Padstow to Rock Swim

Karen and I from the Finance office took part in the Padstow to Rock Swim on Sunday 12 June 2011 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The starting point was the slipway from the Sea Cadets building at the start of the Camel Trail, ending at the RNLI building at Rock, one mile across the estuary at high tide and marked by buoys. It was a miserable wet and windy day but this didn’t stop the supporters turning up from TJ, Wayne, Ros, Imogen and Jacqui, plus family and friends to cheer us on.

With rescue craft alongside, the swimmers entered the water in their compulsory wetsuits, around 300 in total, the elite group going first in their red caps, followed by us in the larger non-elite group wearing yellow caps. We had to do the swim within the hour or face the indignity of being pulled out. The winds whipping up made the water very choppy and it felt like you were swimming and getting nowhere, however this passed as the buoys became nearer. We shouted encouragement to each other and the banter with other swimmers helped too. Eventually as we neared the final buoy we could see the crowd waiting at the slipway at Rock, but the tide had turned and was going out. We could feel the pull quite strongly and now needed to keep on course. This last part was the most strenuous of all. With the end in sight, we both pushed on, finally on to our feet and walked up the slipway to cheers and a bottle of water. We both completed the swim in around 40 minutes. We ensured the organisers recorded our exit from the water and a hot drink and pasty beckoned.

It was a worthwhile effort which raised £321 between us. Overall Marie Curie Cancer Care was pledged £39,000 from the swim. Thank you to everyone for your kind support.

Elaine Denny