Swimmers bridge the gap

Most New Yorkers have crossed the East River countless times - but how many have done it without a bridge or even a boat?
About 125 swimmers attempted the crossing yesterday in the inaugural Brooklyn Bridge Swim, a 1-kilometer race across the East River and under the New York landmark, which took the fastest swimmer a little more than 17 minutes and the slowest almost 45.

“I love it - it’s exhilarating,” said Stephen Warnke, 47, a lawyer and amateur swimmer from Park Slope, out of breath and dripping after emerging from the water in 23 minutes, 17 seconds. “It’s a little wacky, but it highlights and brings together the diversity of the city.”

The race, sponsored by the Manhattan Island Foundation, paralleled the roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge southeast from a small beach on the Manhattan side, then along the water to a gravel patch at the base of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn.

“There comes a point in the race where you have a dilemma - you want to make the best time, but then you say to yourself, ‘I’m in the middle of the East River,’” said Frank Goldstein, 55, who grew up in Brooklyn and was a Coney Island lifeguard as a teenager. “This is one of those fantasies,” said Goldstein, who swam across in 29 minutes, 25 seconds. A lot of guys have midlife crises and go out and buy a Porsche. And then there are people like us who want to swim under the Brooklyn Bridge … This is what keeps me feeling vital and energetic.”

The East River, which is actually a continuously flowing tidal estuary, has a complex current that typically runs toward the harbor in the center but switches with the tide near the edges.

“It was like swimming in the North Atlantic out there,” said Scott Bonney, 50, from Vashon Island, Wash., who was caught by water splashing off the bulkhead in Brooklyn.

The river is now the cleanest it has been in 100 years, organizers said, a result of efforts by the state, local and federal governments.

“It was very pleasant,” Warnke said. “The water quality was good - I didn’t hit flotsam and jetsam.”

Several other swimmers agreed, complementing the river water’s quality.

“It was tasty - very distinct,” said Bonnie Schwartz, 27, of the Upper West Side, a graduate student at Columbia University, who recently crossed the English Channel. “It’s the very ‘essence of New York.’ “

BY T.W. FARNAM

Newsday