Update: Eight Bridges, Seven Days, 120 Miles

Dave Barra and a group of 20 dedicated long-distance swimmers have been swimming the length of the Hudson River from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to the Verrazano Narrows to raise awareness of water quality issues in the river and also raise money for Riverkeeper and Launch 5, both local Hudson River environmental organizations.

On Tuesday, six swimmers, each with an escort kayak, began stage five of the journey, putting in at Bear Mountain Bridge for the 19.8 mile swim to the Tappan Zee Bridge.This was the longest of the leg of the eight stage swim (tied in distance with the Kingston-Rhinecliff to Mid-Hudson Bridge stage).

Turkey vultures and a lone bald eagle lolled in the up drafts and sturgeon performed their famous vertical leaps. And six intrepid swimmers took off from a spot beneath the Bear Mountain Bridge destined for the Tappan Zee.

The sky was clear, with a few puffy clouds, and the temperature was warm and rising. The river was relatively calm, and commercial and recreational traffic on the river was light.

The swimmers knew that they were facing a challenge. This stretch of the river offers up some twists and turns, some eddys and other unanticipated setbacks. And, at the end, when they had the Tappan Zee in sight, a flood current of 1.5 knots, potentially knocking them back with each stroke they managed to make.

In the end, two swimmers finished the course, John Humenik, with a time of 8 hours and 12 minutes and Tobey-Ann Saracino, swimming with six stitches in her lower lip, with a time of 9 hours and 52 minutes.

On the next stage of the swim, two swimmers departed from the Tappan Zee Bridge this morning, bound for the George Washington Bridge, a distance of 15.7 miles. They expect to arrive at the terminus at about 5:30 this afternoon.

Follow the swimmers progress on Facebook -  8 Bridges Hudson River Swim