East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club held its second annual Seahorse Challenge Open Water Swimming Race at Knowle Beach, Studland, Dorset on Sunday 26th. June. This annual event held under British Long Distance Swimming Association rules and over a 3.8kms course is called the Seahorse Challenge race after the breeding colony which exists in the area. The club is very keen to encourage the study and preservation of this magnificent creature and to support the activities of the Seahorse Trust.
This year’s race provided challenging weather conditions for both swimmers and organisers as the beach and sea was shrouded in fog with visibility no more than 200 metres at times. However with a revised course, a very successful swim took place with 120 swimmers from all over the country taking part.
The winners of each race category (men’s wetsuit and non-wetsuit, ladies wetsuit and non-wetsuit) received a magnificent watercolour of a seahorse painted by renowned local artist Heather Brown.
The club is grateful to the RLSS Poole and RLSS Bransksome Lifeguards, the National Trust, St John’s Ambulance and to all its volunteers for their support as without their commitment the event could not have taken place.
Bob Holman
Chairman: East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club
The Seahorse Trust is hugely grateful to Bob and the club for raising £150 towards our work at Studland; with their and others kind donations we can go on working towards the protection of the site and the most important colony of Spiny Seahorses here in the UK if not the whole of Eurpoe.
