Kessock - achieved

In June 2023, I had massive FOMO (or rather "active dislike of actually missing out") when I watched three of the Shandwick swimmers complete the Kessock Swim. This summer, we have been desultorily preparing for today's event. In the end, there were three of us again, although four were registered. More photos can be found in Mr A's blip, and especially the extras which I asked him to add from the photos he took. I'm running out of extras and the one I will add here will be coming from L's mother, namely a picture of the three swimmers post swim. I'm waiting for it to be sent over.

The weather was amazing. The water was surprisingly flat. But none the less the conditions were tricky. L's strava track saved to her phone which she took in a waterproof pocket showed that she swam 1600 metres, and she took over an hour, having completed the swim in 40 minutes last year. According to the organisers, some people had Garmin tracks saying they had swum 2000 metres. That's ridiculous for a 1200 metre crossing!  It was the wind and above all the current that was pulling us upstream. I was hoping to complete the swim in an hour, but actually took about one hour 19 minutes (my Fitbit) (one hour 22 on the official timings, but I dallied at the start taking a few pictures....and so ended up right at the back from the very beginning). It was psychologically quite challenging, but not that physically hard. I basically swam for the whole time on my own which was the hardest bit, at least until I'd rounded the buoys at the other side and set off for home, by which time I knew I absolutely could do it (and I also checked with one of the kayakers that he was not going to force me to abandon because of the tides). I also knew I was not the last, as I did overtake a couple of people in the middle of the swim, but equally I was not sure whether they had given up. Someone I was keeping up with, more or less, got out at North Kessock and took a lift back. At least one person was really suffering from cold. Anyway, there were definitely people still arriving in after I exited the water, to a very encouraging reception from those still on the pier (including L and A, who finished around the 64 minute mark), L's mother and P, one of other Shandwick swimmers. There was also a lady at the top of the pier leaning on a crutch, watching with her husband who was in a wheelchair. She asked me when I'd had them (knees) done....saying she had just had one done, and she was pleased to see someone so active with new knees. These days I forget I have scars when I'm larking around in a swimming costume!

Anyway, the tricky conditions didn't seem to affect the quicker swimmers. I didn't tick the box for the "timed" wave on the Sportident system, but because we all used the same "gizmos" to give the organisers a way of tracking us into the water and tracking us out again, I did get a printout of my time. I was exactly the same as the person who came 133 (and last) on the timed wave. We sort of raced each other over the last few strokes (and she won) and then we stood up and high fived! It was a little hard to tell as she was wearing a wet suit and a cap, but I think she was older than me! By way of contrast, the young man who won the whole race, by some distance, is just 14. Quite an achievement. It really is an event for everyone. When I first got out of the sea, I said I wouldn't want to do it again. Once was enough to prove I could. Now I'm not so sure.

So that was a huge expenditure of energy, all before 1pm. There was some food for the swimmers back at the changing area which was set up at the Sea Cadet headquarters this year. And a beer tent, which N took advantage of. Once we were ready to leave, I took the car over to the hotel where Mr A and I were staying, and he, A and N wandered slowly into Inverness City Centre. I caught a very convenient bus back into the city and we met up at Black Isle Bar, where we had excellent beers and pizzas, before a "one for the road" at the Phoenix (a new bar for us - also excellent). N and A caught a train back to Tain (having come down in the car with us) and we went off to the hotel (in a taxi this time), for a bit of a rest. We sensibly ordered a taxi to take us back again (or otherwise we might never have moved again), this time to Eden Court, where we enjoyed a "Phil and Ally" concert, with lots of slow airs and old jokes, as well as a few jigs. All great fun and a very elderly demographic which made us feel pretty young. After the concert, we wandered again back as far as the station where we found another taxi to take us back to the hotel to collapse into bed.

Edit: an excellent piece of video on this short report.

And as in previous years, the BBC has published a nice colourful report.

Update: a picture of the three of us now added in the extras, taken from the Aban Outdoor page.