ferry. I lost about 3 minutes there.

My strategy was to stay on the left side of the pack, and to sight the Bay Bridge the whole way in. It worked, but I was pretty much swimming alone the whole race. Water was smooth, with a little bit of a current near the finish. Fast swim, with a unique finishing area, where there are steps leading from the water up to the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building area.

The race was on a Saturday morning, and had a pretty good turnout. Afterwards we grabbed coffee and some food at the Ferry Building.
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Heather Z.
San Francisco, CA

  (09-29-2009)

"I loved this race and I will definitely do it again next year. It is organized and hosted by the Embarcadero YMCA. All of the registration money goes to a good cause (Youth Chance High School) and it costs less than other bay swims. The nice part of this race is you can use the YMCA facilities on race day so you can put your stuff in a locker during the race and shower before going home. There are less participants than the Alcatraz swim, so there is less bumping into people at the beginning. They have a ton of kayakers and boats out there to keep you on track. This year there was almost no current, beautiful clear skies, and the water was like glass. I heard that last year it was the opposite, very choppy water and strong currents. The success of bay swims are always dependent on conditions which is out of control of the organizers. Even if the conditions were bad, the Embarcadero YMCA is well organized, a wonderful host and all the money goes to a good cause. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009