By Molly Magennis
Melbourne Open Water Swimming Club launched their new safety boat this weekend, just in time for its inaugural Williamstown to Altona Classic.
Williamstown MP Melissa Horne helped launch the club’s new safety boat on Sunday, April 10 just before 60 athletes left the beach for a 7.6 kilometre swim from Williamstown Beach to Altona Dog Beach, Seaholme.
The boat, which cost almost $10,000, is extremely important for the club as it allows them to keep an eye on swimmers during big events like the Williamstown to Altona classic.
“It allows us to have safety people in the boat, keeping an eye on things, keeping an eye on swimmers,” Melbourne Open Water Swimming Club president Jason Bryce said.
“If the worst case scenario happens, rescuing swimmers and bringing them out of the water back to land, it allows us to have coaches with radios and with equipment, with first aid kits right there on the water with swimmers out in the deep water.
“This is going to let us do things like…you’ve heard about people doing the English Channel from England to France, we can do that kind of thing here in Melbourne.”
For the swimmers who braved the water on Sunday, Mr. Bryce said for most of the participants, it was the biggest physical challenge they’ve ever had.
“It’s a really great experience for us to support people to undertake something that they find challenging, they’re a little bit scared about,” he said.
Ms Horne congratulated the club for their fundraising efforts that allowed them to purchase the new safety boat.
“It represents a leap forward for the booming sport of open water swimming in Victoria,” she said.
“I was honoured to name the boat the ‘Theodora Levakis’ after one of the club’s contributing members who was an absolute beginner when she first enrolled and now is swimming regularly out at Williamstown Beach.”
