ALTHOUGH at the time most of the island was watching to see which way Hurricane Beryl would go, the organizers of the Inaugural Saint Lucia Channel Swim were deciding on the course of action for each day of events. In the end, the events went off as planned.
On Friday, July 6, approximately 20 coaches, triathletes, Physical Education Teachers, and adult swimmers gathered with Philip Rush at the Saint Lucia Yacht Club in Reduit to learn about Open Water Swimming.
During the morning session which lasted about 2 hours, Rush discussed training an open water swimmer, the modern FINA 5K and 10K racing events, feeding and hydration for training as well as in events, plus they all took to the water to learn racing drills and techniques.
This training was put to good use later that afternoon when local swimmers came to the beach for a hands-on experience in Open Water Swimming. The children and youth learned how to swim in a pack, how to maneuver around the buoys, timing the swim distances, and basic techniques. All in all, Rush was impressed with the talent displayed by coaches and swimmers.
With Beryl still threatening all eyes were still watching to see if the next portion of the weekend could take place. Saturday, July 7th was Nathaniel Waring’s scheduled date to attempt a crossing from Smuggler’s Cove, Saint Lucia to Sainte Anne, Martinique.
The weather held up as far as clouds and sun but the winds were stronger than normal for July. As the crew set off shortly after first light at 5:19 a.m. the horn sounded from the support boat, Cap Maison I, and Waring took to the water. He averaged a pace about 2.2 knots throughout the day despite swells at some points between 1.8 and 2.0 meters. After 9 ½ hours, Waring’s left shoulder was becoming irritated. He trudged along trying to push through, but in the end at the 10 hour 3 minute mark, he was forced out of the water. With disappointment he climbed onto the boat to head back to St Lucia. It was within a few short minutes that Nathaniel Waring vowed to come back and attempt the solo swim again.
He states “Open ocean swimming is my passion and the opportunity to swim in the beautiful waters of Saint Lucia is incredible. For us it was much more than the attempt to swim from Saint Lucia to Martinique, which we know is a challenging swim based on the length, the weather, the current, the swell. It was also an opportunity to engage with the local youth on the island and share our passion for the open ocean.”
Engaging the local community to come participate in the “races”, the 1K, 3K, and 5K open water swim meet took place on Sunday July 8th at Saint Lucia Yacht Club. The event – cohosted by Sea Jays Swim Club – included 30 participants from Saint Lucia, Martinique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Guadeloupe. With the youngest participant being 9 years old and the most tenured 57 years, these races filled the beach with spectators.
The 3K and 5K events started at 8.00 a.m. with Philip Rush as meet referee sounded the whistle for them to run to the water. By 9:40 a.m. the 1K swimmers took to the sand for their briefing to swim once around the course. Waring was “excited to see the turn out for the Open Water Swim Meet with 1K, 3K, and 5K events.” He went on to mention “The focus is more about building the event and engaging the local community to become more involved year after year.”
The culmination of the day included a Charity Relay Swim with 2 teams battling it out in support of donations for The Oliver Gobat Sports Fund (TOGS). Media Personalities Christian Wayne, Darrel Peter, and Dean Walton teamed up with members from sponsors such as Matthew Hartmann from Cap Maison, Charles Devaux and Freddy Sweeny from Saint Lucia Yacht Club to swim as well as local Swim coaches Brian Charles and David Peterkin plus National Swimmers Terrel Monplaisir and Omar Alexander for the 4×50 metre relay.
Funds were raised on the beach that day as well as donations via the TOGS website – www.theolivergobatsportsfund.com – and are still being accepted.
Philip Rush, who not only holds the record for swimming the English Channel double and triple but trains open water swimmers around the world and is in charge of the Cook Strait crossings indicated “We have a solid foundation. We need to build on what we have started. This will be an event people from around the world will seek to engage in.”
Saint Lucia Channel Swim 1k, 3k, 5k results.
1Kilometre – Female – 1st – Mya Defreitas – St. Vincent., 2nd – Roxane Boulieau – Guadeloupe, 3rd – Laura-Lynn Limery – St Lucia (she is a national long distance runner). 1K – Male – 1st – Terrel Monplaisir – Saint Lucia, 2nd – Runako Daniel – Saint Lucia, 3rd – Jaysi Daniel – Saint Lucia
3 Kilometre – Female – 1st – Lyna-Ines Hachimi – Martinique, 2nd – Monique Devaux-Lovell – Saint Lucia. 3 Kilometre – Male – 1st – D’Andre Blanchard – Saint Lucia, 2nd – Shaquil Flavius – Saint Lucia, 3rd – Rodja Constentine-Saint Lucia.
5K – Female – 1st – Marie-Lorella Capollini – Guadeloupe, 2nd – Marissa Louisy – Saint Lucia
3rd – Kaela George – Saint Lucia. 5Kilometre – Male – 1st – Nicholas Radjouki – Guadeloupe, 2nd – Andy Cinna – Guadeloupe, 3rd – Cruz Halbich – Saint Vincent.