Most of the participants who have had experience in the annual cross-channel swim between Nevis and St. Kitts gave testimony that the 2023 edition was probably the most gruelling one yet.
This is because the water was extremely choppy on race day-Sunday 26th March.
There was also strong current and several swimmers got pulled off course, even if for a short period of time.
The annual swim commenced at Oualie Beach sometime after 8 am, with the main swimmers and the assisted swimmers having a brief difference in their starting times.
Chief coordinator of the grand event, Winston Crooke, gave his usual tips and guidelines, prior to the start of the race.
Among those participating, were teams from Saba and Anguilla, for the first time, the youthful BRING IT to swim team out of Nevis, coached by James Weekes and a Special Olympics contingent out of Florida.
Some 173 individuals officially registered before race day, but there were some late registrations on the day, which brought the total number of participants to almost 200.
One Doctor on duty reported that as far as she is aware, only one swimmer had to be pulled from the water, after experiencing serious difficulty.
Jennifer Harding Marlin demonstrated her superior skills by getting to the finish line, well ahead of everyone else, despite the difficult conditions.
A gentleman known as SKIP completed the swim on his 77th birthday and nine-year-old, Grayson Borrel also completed the entire course.
The top placements were as follows:
Under 19 Females
1st Ella Knox
2nd Skyla Connor
3rd Patricia & Olivia Drulard
Under 19 Males
1st Justin Williams
2nd Jonah Kay
3rd Troy Nisbett
20 to 34 Females
1st Jennifer Harding-Marlin-overall winner
2nd Vivian Terng
3rd Taylor Croissant
20 to 34 Males
1st Justin Loudermilk
2nd Ninian Cameron Blake
3rd Reece Hunter
35 to 49 Females
1st Suzanne Savage
2nd Sarah Knox
3rd Lisa Hughes
35 to 49 Males
1st Jason Brand
2nd Keith Lindstrong
3rd Tory Lane
Females 50 to 59
1st Jane Hanson
2nd Anne Wiper
3rd Becki Woodman
Males 50 to 59
1st Greg
2nd Adam
3rd Tim Olifon
60 to 69 Females
1st Julie Lyons
2nd Jennifer Steffes
3rd Rebecca Friedberg
60 to 69 Males
1st William
2nd Michael
70 plus Females
1st Liz Campbell
2nd Connie Carson
70 plus Males
1st Douglas Smith
2nd Derrick Steele
3rd Skip