Last Saturday proved to be an excellent day for the annual Pier2Pier sea swim. Sunny skies and a water temperature of a surprising 21 degrees set the scene for 176 swimmers (97 women and 79 men) to race into the sea by Sandown Pier and swim 1.8 miles to the finish on the beach outside Shanklin Rowing Club.
It proved to be quite a challenging swim for many, especially those swimmers who were attempting their first open water swim. The wind picked up just before the race started and the sea became quite choppy. However all bar two swimmers completed the race, and many reported that they loved the challenge (one swimmer said she was sorry to see the finish line!)
Results
Full details and photos can be found on the Isle of Wight Marlins Swim Club website.
- Island swimmers had a great day, taking nine out of the top 10 finishing places, with Seaclose SC taking 6 of these, and Marlins taking two.
- The fastest swimmer overall was Ben van Der Helstraete (age 20 from Seaclose Swim Club) who completed the race in a remarkable 32:46 minutes
- The fastest female, and placed sixth overall , was another Seaclose Swim Club member, Isobel Muncaster, aged 18, who completed in 36:03 minutes.
- The youngest swimmer Tilly Everett, aged 16, came ninth overall, and finished in an impressive 37:03 minutes. And, at the other end, the oldest swimmer, Jenny Ball, aged 88, completed the swim in 59:41 minutes – two great achievements!
- Other notable results include Matthew Sussmes, from Ryde SC representing the 60+ age group, who magnificently finished third place overall (33:24).
A day to remember
Nick Thornton, despite being totally deaf, partially sighted and autistic, completed the whole swim with one-to-one support from a kayak and on the shore.
An inspirational achievement.
Guest of honour
This year’s guest of honour was Natasha Lambert BEM. Natasha is a multi award-winning disabled sailor and adventurer. She was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, but has achieved feats which most people would have considered impossible, from sailing the Atlantic and the seas of Britain to scaling mountains (read more about Natasha’s achievements on her website.
Together with her father Gary and sister Rachel, she presented the prizes to the winners of all swim categories. An inspiration end to a very successful day.
Thanks to volunteers and sponsors
Marlins Swim Club extends a massive thank you to the 70 volunteers who gave up their time to support this event both on the sea and on the shore. The event couldn’t run without their support.
Thanks are also due to the sponsors Harwood Garage and to Sandown Lifeboat station, Shanklin Rowing Club, Ryde inshore lifeboat, Ryde Lifeguards, and First Aider Bob Gontar from Wight Responders.
News shared by Maureen on behalf of Pier to Pier Swim. Ed
