Author: Peter
Swim the Bridge, April 6
Some great Nelson results with a swag of medals – most notably Sierra Thomas winning the women’s race – beating Commonwealth gold medallist Lauren Boyle in the process.
Photos – here’s some photos
Nelson swimmers featured prominently in the overall series results – click here
NB: In those series results it shows Ben Van Dyke as second in M65-69 – he was actually first equal with the maximum 300 points.
Port Nelson Sea Swims, March 14
Lovely calm swim, but a nasty little tide to swim against on the final leg of the long swim. The short swim had to push against it at first, but had a cruisey trip home.
Points were closed off as at February 28 for the awarding of overall and age group positions, so we didn’t have to fret about positions tonight (Christina Harris and Roger Matheson celebrated by shifting to the short swim and burgling first and second. Points table – click here
Results in finish order, click here
Results in age group order, click here
Photos, click here.
Have a lovely winter, train hard and we’ll do it all again from November 7 or 14 (to be confirmed). Watch this space.
Port Nelson Sea Swims, March 7
TONIGHT’S SWIM IS CANCELLED.
It’s very rough out there tonight with no predicted improvement. It would be tough for IRBs and almost impossible for kayakers and without our support services we’re not able to continue.
The plan at the moment is to have the final swim next week, immediately prior to the barbecue and prizegiving, but watch this website for news early next week
Who would have thought – the last swim of the season. It seems like summer is going to go on together, but winter is on the way.
Low tide is at 5.22pm, so incoming flow. The low tide is 0.7m, so there’ll be a bit of water about. Both swims will go south along the shoreline against the current, then out into the harbour for the return. Weather permitting, the long swim will be close to 2km – south to black boat, across to the jetty on the island and back to the ramp.
Check back here after the swim for results, photos, points, story.
Next week we’ll have a relay, barbecue and prizegiving.
Interislander Big Tahuna, 2019
What an amazing day. When the first three men and women in the 3km race stood on the podium, five of them were from Nelson. In the men, Luke Kelly, Fergus Drummond and Alec Swan took the first three places overall, while Abbey Smale was the first woman home, taking eighth overall, one place ahead of Sierra Thomas, second woman overall.
Not only that, the weather was amazing and we grabbed a swag of medals all the way through the various distances.
At a preliminary count, we achieved 28 age group medals in the 3km race – eight gold, 15 silver and 5 bronze:
Gold: Derek Eaton (M75-79), Hamish Neill (M55-59), Terry Bone (M45-49), Matt Hansen (M40-44), Rebecca Hollingsworth (F30-34), Luke Kelly (M20-25), Abbey Smale (F15-19), Fergus Drummond (M15-19).
Silver: Ralph Hetzel (M75-79), Stuart Hebberd (M70-74), Ben Van Dyke (M65-69), Malcolm Anderson (M60-64), Janis Crampton (F60-64), Christina Harris (F55-59), Andrew Martin (M55-59), Kerry Mathieson (F50-54), Wendy Healey (F45-49), Matt Newberry (M40-44), Ruth Thomas (F35-39), Ben Marshall (M30-34), Hayden Squance (M20-24), Sierra Thomas (F15-19), Alec Swan (M15-19).
Bronze: Steve Clements (M60-64), Jude Vincent (F55-59), Flossie Van Dyke (F25-29), Caitlin Abbott (F20-24), Oxford Bayley (M15-19).
Added to that, we gained three gold medals in the non-wetsuit division: Kerry Mathieson F50-54, Rebecca Hollingsworth F30-34, Lisa Gant F45-49
In the 1km swim we gained eight gold medals: Isabella Thurlow F14-19, Brooke Swan F10-13, Kate Kempthorne F20-19, Stuart Hebberd M70-99, Ned Smith M60-69, Charlotte Thynne F30-39, Natalie Gallagher F40-49, Sale Matthews F50-59.
In the 500m swim, we gained at least two gold medals, but our poor old statistician didn’t recognise some of the younger names (if you can help, please email info@nelsontriclub.co.nz): Stuart Edens M50-59, Eileen Beattie F60-69.
There were plenty of good local results in the 100m, 200m and 300m too – again, it was too hard to pick out the local swimmers
Results – click here
Port Nelson swims, February 28, 2019
Turned out to be a rough one. Out of kindness to those swimming on Saturday, the course was shortened to 1100m, with a short version of about 450m.
Results in finish order, click here
Results in age group order, click here.
Photos by Sandra McGregor click here.
Points to date, click here
Port Nelson Swims, Thursday February 21
Interesting venue – rotten getting in and out due to the very low tide, but a nice swim.
Here’s the results in age group order, click here
Here’s the results in finish order, click here
Here’s a lot of photos by Sandra McGregor – click here
Story now on The Nelson App on your mobile device (news tab) – also on Sportzhub (click here)
Points to date (sorted on the best 12 of each swimmer’s results), click here
The Interislander Big Tahuna is coming up in just over a week – on Saturday March 2. If you haven’t entered yet, please do. Use the code SWIMNELSON10 to get a discount on your entry.
It’s easy to take events like this for granted, but getting it here was the result of some serious lobbying. Christchurch want it back. We believe the event does the sport of sea swimming in our area a lot of good and we’d like to keep it. The things we can do to make it attractive include being our friendliest and most welcoming to visitors (we’re offering a free Thursday swim next week to all those who have travelled here), to ensure that entry numbers are as big as we can make them, and to provide plenty of volunteers to help with setup and running of the event.
For Friday next week (March 1), we need as many people as possible at 2pm to set up the main structures – fences, tents, etc. Even if you can only spare an hour in your lunch break, please consider coming and helping with this. We need a few more on Friday to help with preparing race packs and other tasks, but it’s the donkey work of getting all the materials carried to the beach that we need to most help with.
On race day, Saturday March 2, our resources will be stretched. We need 15 volunteers to help with a variety of tasks – registration tent, clipping off race numbers at the finish, keeping the finish line clear, helping the race director, being a gopher to and from the timing tent and so on. Although competitors can do some of this, these tasks are mostly for people not competing. That means your mother, father, brothers sisters, husbands, wives, friends and workmates. You can help by shoulder tapping someone you know.
If you can help, or know of someone who can on either day, please email info@nelsontriclub.co.nz or phone me, Peter Gibbs, on 026 2406 933
Newsletters: If you enter any of our events online, we add you to our mailing list for regular newsletters. However, if you’re an on-the-night entry, you may not be on our mailing list. If you’d like to be added, please email us (info@nelsontriclub.co.nz) – all we need is your name and email address.
Clements Endurance Series, Race Four, 3.8km Ironman Challenge
The early morning start was worth it to get a nice calm sea. A beautiful day, with 70 starters in the long swim of 3.8km and 11 starters in the 1.3km swim.
The finish was dramatic, with three swimmers sprinting for the line – the shelving beach making it tricky to stay upright. In the end it was Alec Swan by a second from Fergus Drummond with a further second back to Bendi Kepess. Luke Kelly strolled ashore for fourth. Next was another sprint between Sierra Thomas and Abbey Smale – Sierra taking it by one second.
The race records were smashed, seven men coming in under Luke Kelly’s 2014 record and the first two women smashing Lisa Birkett’s 2013 record by more than five minutes. For historic times, click here
Results in finish order, click here
Results in age group order, click here
We didn’t have a photographer on deck today, but here’s a few pics and a couple of videos
If you happened to get any photos, please email them to info@nelsontriclub.co.nz and we’ll add them to the album
Next big swim is The Interislander Big Tahuna, less than two weeks away now. This is the only South Island swim in the Banana Boat Series and Christchurch would like it back. We need to show that we treasure this chance to showcase our region and our swimmers.
You can help in two ways – by putting in an entry, and/or volunteering to help. You can score a discount on your entry by using the code SWIMNELSON10. You can volunteer to help on either Friday March 1 or Saturday March 2 (or both). We need bodies to help carry and arrange things and pack race goodies from 2pm Friday. We especially need volunteers on Saturday for a number of tasks, including registration, helping with prizegiving etc – even if you’re swimming, you may be able to help before or after your swim.. If this is the only thing you can do to help this summer, please do. Email info@nelsontriclub.co.nz if you can help
Port Nelson Swims – Thursday February 14
A bit rough early on, so shorter courses. However, things died down a bit, so it became a shorter preparation for Sunday’s long swim.
Results in age group order, click here
Results in finish order, click here
Points click here (Note that the table is now sorted on your best 12 swims – your worst results are discarded)
Photos by Simon Alexander, click here
Following the most recent Banana Boat Ocean swim at Mt Maunganui, Sierra Thomas now sits on top of the national women’s standings. Sierra (pictured with fellow medal winner club president Dick Bennison) is also the national secondary schools champion over the 2km and 500m open water swim distances – great achievements.
Ocean Swims, Race Four, Sand to Surf, Mt Maunganui
Another good day for Nelson swimmers. The long swim of 2.6km was shortened to about 2km due to the rough conditions, with a particularly difficult section through the surf from the shore out to the first buoy. Of eleven swimmers, seven won age group medals, while Sierra Thomas added the gold medal for the first woman overall and Luke Kelly added a bronze medal for third overall.
In addition, Sierra Thomas, Bendi Kepess and Sophie Alexander added secondary school medals in the long race and added to them in the 500m race.
Full Nelson results here when available.
Photos, click here
2km results (to be confirmed)
Luke Kelly, gold M20-24 (also third overall)
Bendi Kepess, bronze M15-19 (also fourth overall)
Sierra Thomas, gold F15-19
Sophie Alexander
Hamish Neill, silver M50-54
Steve Clements, gold M60-64
Janis Crampton, silver F60-64
Dick Bennison, bronze M65-69
Brian McGurk
Peter Gibbs
Renato Melo
Port Nelson swims, February 7
It was a wonderful swim tonight, with the long swim stretching out to about 1600m, taking in the area south to Richardson St, north to a buoy off the Haulashore jetty, then back to the ramp.
Age group results, click here
Results in finish order, click here
Photos, click here
Points, click here.
Story – here Friday or Saturday
Following the highly successful showing of Nelson swimmers at the Capital Classic in Wellington, many of our swimmers are featuring on the age group lists in the Banana Boat Ocean Swim Series.
Most notable is Andrew Martin, who is fifth in the overall male standing after swimming in all three races so far (Bay of Islands, Omaha and Wellington).
In the age group standings we have many in the top three (although swimmers who have swum in all three races have an advantage so far, final points are taken from the best three results of the seven race series):
Sierra Thomas 1st= F15-19
Luke Kelly and Fraser Neill, 2nd= M20-24 (One win each)
Andrew Martin 1st M55-59
Janis Crampton 1st F60-64 (A perfect record of three wins)
Maggy Johnston 2nd F60-64
Peter Gibbs 1st M70-74
Stuart Hebberd 3rd M70-74 (after just two swims)
Derek Eaton 1st M75-79
For the full series points so far, click here. The next Banana Boat event on the calendar is at Mt Maunganui this Saturday
D5 Creation