I ventured down to Southend Seafront with the family late this morning to watch the start of the Great Pier Swim 2011. The event is essentially a 3,ooom open water swim from the Jubilee Beach near the Pier to Thorpe Bay near the Yacht Club. This is an annual event which includes a race for ASA swimmers and a fun swim for others. The event was also a fundraiser for Havens Hospices. More specifics on the event from Havens website here.
We watched the build-up to the start, the ASA swimmers start and the first few groups of the fun swimmers. I guess there were maybe 200-300 swimmers taking part. The weather was excellent and the sea was calm – ideal conditions methinks. The kids were getting itchy feet by now so we didn’t go to the finish – we just headed home.
A selection of photos are included below – all open to bigger versions in new window on click. An album of all my better photos of the event can be found on my Picasaweb website here. If anyone wants higher resolution and un-copyrighted versions then email me on noynek99@gmail.com
andrew kenyon photography 