The water in Brittania Beach was dotted with bright colours on a hot, sunny Saturday morning as swimmers tried to complete long distances to raise money for charity.
More than 1,000 swimmers donned bright pink, yellow, white or teal swim caps and lined up along the Brittania Beach shore just before 8 a.m., stretching their arms and moving their bodies to warm up before their long swim. Some of the swimmers were adults, others were children and elderly.
Sailboats with volunteers and first responders could be seen in the water from a distance, monitoring for water safety and medical emergencies. Some volunteers in red shirts paddled by in kayaks to guide swimmers to the finish line.
Back on land, families laid out picnic blankets and camping chairs to cheer on their loved ones.
This is the 18th year of Bring On The Bay, an event to help raise money for Easter Seals Ontario, a non-profit that supports children and youth with physical disabilities and their families.
Formerly held at the Brittania Yacht Club, organizers decided to move the event to the Nepean Sailing Club headquarters this year to accommodate more participants. Racers could register to swim three kilometres or half that distance.
Richard Pessah, a race director, said this is the biggest race he’s ever seen.
“I feel like this is the most successful swim ever. It’s growing. We could be the largest swim event in Canada, at least for one week until the next one,” he said with a huge smile on his face.
“It started as a fundraiser with a few friends getting together to swim three kilometres with little support, and now it’s grown to 1,050 swimmers with 65 kayaks and (first responders) patrolling the water and lots of sailboats along the course. It’s a unique open-water swimming event.”
The event is open to people of all ages and different swimming abilities, Pessah added. There were 60 swimmers under 14 years old and five swimmers over 80 years old on Saturday.
People who have been participating in the event for 10 years also get a special cap.
“This is an event for anybody, any age … (Brittania Beach) is such a beautiful venue and it’s accessible, allowing us to grow the event to 1,500 to 2,000 swimmers one day,” Pessah said.
Susan Smith, senior manager of development at Easter Seals Ontario, said more than $160,000 was raised through the event. The money will be put into a financial assistance program which has helped hundreds of family buy equipment for their children.
It will also help send children and youth to summer camps across Ontario, she said.
“A lot of (accessibility equipment has) no government funding whatsoever, and Easter Seals also doesn’t receive any government funding, so we rely very much on our donors,” Smith said.
“We also have two accessible summer camps, and our goal is to make those camps that every child can participate in every activity regardless of their disability.”
Anne Griffith is one of the swimmers who raised the most money ahead of Saturday’s race. She completed her three-kilometre swim with her paralyzed daughter, Amelia, in tow in one hour and 28 minutes.
“We are an Easter Seals family, so we do receive funding from them, and this is the first time we will be able to participate in a summer camp. In two weeks, we’ll be going to an Easter Seals camp near London, Ont.,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.
“For the last four years, we’ve been fundraising on behalf of Amelia. Last two years, I’ve pulled her with me, behind me, in a little boat, and it’s great.”
Griffith said she has received a lot of support from her friends, family and coworkers from all across Ontario.
“This is a great event … I mean, it’s safe, it’s fun, it’s a relaxed environment. And then on top of it, you get to raise money for kids with disabilities, because often these events aren’t accessible for kids with disabilities,” she said.
“I like being able to bring Amelia so they can have a visualization of what this event means to people like her. A lot of wheelchair users can’t come to beaches, they can’t get out in the water like this.
“So the fact that I can bring her with me and can show people what it’s like to be in a wheelchair is really important.”
She also has tips for people who want to swim long distances.
“Ottawa is a great place to do it. We got lots of amazing beaches, lots of nice open water. We got tons of swim clubs,” Griffith said with a laugh.
“Don’t ever be scared. Look around you … There’s like people over 80 and people in their 70s and 60s. It’s accessible. You just need to find a group and they’ll help you do it.”
