clevedon long swim

just swim

COURSE & SCHEDULE

The swim starts from Ladye Bay after high tide. Swimmers are carried down on the ebb tide, under Clevedon’s grade 1 listed pier, to finish at Clevedon beach, a distance of about 1 mile.

Swimmers may swim with or without a wetsuit, though novices are advised to wear one.

There are two waves, fast set off first followed by leisure swimmers. Entry is £20.

  • FAST (max:50) not available to novices. Only SKINS swimmers are eligible to win one of the 1928 silver trophies. 
  • LEISURE (max: 100) open to all.

This historic swim has been held in Clevedon since 1928 when two silver trophies were donated to present to the winners: women silver Rose Bowl and men Oakhill Brewery Cup. 

Click the button to read more about when swimming started at Clevedon and how this race began.

REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION

  • Registrations is at the Sailing Club (BS21 7QU), see below for 
  • You will be given an ID-tag to wear throughout the race.
  • Wear the ID-tag facing upwards to help faster scanning (OUTSIDE your wetsuit if wearing one).

KIT, BAG-DROP, SHOWERS

  • Please bring your own swim hat if you choose to wear one. 
  • You can leave kit safely at the Sailing Club.
  • There are hot showers downstairs.

REFRESHMENTS

  • Tea, coffee and bacon and veggie rolls will be available in the Sailing Club 

BRIEFING

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LADYE BAY 

  • After registering and receiving your ID-tag, make your own way to Ladye Bay where there will be a briefing before the race starts.
  • At Ladye Bay, please register with the marshal so we know you have arrived safely. If you decide not to swim, inform the marshal and hand back your ID-tag to them.
  • The marshal and briefing will be in Bay Road, next to the footpath leading down to the beach (What3Words location finder:///noses.beam.fired).
  • Allow approx. 25mins to walk to Ladye Bay in time for the briefing.
  • Wear spare clothes to keep warm, which we will bring back for you. Do not take big bags as there is limited room to bring back kit. 
  • After the briefing, we will load your spare clothes into a car to bring back to the finish beach, then carefully follow the footpath down to the beach, take care on the steps which are slippery and uneven.

RACE START

  • There will be two waves of swimmers, FAST will start first, then LEISURE swimmers after a short delay.
  • For the start, swimmers form a line in the water in front of the starter marshal. The starter marshal will start each wave when the line is sufficiently straight.
  • Swim towards the pier. At the pier, swim between 1st and 2nd pier legs then head directly to shore and finish.
  • At the finish, a marshal will scan your ID-tag for your time. A second marshal will remove your ID-TAG, which we use to check everyone has exited the water safely.
  • DO NOT LEAVE THE BEACH WITH YOUR ID-TAG.
  • Spare clothes from Ladye Bay will be laid out on the footpath at the top of the beach for your retrieval.
  • Swimming tow floats are encouraged but not mandatory – we can see you and you can use them for a short rest and carry your own clothes back if you want.

SAFETY

LADYE BAY

  • Wear suitable footwear and clothing to get to Ladye Bay, it is a rough public footpath with stinging nettles and brambles in sections, and you may get chilly waiting for the briefing and race to start.
  • Careful of cars and lorries in Bay Road while you wait for the briefing.
  • The steps down to Ladye Bay beach are uneven and slippery.

SWIMMING

  • DO NOT attempt to swim around the pier end.
  • Avoid bumping and swimming over others.
  • Sight often and watch for floating objects such as logs or seaweed
  • Safety kayaks will keep you away from rocks and straying out too far. Follow any instructions they give you.
  • For help or to withdraw, lie on your back, raise one arm with a clenched fist, wait for a kayak. Follow all instructions.
  • DO NOT approach the motorised safety boat, it has unprotected propellers, wait for a kayak to take you to it.
  • DO NOT try to climb out on to the rocks, they are very slippery.
  • Enter and exit the water carefully, there are rocks underfoot, plus you may be unsteady on your feet after your swim. There are marshals at the water line to help you

ENTER

NOTES

  • Minimum age is 12 by event date. Under 18s must provide a U18 CONSENT FORM
  • Disabilities welcome, please contact us to discuss how we can safely include you
  • We use ID-tags for safety, to check everyone has finished. They also record race times, but occasionally can fail, so we suggest you bring your own watch if your time is important to you.

EVENT CANCELLATION

  • If we consider the weather a threat to safety, such as strong winds or lightning, we will cancel the event.
  • Clevedon sea water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency. If they consider the water “poor”,  this would cause us to cancel. 
  • We will endeavour to inform everyone of cancellation well in advance, however, sometimes a final decision can only be made on the day, in which case we will tell you at registration.
  • If we need to cancel on the day, due to costs incurred, we will not offer a refund.

WHO’S GOING

  • Click the button below to see a list of the people who have entered.

increase to £25

Novices only allowed in the Leisure wave

BOOKINGS OPENING SOON

Clevedon Open Water

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