A total of 125 swimmers will take to Southampton water early in the morning on 18 September in this new bucket list open water swimming event. 

Swimmers will access the water from the Southampton International Boat Show pontoons and swim 1.25km in the iconic Southampton docks, past tall ships and super yachts. All proceeds from the swim event will go to Southampton charity the Rose Road Association.

Chloe Atkins, Head of Fundraising at the charity said: “Participation in outdoor swimming in the UK is reported to have increased by between 1.5 and 3 times since 2019 so we felt now was the time to launch this event. So many people describe being in open water as a liberating experience and we liken this to the freedom’s hydrotherapy gives to the children and young people we support here at Rose Road. The event will help us to raise awareness of the charity and raise vital funds for activities such as hydrotherapy, overnight respite care and school holiday clubs for disabled people. We are incredibly grateful to the British Marine for allowing us to stage this event, and to Rees Leisure our event partner.”

Mark Ring, Head of Events at British Marine said: “The Southampton International Boat Show has something for everyone, from paddle boards to super yachts and including an open water swim in the line-up of events will bring an exciting new element to the show. The community of Southampton gives us a great deal of support during the show period, we were keen to be able to give something back. As one of the great local charities that we support and one which provides a new wellbeing challenge for local people, we can do just that!”

The Southampton International Boat Show Swim will be an experience for swimmers looking to take on their first swim or for those more practiced open water swimmers to gain some new personal bests over a shorter distance. For all swimmers it will be a unique experience in a body of water normally inaccessible due to boat movements. All participants will gain entry to the boat show before it opens to the public and will be able to enjoy all it has to offer after their swim.

Chris Reese, Founder of Rees Leisure said: “We are excited to be supporting this new event in Southampton and helping the local swimming community and the Rose Road Association. We will be sharing training tips from our qualified open water swimming coach to all participants and look forward to watching 125 swimmers enjoy the water in this iconic location.”

For more information about the event visit: https://www.roseroad.org.uk/events/southampton_boat_show_swim/  or call 02380 721248.

For more information about the Southampton International Boat Show visit www.southamptonboatshow.com

Tickets for the Boat Show can be purchased online at www.southamptonboatshow.com/visitor-information/tickets/

Upgrade your visit with the new and exclusive Quayside Club VIP packages at https://www.southamptonboatshow.com/vip/

The show is open from 10am – 6pm daily except the final Sunday when the show will close at 5pm.

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