It is supposed to take a whole month… but one Island couple has completed the 30 Bays swimming challenge in a single day.
Debbie and Richard Prosser had planned to travel between bays in a RIB and finish in the Ecréhous, but bad weather at the weekend meant they had to drive around instead.
Having already finished the regular 30 Bays in 30 Days challenge earlier this month, they started their single-day version at St Ouen’s Bay at 6.15am on Saturday and raced against the tide as it went out – eventually finishing at Ouaisné around 1.45pm.
‘It was exhausting,’ Mr Prosser said. ‘The hardest time was at Le Hocq. The tide was quite a long way out so we had to wade until we could start swimming.’
He added: ‘The nicest one was Grève de Lecq at 8am. We got there, it was so easy to get in, it was easy to swim, it was easy to get out.’
Mrs Prosser’s sister supplied them with hot water bottles and dry towels along the way, which he said were ‘a lifesaver’. Friends and family cheered them on along the way, too.
Mr Prosser said that although they felt tired the next day, ‘it was a great sense of achievement’.
Mrs Prosser has raised £1,000 for the National Trust for Jersey and Jersey Hospice Care, the two designated charities for the 30 Bays in 30 Days challenge, while Mr Prosser has raised £840 so far. This puts them at the top of the leaderboard for the fundraiser.
The couple plan to try to repeat the challenge next year, but this time travelling on a RIB. In the meantime, they are looking forward to more swimming – but this time for pleasure, under no time pressure, Mr Prosser said.
