Rottnest Channel Swim

Last updated

The start of one wave of the Rottnest Channel Swim, 2004 Rottnest-Channel-Swim-start-2004.jpg
The start of one wave of the Rottnest Channel Swim, 2004

The Rottnest Channel Swim is an annual open water swimming event from Cottesloe Beach through Gage Roads to Rottnest Island, off the coast of Western Australia, near Perth.

Contents

Format

The distance is 19.7 km (12.2 mi) and it is one of the largest open water swimming events in the world, with 2,400 swimmers participating in the 2015 event. [1]

It is held in February each year and is open to solo swimmers and teams of two or four. A second event, "Champions of the Channel" for elite solo swimmers, was introduced in 2016. The "Lavan Legal Charity Challenge" is an exclusive challenge for 30 teams of four for those who wish to fundraise money for a charity of their choice while competing for the Lavan Legal Charity Challenge Cup. [2]

History

When Rottnest Island was used as a prison it was rumoured that some of the prisoners swam back to the mainland, although there is no proof that any did. However, some may have crossed by resting on Carnac and Garden Islands. The first documented crossing by a swimmer was Gerd Von Dincklage-Schulenburg, [3] 24 January 1956, in 9 hours and 45 minutes. As of October 2016, von Dinklage was aged 87 and living in the German town of Dörentrup. [4]

First races - early years

Von Dincklages' swim led the Weekend Mail newspaper to hold the first organised race to the island later that year, in March 1956, which was completed by four participants. [5] In the years to come, the first woman to swim to the island was 23-year-old Lesley Cherriman on 13 April 1969. [6] [7] She swam from Natural Jetty to North Mole and became the first female to complete a crossing, a feat she repeated on 18 February 1970 and again on 4 April 1971 from the mainland to Rottnest.

In 1990, The Rottnest Channel Swim Association (RCSA) was formed with John Whitehead as its first president. [6] Despite the modest success of the 1956 event, another organised race to the island would not be held until 23 February 1991, with sixteen solo swimmers and seven teams competing, a total of 44 swimmers. The solo event was won in 4:30:03 by Peter Galvin. [6] The success of the swim led to it becoming an annual event. [5] In 1994, Kutraleeswaran from Tamil Nadu, India became the youngest swimmer to ever compete in the race, who completed the swim at the age of 13. [8]

By 1996, the race had 52 solos, 34 duos, and 135 teams for a total of 660 swimmers. David O'Brien was winner, with Brian Parker second, and Shelley Taylor-Smith third. The RCSA president was John Guilfoyle. [6] In 1998 the Rottnest Channel Swim had 1,150 participants, and officially became the world's biggest open water swimming event. [6]

2000 to 2019

In 2001, the history books were re-written when 2,022 people swam the Channel. The Channel Swim had grown so large, an event management consultant was hired to assist volunteers in running the event. Royal Life Saving WA began assisting the RCSA. It was this year that Travis and Jarrad Nederpelt set the duo race record with a time of 3:55:54. [6]

In 2004 swimmers began to be put into categories, with only 100 allowed to start at a time. The team record was also lowered to 3:43:02. [6] Due to the popularity of the race, and the number of support boats for the now 2,300 entrants, a ballot has been held since 2006 to limit the number of participants in the water at the same time. [6] [1] [9] [10] [11]

In 2007, the race was cancelled due to poor weather conditions caused by cyclonic activity in the north west of Western Australia. It was the first time the event had been cancelled in its history. [6]

In 2013, swimsuit regulations were introduced which comply with FINA's open water swimming rules. The RCSA was successful in increasing the number of boats in the water on event day which resulted in more swimmers participating. All finishing swimmers completed the swim well before the final cut-off time and earlier than the 2012 event.

In 2014, the first Welcome to Country was conducted by Ingrid Comming at the pre-race briefing held at Challenge Stadium (now HBF Stadium) and Professor Len Collard performed a second ceremony at Cottesloe Beach on race day.

In 2015, the swim celebrated its 25th anniversary, with one of the highlights being the release of a commemorative book. With the event outgrowing the finish line at the Hotel Jetty, the finish was relocated to the grassed area near the Fuel Jetty, which required a 20m ramp to be built over the dunes.

In 2016, the inaugural Champions of the Channel event was held, with Ben Freeman as the first male solo in 4:18:28 and Jaime Bowler as first female solo in 4:42:16. The Premier of Western Australia, the Hon. Colin Barnett, celebrated his 20th year as the official starter of the race. Tandem solos (two solos sharing one boat) were introduced.

2018 was an eventful year, with records broken, a boat sinking, a propeller strike, a 3:30pm finish and the event's first-ever shark sighting evacuation. Favourable conditions led to records tumbling with Solomon Wright setting a new solo race record of 3:59:28. [12] The prior record was set in 2000 by Mark Saliba at 4:00:15. [6] The female solo race record of 4:21:55 was set by Heidi Gan [12] and the male team record was broken by Reilly Kennedy, Callum Lauriston, Nicholas Rollo and William Rollo in 3:36:36. [13]

2020 to present

Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 30th channel swim was still held on 22 February 2020. The line honours winner was Dutchman Lars Bottelier, finishing in 4 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds. William Rollo finished in second place in 4:22:16 and Kyle Lee finished third in 4:25:30. The first female solo swimmer across the line was Zoe Whitfield, of NSW in a time of 4:48:09, just ahead of Josie Page in second place at 4:48:42. In 2018 and 2019 Page finished in third place. [12]

On 20 February 2021, more than 2,500 swimmers – aged between 14 and 76 – dived into the surf at Cottesloe Beach for 31st channel swim. Andrew Donaldson was the first to finish, less than a year after his return to Perth in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Donaldson crossed the line in a time of 4:04:30, more than six minutes in front of second finisher William Rollo. Chloe Truscott was the fastest woman to complete the 19.7 km swim in a time of 4:33:20. She was seven minutes in front of her nearest female competitor, Josie Page. Winners of the Duo category were Kaiden Richings and Thomas Davis, two 16-year olds from Bunbury, in a time of 4:19:38. Swimclan Big Orse's took out the team category in 4:14:37. [14]

In 2022, Kyle Lee and Chloe Truscott were solo winners in times of 4:05:19 and 4:42:43 respectively. [15] In 2023, records tumbled with Bailey Armstrong taking first place in a record 3:48:14, and Chloe Truscott finishing with a record 4:14:13. [16] Four high profile swimmers, who have competed in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, Mack Horton, Cody Simpson, Josh Edwards-Smith and Bowen Gough, also broke the team record in a time of 3:33:49. [17]

The 2024 event was abandoned four hours into the race due to dangerous weather conditions that saw several participants rescued and four sent to hospital. Just five swimmers reached the finish line before the swim was cancelled. It was only the second time the event had been cancelled after the 2007 swim had been cancelled for similar reasons. [18] [19]

Solo Winners

Rottnest Channel Swim Solo Winners
YearMaleTimeFemaleTimeRemarks
1956Trevor Seaborn07:36:26--
1987Ken Patrick05:20:00--
1988----
1989Col Levison04:57:00--
1990Gary McKeon05:47:00--
1991Peter Galvin04:30:03Nancy Warnock05:20:04
1992Dieter Gebauer04:49:49Tamara Bruce04:13:58
1993David O'Brien04:02:08Tamara Bruce04:10:03
1994David O'Brien04:30:06Tamara Bruce04:59:23
1995David O'Brien04:22:24Tamara Bruce04:50:10
1996David O'Brien04:19:36Shelley Taylor-Smith04:33:21
1997Grant Robinson04:08:20Shelley Taylor-Smith04:34:58
1998Grant Robinson04:24:33Tracey Knowles04:37:45
1999Mark Saliba04:33:30Kelly Driffield04:47:17
2000Mark Saliba04:00:15Bronwen Whitehead04:25:53
2001Tim Hewitt04:59:58Penny Palfrey04:36:31
2002Mark Saliba04:08:34Melissa Benson04:39:21
2003Michael Ormsby05:57:35Melissa Benson05:46:28
2004Mark Saliba04:02:44Penny Palfrey05:12:42
2005Jarrad Nederpelt04:10:14Jaime Bowler04:30:31
2006Deke Zimmerman05:01:43Melissa Benson05:16:34
2007John Edwards05:28:18Penny Palfrey04:41:13
2008David Cox04:46:34Melissa Benson04:41:27
2009David Cox04:40:44Jaime Bowler04:56:18
2010Deane Pieters04:41:35Louise Stevenson05:07:21
2011Tim Hewitt04:50:49Louise Stevenson04:56:42
2012Jarrad Lawford04:29:22Jessica Walker04:44:06
2013Jeremy Brooke-Smith04:34:37Jessica Walker04:47:54
2014Paul Laver04:14:04Elizabeth Bellis04:52:32
2015Kane Radford04:25:59Grace van der Byl05:03:17
2016Benjamin Freeman04:18:27Jaime Bowler04:42:15
2017 Jarrod Poort 04:12:22Rebekah Weller04:52:03
2018Solomon Wright03:59:28Heidi Gan04:21:55First sub-4 hour solo swim
2019Sam Sheppard04:11:22Jaime Bowler04:44:41
2020Lars Bottelier04:18:26Zoe Whitfield04:48:42
2021 Andrew Donaldson 04:04:30Chloe Truscott04:33:20
2022 Kyle Lee 04:05:19Chloe Truscott04:42:43
2023Bailey Armstrong03:48:14Chloe Truscott04:14:31New Male and Female Records
2024Abandoned due to weather

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rottnest Island</span> Island off the coast of Western Australia

Rottnest Island, often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a 19-square-kilometre (7.3 sq mi) island off the coast of Western Australia, located 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class reserve, the highest level of protection afforded to public land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gage Roads</span> Channel offshore of Fremantle, Western Australia

Gage Roads is an outer harbour area of Fremantle Harbour situated in the Indian Ocean offshore from Fremantle, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottesloe, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Cottesloe is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, within the Town of Cottesloe. Cottesloe was named for Thomas Fremantle, 1st Baron Cottesloe, a prominent Tory politician and the brother of Admiral Sir Charles Fremantle for whom the city of Fremantle was named. The nearby suburb of Swanbourne was named for the Fremantle family seat, Swanbourne House, in Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Water</span> Body of water of Swan River, Western Australia

Perth Water is a section of the Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is between the Causeway to the east, and Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, and the northern edge of the suburb South Perth. It is considered a landmark of the City of Perth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open water swimming</span> Swimming sport

Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. Competitive open water swimming is governed by the International Swimming Federation (FINA), except when it is part of multi-sport events, which are governed by the World Triathlon.

Sport is an important part of the culture of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottesloe Beach</span> Beach in Perth, Western Australia

Cottesloe Beach is a popular beach in Cottesloe and one of the most iconic locations of Western Australia. The enduring popularity of the beach is the result of combination of factors including proximity to metropolitan Perth, accessibility by train, shelter from strong summer breezes and presence of offshore reefs making it a relatively safe swimming location. It has been recognised by the Heritage Council as a place of cultural significance since 2005. Since the beginning of the twentieth century a succession of bathing structures and hotels have been constructed in prominent locations overlooking the beach. The current beach-front structure was constructed in 1996 and is known as the Indiana Teahouse. Designed in a neotraditional architectural style it has become an internationally recognised landmark of Perth. The beach hosts the popular Rottnest Channel Swim, and Sculpture by the Sea. It attracts around 600,000 visitors per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrack Street Jetty</span>

Barrack Street Jetty is located on the edge of Perth Water on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. It is no longer used on the Transperth ferry service between the Perth central business district and South Perth, having been replaced on that service with Elizabeth Quay Jetty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priya Cooper</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer (born 1974)

Priya Naree Cooper, is an Australian world champion disabled swimmer, winning nine Paralympic gold medals as well as world records and world championships. She competed in the Australian swimming team at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Paralympics with an S8 classification. She was twice the co-captain of the Australian Paralympic team, including at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, and carried the Australian flag at the closing ceremonies for the 1992 and 1996 Summer Paralympics. Cooper has cerebral palsy and spends much of her time in a wheelchair. She attended university, working on a course in health management. After she ended her competitive Paralympic career, she became a commentator, and covered the swimming events at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Marathon swimming is a class of open water swimming defined by long distances, at least 10 kilometers (6.21 mi). Unlike marathon foot-races which have a specifically defined distance, marathon swims vary in distance. However, one commonly used minimum definition is 10 kilometers, the distance of the marathon swimming event at the Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming (sport)</span> Water-based sport

Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or medley relay. A medley relay consists of four swimmers who will each swim a different stroke, ordered as backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

Karen Burton is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in long-distance freestyle and open water events. While competing in the 25-kilometer open-water event, she represented the United States at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Western Australia, and took a bronze medal in the 1991 World Aquatics Championships. In Open Water championships sponsored by USA Swimming, she placed first in six national open water swimming champion competitions, which included three 15 km (9.3-mile) races and one 25 km (15.5-mile) race.

Travis Nederpelt is an Australian former competition swimmer from Perth and butterfly specialist who represented his country at the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens and in 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. His best Olympic performance was 8th in the final of the men's 400m individual medley at Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cody Simpson</span> Australian singer and swimmer (born 1997)

Cody Robert Simpson is an Australian singer, actor, and swimmer. Since his debut as a recording artist, he has released four solo studio albums: Paradise (2012), Surfers Paradise (2013), Free (2015), and Cody Simpson (2022). He portrayed the lead role of Dmitry in the Broadway musical Anastasia from November 2018 through April 2019. The same year, he won the first season of The Masked Singer Australia as "Robot".

Jarrod Poort is an Australian former competitive swimmer and two-time Olympian. Poort specialising in distance freestyle and open-water swimming competing at the international level from 2012 - 2017 on the Australian swim team.

Linda Carol McGill, also known by her married name Linda Kruk, is an Australian former competition swimmer noted both for achievements at the Commonwealth Games and in long-distance swimming. At age 30, McGill set a record for the fastest and only swim around Hong Kong Island which stood for over 40 years, and still holds the record for the fastest swim in a counterclockwise direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Harrison-Murray</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Guy Harrison-Murray is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Lani Pallister is an Australian competitive swimmer. She is a world record holder in two sports, with a world record in swimming, the short course 4×200-metre freestyle relay, and world records in life saving for the youth age group in the 100-metre rescue medley and 200-metre super lifesaver. She holds the Oceanian, Commonwealth, and Australian records in the short course 1500-metre freestyle and the Australian record in the short course 800-metre freestyle. She is the first female World Short Course champion in the 1500-metre freestyle, winning the inaugural event for women at the 2022 edition. Over the course of the 2022 World Short Course Championships, she won the gold medal in each of the four events she contested.

Kyle Lee is an Australian open water swimmer. At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, he placed fifth in the 25 kilometre open water swim and eighth in the 5 kilometre open water swim. As part of the 2022 Marathon Swim World Series, he won two silver medals in the 4×1500 metre open water team relay. He is the 2022 Rottnest Channel Swim winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Donaldson (swimmer)</span> Scottish swimmer

Andrew Donaldson is a Scottish-Australian marathon swimmer. Donaldson is a three-time world record holder with records including the fastest time to complete the Oceans Seven marathon swim challenge, and the fastest swim across the Cook Strait - the waters between New Zealand's North and South Islands.

References

  1. 1 2 Wynne, Emma (12 November 2015). "2016 Port to Pub: New Rottnest swim planned to meet demand for gruelling ocean crossing event". ABC Radio Perth. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. Le Messurier, Danielle (25 February 2016). "Siblings Ben and Jenna Freeman making waves ahead of Rottnest Channel Swim's inaugural Champions of the Channel race". PerthNow. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. "GURD IS ALWAYS READY FOR CALL OF THE SEA". The Daily News . Vol. LXXIII, no. 24, 615. Western Australia. 15 October 1955. p. 3 (FIRST). Retrieved 31 March 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  4. Acott, Kent (12 October 2016). "How a boast over a beer lead to the first Freo to Rottnest swim". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  5. 1 2 "History of the Rottnest Channel Swim". Rottnest Channel Swim Association. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Law, Peter (18 February 2015). "Humble start for homegrown icon". PerthNow. Western Australian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. "Regarding Schulinburg, Voigt, and Cherriman". Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  8. "Why Kutraleeswaran stopped swimming". rediff.com. 6 October 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  9. Meaney, Lesley; Access Press (1994), Why swim to Rottnest when you can catch the ferry? : eighty years of open water swimming in Western Australia, Access Press, ISBN   978-0-949795-86-1
  10. Weetman, Deborah (2015), Champions & everyday heroes : the 25th anniversary of the Rottnest Channel Swim, Rottnest Channel Swim Association (published 2014), ISBN   978-0-646-92772-5
  11. Rottnest Channel Swim Association (1900), Rottnest Channel Swim year book, West Australian Newspaper Limited, retrieved 18 February 2021
  12. 1 2 3 Wilkinson, Carmelle (22 February 2020). "Dutchman Lars Bottelier takes line honours in 2020 Rottnest Channel Swim". PerthNow. West Australian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  13. "Brief History". Rottnest Channel Swim Association. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  14. "'Retired' Rotto winner on how he clinched big finish". The West Australian. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  15. admin (27 February 2022). "They made it! - Rottnest Channel Swim 2022". Fremantle Shipping News. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  16. "Records SMASHED as thousands take on Rotto swim challenge". PerthNow. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  17. "'Balls out swimming': Cody Simpson, superteam break world record". Fox Sports. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  18. "Rottnest Swim cancelled after poor weather makes conditions unmanageable". The West Australian. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  19. "Dangerous conditions force cancellation of Rottnest Channel Swim part way through event". ABC News. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

Further reading