Congratulations to all those who took part in the Wild West Solent Swim yesterday (raising £13,000 for the West Wight Sports Centre) and thanks to Sue Bailey who sent in her report of the event to share with VB readers. Also included is a video of the event shot by Joey Briscoe. Ed
The adrenalin has finally worn off and my feet are back on the ground!
Neil and I and 40 others swam from Hurst Castle to the Island at 7.30 yesterday morning. It took just over an hour to do the mile and a quarter but it was worth it.
Standing on the steep shingle bank at Hurst with the lighthouse beam still shining in the early dawn light, we all stood looking across the Solent at the Island. So near and yet so far. But not too far for the forty or so intrepid Wild West Swimmers.
Off we set
Pair by pair our numbers were called and we cast off shoes and slipped smoothly into the silky, thankfully calm, waters of the Solent quickly meeting up with our kayaking partner whose job it was to make sure we stayed on track and didn’t end up swimming to the Needles.
The water was cold, but somehow it didn’t matter too much. It was just great to think that we were finally going to do it. One and a quarter miles may not be far compared to David Walliams’ recent Thames achievement but for each Wild West swimmer it was a personal challenge to do something that many of us had never done before.
Unexpected reception
At Colwell Bay, the welcoming reception was unexpected.
About one hundred and fifty people applauded and cheered each pair of swimmers as they touched Island ground. The organisers had even arranged tea and a hot bacon roll to greet each participant. What forward planning!
Next job is to collect all the sponsor money and to think what the next challenge will be.
Joey Briscoe’s video
UPDATE 26.Sept 08:29:
Photos too
Christian Beasley was out on Sunday morning supporting the swimmers and taking photos. He’s got a large collection of photos that you can have a browse around by clicking the small photos on the right. In the meantime, here’s one of his shots that shows the supporting kayaks.
