5 youths, 1 girl set new world record by relay-swim 1,100-kms Mumbai-Goa return
3 teens, including a girl, and 3 youths will jump into the Arabian Sea at Gateway of India on 17 December for the world’s longest relay-swim – 1,100-kms Mumbai-Goa-return – and create a new Guinness record, the organisers said here on Friday.
The unique and gruelling adventure sports event is being held by the Vasai-Virar Open Water Sea Swimming Foundation, under the observation of Para Swimming Federation of India, the event coach and senior sailor of the Indian Navy, Madan Rai.
Tomorrow evening, around 5 pm, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar will flag off the challenging event, they will touch the Fort Aguada in Goa to return, and the relay-swimming spectacle will end on December 28 after completing 1,100-kms at the Vasai Fort, Palghar,” an excited Rai told IANS.
They are: Jiya Rai, 14 and Dhruven Naik, 17, both of Mumbai, Raj Patil, 17 of Raigad, Sampala Shelar, 21 of Pune, Kartik Gugle, 21 and Rakesh Kadam, 26 both of Vasai, Palghar, averaging 19.3 years each.
Rai’s daughter, Jiya, the youngest and sole female participant – suffers from autism and received this year’s Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar Award,
From Gateway of India, they will swim to Alibaug, Raigad on the mainland, traversing through the main shipping channels, and then turn right straight to Goa non-stop, till Fort Aguada.
They will halt briefly at Miramar Jetty in Goa for restocking supplies and then swim without break to return to Gateway of India and then to Vasai Fort on December 28 morning,” Rai said.
There will be huge challenges for the swimmers in the Arabian Sea, one being the constant threats of jellyfish bites which can incapacitate the victim for hours, other big or gigantic fish or marine creatures which can injure the youngsters, the atmospheric temperatures dropping to 20 degrees Celsius at night and the water at a cold 17 degrees Celsius, plus strong winds and powerful water-currents all through.
The swimmers will pass through tiny and picturesque coastal towns like Kanhoji Angre (Khanderi) Island, Revdanda, Kashid, Dighi, Shrivardhan Bay, Dabhol, Bhudal, Jaigarh, Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri, Vijaydurg, Malvan to reach Fort Aguada in Goa on December 22.
The current GWR is held by an Indian Air Force’ 6-men team, ‘Sea Hawks’, set in 2015, relay-swimming 1,031 kms, to break a 200-members’ Italian relay-swimming team’s achievement of 839 kms in 2008.
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