Sandown to Shanklin sea swim 2012 results
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Sandown to Shanklin 2 miles sea swim on Saturday 19th August.
Final Overall Results Year Groups 2012
Final Results Female Year Group 2012
Final Results Male Year Group 2012
Trophies Winners and Clubs 2012
The 60th Sandown to Shanklin Sea Swim organised by the Isle of Wight Marlins Swim Club as part of Shanklin Regatta was held on 19th August 2012. The main organisers were Gordon Osborne and Nancy Godwin assisted by Duncan Heenan and a team from the club and local residents.
The day dawned bright, clear, hot and sunny with a flat calm sea and water temperatures of around 18 degrees all making for perfect conditions for the race, a great relief after the dodgy summer we had been experiencing.. This year we again filled our maximum number of 120 entrants within the first two weeks after sending out entry forms and then had a further 30 entrants on a waiting. This year the race did not allow for wetsuits, a decision that proved to be popular with many of our swimmers. The swim took place on the weekend between Sandown Regatta and Shanklin Regatta which meant that it attracted a substantial number of spectators at both the start and the finish. Always we have people who drop out on the day and this year there must have been 14 which is higher than usual but 4 places were filled by swimmers who took the chance and turned up on the day in the hope of one of these cancellations. So at the start of the race we finally had 110 swimmers enter the water and I am glad to report 110 swimmers finish. To avoid congestion at the first turning mark we always start the men’s race 2 minutes ahead of the ladies but the ladies are becoming stronger by the minute and the men were soon caught, so the men had better be prepared for next year.
The first swimmer to complete the 1¾ mile course and land at Shanklin Rowing club, near where the old Shanklin Pier used to stand, was Ben Pennington of Spencer Swim Team in a time of 29 minutes 27seconds. We have come to look forward to a good battle for first place between Ben and Peter Dixon. Ben and Peter are good pals but still exercise a sportsman’s rivalery when competing against each other. This year they did not disappoint us as Peter finished in second place a mere 5 seconds behind Ben. The first lady was Katie Butcher, of Arundel Trinity, who crossed the line in a time of 30mins 09secs. The first Island Lady to finish was Amy Rickards in a time of 32 minutes 40 seconds and first Island man to finish, and new to the race this year, was John Clark in a time of 35 minutes 10 seconds. John was very surprised and delighted to find he had won so hopefully this will encourage him to return next year. The oldest competitor taking part was Terry Lyons of Richmond Swimming Club aged 76 and he finished in a time of 45 minutes 33 seconds. Terry is the donator of two of the swim trophies so it was especially good to see him win a trophy for himself this year. The 110th and last swimmer safely made the finish line in 52 minutes 59 seconds. The times of all swimmers were faster this year due to a fast running tide which gently pushed them along. On finishing all swimmers were given hot soup, a bread roll which was kindly provided by the ladies of Shanklin Rowing Club.
You may have noticed earlier that this year was our 60th swim since the race started and Shanklin Town Council helped commemorate the occasion by donating a new trophy which was presented by the Mayor to the 60th placed swimmer. This will be carried out in future years and is very exciting because nobody will know the winner of this trophy until the presentations when the computer has worked out the 60th place. The first ever winner of this trophy was Kirsty Saxton, a breaststroke swimmer, swimming the 1¾ miles in a time of 40 minutes 22 seconds. Kirsty is an ex member of the Isle Of Wight Marlins Swim Club and now travels from Scotland each year to take part in the race.
We also celebrated our 60th swim by producing quality hats with a brand new design, designed by Fiona Seymour. We wanted to give something to the swimmers, many of whom have been supporting us over a number of years and decided on a hat that they would hopefully take away and use for years to come. We also had four celebration cakes with purpose made cake toppings depicting the area, beach and sea where the swim takes place. The cakes were obviously a good choice and must have filled a hole since very little was left over making a great way to end a great day.
Safety support for the swim was provided by Sandown Lifeboat who acted as the control boat, Ryde Inshore Rescue, the Shanklin Deep Sea Fishing Club with 8 boats and close swimmer support was provided by 24 local Kayakers led by Adrian Brown. The British Red Cross were in attendance but thankfully their services were not needed. To all of these groups we send our grateful thanks and our thanks also to our ever cheerful and friendly swimmers who make all the preparation and work worthwhile.
