Thursday delivered one of those classic Nelson evenings — blue skies, warm sunshine and near-perfect sea conditions at 20°C. With low tide just after 6pm, the water was calm and inviting, and 115 swimmers took full advantage. The long course stretched to approximately 1200m and the short course 500m, and there were plenty of smiles at the finish line, with swimmers commenting on how much they enjoyed it. Even Brendon left the safety of the boat to swim — which says a lot about how good it was out there.
In the long course non-wetsuit race, James Boocock led the way in 15:11.1, followed by Finbar Hansen in 15:28.4, with Louis Olsen third in 16:41.5. In the women’s non-wetsuit field, Francesca Harris finished first in 17:26.8, ahead of Jude Vincent (18:34.4) and Altan Ní Mhurchú (20:45.0).
The long course wetsuit race was quick and competitive, with Max Stanton taking the win in 14:14.1. Eddie Swain was close behind in 14:20.2, and Tegen Stewart crossed in 14:27.1 as first female and third overall.
Over the 500m short course (wetsuit only this week), Keshia Linyard won in 7:43.7, with Ardan Warner second in 7:52.1 and Chloe Styles third in 8:14.3.
With only a few weeks left before the end of the season, the series is building toward a strong finish. Thank you to our volunteers for keeping everyone safe and organised, and to our series sponsor Rylock Windows & Doors for their continued support. Make the most of these last summer swims — we’re nearly there.
