This event has been held every year, and still is, but, sadly, the carnival atmosphere which involved the whole village is no longer. Starcross used to send off the swimmers in woolly bathing suits from Starcross pier. A flotilla of boats from Starcross used to accompany the swimmers. The Exmouth Swimming and Life Saving Society tried hard to find a way to keep the swim start on Starcross pier, but today's scary Health and Safety regulations means that the swim now has to start from a boat moored near the pier.
BUT
After years of sorting out the necessary permissions, The Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club has just built a new pontoon.
The Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club is amenable to trying to get the race started from their pontoon, if it's possible. But the same Health and Safety regulations will apply, except perhaps, it may be more feasible because the pontoon is owned and used by club members, rather than the general public.
So, with a little help from the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club, Starcross History, and a few other village organisations and businesses, perhaps the carnival atmosphere of this historic event can one day be revived?
Well done the Exmouth Swimming and Life Saving Society for keeping the tradition going.
What is the distance, I was 14 when I completed many years ago, my grandson is a distance swimmer in Australia an competes for Queensland at the age of 15.
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