Solent Swim 2024
will take place on
Saturday 14 September with a back up date of Sunday 15 September
Thank you to everyone who has applied to support us
Entries are now closed
Successful swimmers and those on the waiting list have been notified
Information for Swimmers
Sponsorship
Participants are required to raise a minimum of £300 (excluding Gift Aid) for West Wight Sports & Community Centre. By entering this event you are committing to paying West Wight Sports & Community Centre a minimum of £300. It is your choice as to whether you raise this through sponsorship or by your own donation.
We encourage you to create and share an online fundraising page which WWSCC will promote through their social media channels. Any online fundraising pages for the event MUST be created through the Total Giving platform linked to our Solent Swim 2024 appeal. You must supply details of your online fundraising page so that we can ensure funds are transferred directly to us.
If swimmers wish, they can request that their swim raises funds for an additional registered charity of their choice. It is your responsibility to inform us of this in advance and to ensure we are supplied with bank details of your chosen additional charity so that we can transfer funds.
All funds raised must go to West Wight Sports & Community Centre Trust (reg. charity 273334), but on completion of all the 2024 Solent Swim fundraising, West Wight Sports & Community Centre will, at its discretion, make a donation to the charity of the participants’ choice. A maximum of 50% of anything raised over and above £300 may be donated by West Wight Sports & Community Centre to the other chosen charity. Gift aid will be retained by WWSCC.
Paper sponsorship forms are available from the event website to download or hard copies can be found at West Wight Sports Centre’s Reception.
Cancellation or Postponement
West Wight Sports & Community Centre Trust and its representatives take responsibility for the event. It reserves the right to cancel, or postpone at any time if deemed necessary. If the event is postponed the reserve date is Sunday 15th September. Participants should keep this date free and note that on several occasions we have had to use the back-up date due to bad weather conditions. Wherever possible we will attempt to rearrange a third date if However, this is highly unlikely given the requirement for suitable tidal conditions and time of day and considering the time of year. In the event that it isn’t possible to swim on the backup date, applications will be rolled over to the following year, together with donations.
The event will not take place in adverse weather conditions. The organisers will instruct swimmers of this decision as soon as possible and practical. Communication of this will be via email and/or website
Any swimmer can be withdrawn from the swim by the organisers on the grounds of health and safety at any time.
Prerequisite Events
Swimmers will be given the opportunity to take part in two safety and training events in the sea at Colwell Bay before the event. These are not compulsory. However, if you do not attend, you will be required to provide evidence of your ability and sign a disclaimer to this effect. These will be on:
Sunday 25th August at 10am
Tuesday 3rd September at 18:30
Please note that the rescue and recovery sessions are in the sea – you will be required to swim a short distance and be instructed in safety and survival (and then to demonstrate your capability). You will be accompanied by kayakers. All swimmers including those who are experienced are urged to make every effort to attend these sessions.
Swimmers will be required to provide evidence of their ability to swim 100 lengths of West Wight’s 25m Swimming Pool (or equivalent) on or before Friday 23th August. This should be timed and swimmers must demonstrate their ability to complete this in under 90 minutes. If you have not completed and submitted your 100 length time beforehand, you will be required to attend the pool and complete the distance on Saturday 24th August at 15:15. Please indicate on your form whether you will be attending this session.
Safety Briefing
All swimmers must attend the pre-event safety briefing at West Wight Sports & Community Centre on Friday 13th September 2024 at 1900. This is compulsory and non-attendance will result in swimmers not being able to take part in the swim.
Training
Swimmers are responsible for their own health and fitness. Swimmers are expected to:
- complete, honestly the attached medical questionnaire.
- inform organisers of any changes to their health after their entry has been submitted
- allow organisers to consult their medical representative for advice regarding any medical issues
- ensure they train regularly and are capable of swimming the distance
- ensure they train in the sea on a regular basis before the event and have practised swimming in the outfit they intend to wear on the day. (You should note that swimming in the sea is very different to swimming in a pool and that wearing a wetsuit or rash vest is very different to swimming in a swimsuit. All these things can affect your buoyancy, body temperature and mobility when swimming)
Training for the swim is at the swimmers risk. You are advised to train with others in the sea and to have at least one person on shore watching you.
Event Details
The Solent Swim will take place on Saturday 14th September 2024 and will be an early morning start (times to be confirmed). All swimmers MUST meet in Yarmouth and will be transported to the start of the swim at Hurst Castle.
In the event of cancellation on the Saturday – the swim will be rearranged for Sunday 15th September.
Swimmers should be aware that they will be in the sea for up to or more than an hour and will be travelling across to Hurst Castle in an exposed cruiser. Hypothermia is therefore a concern and swimmers must wear suitable attire for the swim and be sure to have warm clothing to change into at Colwell. Organisers will collect and use reasonable endeavours to keep safe any possessions during the swim.
Swimmers will be provided with a coloured swimming hat which they must wear.
The Swim is a 1.3 mile crossing of the Solent starting at Hurst Point and ending at Colwell Bay, Isle of Wight.
The swim is not a race. Swimmers will be paired with a swimmer of a similar speed and will be expected to stay together with the kayaker allotted to them.
All swimmers must be aged 18 years or over on the date of the swim
Communication will be via email. Regular updates and messages will be sent before the event. Swimmers MUSTensure they are able to access these and take note of them.
Start time is crucial and dependent upon tides. Late comers at Yarmouth will not be waited for. Under no circumstances should swimmers attempt the swim unless they have been registered by the organisers.
Organisers will not provide transport between venues on the Isle of Wight for swimmers or their supporters.
Swimmers are expected to make appropriate personal arrangements on the day. Organisers will not take responsibility or otherwise supervise pets, children or other charges on the day.
CONGRATULATIONS TO 43 FABULOUS SWIMMERS WHO COMPLETED THE SOLENT SWIM ON SUNDAY 27TH AUGUST 2023!
A huge well done and thank you to each and every one of you for your tremendous achievement! You have joined an elite group of swimmers who have successfully completed the Solent Swim!
Thank you to the 32 kayakers, boat crews, Freshwater Lifeboat, Captains Cabin, Yarmouth Harbour, Needles Pleasure Cruises, Blackhouse Quay Aggregates and all the beach crews – we couldn’t do it without you.
Links to the photographs taken today will be posted here as soon as they are available, so please do keep checking back. If you have photographs and video footage that you are happy for us to use, please do share via solentswim@westwight.org.uk and we can post these on our social media channels.
2020 Photo Gallery
Click Here – Photos by Wight Productions
Click Here – Video by Wight Productions
Click Here – Photos by kayaker Maria Ward
Click Here – Video by kayaker Nicola Ward
Click Here – Video of swimmer Iona Stewart-Richardson of Isle of Wight Radio
2019 Photo Gallery
Click Here – Photos by Wight Productions
Highlight Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glSgKCX9Y5I
2018 Photo Gallery
Gallery One (Wight Productions) – Click Here
Gallery Two (Susan B Photography) – Click Here
Gallery Three (Adam Tucker Photography) – Click Here
Highlight Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hpP0GwZTgM
The Solent Swim is supported by…
Please note that our Solent Swim is entirely organised by and in aid of West Wight Sports & Community Centre. We have no association with any third party event organiser.