Wednesday, October 05, 2011

The Place to Be Was on the Beach for Jong Bonaire’s 11th Annual Swim to Klein Bonaire

Bonaire’s 44th annual Regatta Week kicked off this past Sunday with the 11th annual Swim to Klein Bonaire, hosted by Jong Bonaire. The event was well attended by both island residents and tourists, with many on hand to cheer on the participants.

Unlike last year, when a sudden wind reversal made the swim difficult, this year the weather for the event was beautiful with clear and sunny skies, but a strong easterly wind and some waves in the channel made the return trip challenging for those opting to do the whole roundtrip. 325 swimmers participated in the event. The youngest participants were age 6, and there were several of them, and the oldest participant was 72. Plenty of volunteers and rescue boats were present for those who couldn’t finish the swim or chose not to battle the wind and waves on the return part of the swim.

This year’s men’s winner was Peter Zweers with a time of 34.40, followed by Leonard Klueters finishing at 35.27, and the third place finisher was Samson Everts with a time of 37.56.  On the women’s side, Terzha Richards finished first with a time of 37.30, followed by Ryda Luz Emmer at 37.50 and in third place was Kale Feliz with a time of 39.45. The Bonaire Insider’s own Susan Davis finished near the front of the group, coming in in about 49 minutes. The last person finished the competition in 2 hours and 3 minutes.

The wind forecast for the rest of Regatta Week is excellent with winds predicted between 12 and 20 knots each day. Various Regatta events will be held daily for the rest of the week, with the races concluding on Friday. The final party is Saturday evening in Kralendijk. (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter, images by Tim Nesselrodt and Marc Sieverding)