The spectators got almost as wet as the swimmers in this year's Red Cross Swim-A-Cross. Rain poured down on Centre Island Beach in Bayville during the 11th fund raiser on Aug. 11. Lifeguard Andrea Petruzzi of Bayville told the spectators to get off the beach but most only went back about 10 feet from the surf. Organizers had heard thunder and saw lightning coming from the east and they were concerned about the safety of the crowd standing in water-soaked sand.

Jeff Maimone, son of Swim-A-Cross honoree Renata Maimone, was all in favor of the change. "The rain was very cold, colder than the water," he said. "This year was no ripping current, no seaweed, no jelly fish and the changes in the bus system worked out very well.

"Renata and I were the first and second swimmers out. It made for a very relaxed swim. We started stroking without the usual crowd. In years past everyone started out together. This year there were no kicking and flailing of limbs. When there is, you get an adrenaline rush, even though you don't want it. It just wastes your energy, and ends up tiring you out," he said.

"This year I swam along with mother and from that vantage point I could see all the latest head gear and could tell what shape the swimmers were in by who could catch their breath or not.

"Over the years they have gotten more organized," said Jeff Maimone a regular at the Swim-A-Cross.

Swimmers receive numbered bracelets so the Red Cross can track the entrants and know when the last one has returned. They don't end the swim until all the bracelets are accounted for. Swimmers are given bath towels to dry off as they come out of the water. This year they were courtesy of J.C. Penney's.

Renata, 83, swam gracefully through her 11th Swim-A-Cross, unflappable in spite of all the media attention. As soon as she arrived at the beach, cameras popped, video's churned and interviewers stepped out of the crowd.

The same was true when she emerged at the end of the swim. She took her time and came in near the end of the line.

So too did Williston Park resident Tom Keller, a retired New York City firefighter. "I made a mistake, I took a bath. If I'd remembered I'd never have done it," he quipped. "I was raised in Brooklyn," he said. "Saturday was our big bath night!"

"I was the last person in three-out-of -four swims. I was next to last, last year. The dramatic improvement was a result of two minutes instruction at the New Hyde Park Pool. The instructor told me I was doing everything wrong!" said Tom.

As he came out of the water he said, "I've set a new record. I came in seventh from last. That's a gigantic improvement." It was four minutes off his swim.

"He owes me $2 for every minute Renata beat him," said his brother Bob Keller of Oyster Bay Cove.

It's all for a good cause, supporting the good works of the American Red Cross. All the money raised in the Swim-A-Cross is used locally, said Judge Ute Lally, who is one of the swim organizers. Weather was on her mind as the swim began: "I'm glad the sun won't be out - that it's overcast. It's so much better for the swimmers. We don't see any lightning - that's the worst," she said. Luckily, the only lightening spotted was in the distance. In spite of being told to get off the beach, those watching felt very safe: after all they were surrounded with Red Cross workers and an emergency ambulance. If there was a problem, they surmised, the Red Cross would handle it!

Next week, the story of the swimmers in the fast lane!