THE organisers of an iconic sea swim are keeping their fingers crossed for fair weather for this year’s event.

This Sunday, August 18, is the date set for the Caldey Swim, which has a sell-out entry of 100 swimmers to make the 2.5 mile crossing between the monastic island and the mainland in Tenby.

The swim has not been able to take place since 2017, as weather conditions last year forced its postponement, and then eventual cancellation on the re-arranged date.

Swimming between Tenby and Caldey Island has been a long-established tradition for individuals and groups for many years, but 2013 was the first time the distance was covered under the umbrella of the Tenby Sea Swimming Association (TSSA), which has organised the town's legendary Boxing Day Swim for nearly 50 years.

Said TSSA chairman Chris Osborne: “We’re all hoping that this year’s swim is presented with calm conditions that allow the event to take place. Last year’s double disappointment – the second time this has happened in recent years – is hard to swallow, after so much effort from so many people to organise the event and in a safe environment. And then there’s the disappointment of the swimmers!

“The swim has special status, perhaps, because so many components have to be just right and because not infrequently they’re not. But I hope ‘special’ does not become ‘too special’. The 50 years legacy of the Caldey Swim deserves some more chapters”.

The swim, leaving Caldey’s Priory Beach at 1.45pm on Sunday is raising money for Tenby RNLI and Tenby Surflink, with both organisations helping to provide the all-important safety cover for the event.

The first swimmer is expected back on the North Beach, near the end of the pier, at around 2.25pm. Medals will be presented by the mayor of Tenby, Cllr Tony Brown, and the chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Simon Hancock.

Good viewing points are the Esplanade and Castle Hill, with a spectators’ boat (tickets £10), due to leave Castle Beach at about 1.25pm.

The swim’s medals are sponsored by FBM, while Tenby House Hotel is sponsoring the swim hats, with bananas for swimmers provided by Four Seasons. Other sponsors are the Port of Milford Haven, Harbour Wealth Management and Princes Gate Spring Water.

For more information, see Tenby-Caldey-Swim.co.uk