A rain soaked beach meant that the spectators got just as wet as the swimmers this year!
This year's t-shirt design
A mild winter meant the water was a comparatively warm 8°C (same as the air temperature), but the storms of the winter had taken their toll on Whitley Bay beach and removed virtually every single grain of sand, meaning that we had to walk half way up the beach in the driving rain to find a safe place to go in!
Although the relatively warm water temperature should have meant a record attempt, the proliferation of little pebbles and stones meant that playing in the waves was rough on the skin. However, we still managed to beat most of the people in the beach - who seemed to be even wetter than us!
Photo Album 
