HOLIDAYMAKERS taking a stroll on Penzance promenade last Friday may have been shocked to see 538 swimmers pounding from Newlyn towards Jubilee Pool.
The record number of entrants were all taking part in the Yacht Inn Swim, an annual event held to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.Starting in Newlyn, entrants swim 1,300 metres to the Yacht Inn on the other side of the promenade.
This year's race, which is expected to raise almost £2,000, was very much a family affair, with both male and female winners – Grant and Lauren Quigley – coming from the same Manchester family.
And three generations of the same family – Mike and Christine Thomas, Sasha, Mawgan, Toby and Cullam Osborne, Imogen Terry and Harris, Wesley, Mawgan, Tamsin and Ben Eddy– competed in both the main and under 12s race.
The final swimmer home, under the floodlight guidance of the RNLI, was 63-year-old Margie Ambrose. She completed the trial in 71 minutes, raising £250 in sponsorship.
Organiser Nick Brooks said: "It was a record-breaking event. We had 538 competitors which beats last year's record of 453, which was absolutely amazing.
"It's become an extremely popular event with people coming down from throughout the county and further afield. It's become one of the biggest swimming events in Cornwall. I thought it went superbly well this year.
"Fortunately, the weather played its part. Conditions were good at the start but a little more challenging by the finish.
"I would like to thank the RNLI, Penzance Canoe Club and all the volunteers that assisted us."
Presentation of awards by Shirley Stevenson took place in The Yacht Inn after the event.
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