THE annual 30 Bays in 30 Days challenge may seem tough enough for some, but one Island couple is planning to blitz their dips in just one day…
Debbie and Richard Prosser have already swum in more than 30 bays this month and are now planning on completing a one-day version of the event – which raises money for Jersey Hospice Care and the National Trust for Jersey – tomorrow, though they are ‘apprehensive’ about the cold.
While plotting their adventure, they enlisted the help of skipper Patrick ‘Patch’ Newton at Jersey Seafaris, who will ferry them around the Island on a RIB.
Mr Newton’s father, James, will also be helping out, and Mr and Mrs Prosser will be able to meet family and friends along the way in order to receive dry towels.
Aiming to complete 30 strokes in each bay – 15 away from the boat and 15 back to the boat – they will be on a whirlwind tour. Luckily, they are familiar with most of the bays on the list, having completed the challenge in the past.
Seafaris offered the pair a ride around the Island for free, so Mr and Mrs Prosser will be donating the money they are saving on the RIB to the Sanctuary Trust and Durrell.
Mrs Prosser is a trustee of the Sanctuary Trust, while Mr Prosser is Durrell’s chef de gardiens – the voluntary head of the charity’s guardians, ambassadors for Durrell who share the organisation’s work with friends and acquaintances worldwide.
They said that after a trial run they expected the biggest challenge to be the sea temperature.
‘I’m apprehensive; I’m not so sure that I’m going to be able to complete it,’ Mrs Prosser said. ‘If we do it, we’ll be absolutely ecstatic.’
The route they have planned on Sunday starts in St Catherine’s Bay at 8am, goes around the Island and finishes at the Ecréhous.
‘If we do it, we might open a bottle of champagne,’ Mr Prosser added.
