Ever swum from one Caribbean island to another?
The Nevis to Kitts Cross Channel Race gives you the chance to do exactly that. Far out in the Caribbean Sea, our swimmers cross from the island of Nevis to nearby Saint Kitts, threading across the Narrows over coral and sandhills - sometimes even spotting turtles as they go.
This year, the event was bigger than ever. 425 swimmers crossed the start line and 396 reached the finish within the 3-hour cut-off time. Our very own Dawn Stepney also flew out from SwimTrek HQ, charged into the tropical waters and swam the race in 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Last week, we caught up with Dawn to hear all about her experience. We learned how the race reminded her of our Bosphorus swim and dove into tales of sipping rum punch at sunset and meeting turtles at the end of her crossing.
Swimming Between Caribbean Islands
DAWN STEPNEY: 'Since I got back, I've been swimming again at the Sea Lanes pool. It's not as cold as the sea, but you still get the benefit of feeling it's cooler than a normal pool. It's heated but normally ranges between 19C and 21C. In the winter, if it's cold, you feel it. It's lovely when the sun is out, and you still feel that coolness and the heat of sunlight on your back. So, it's lovely. I have been in this week, but it's very different to swimming in Saint Kitts.'
'The Nevis to Kitts Race is roughly a 4-and-a-half-kilometre swim. I ended up swimming closer to 5-kilometres because I got caught in the current, which did take me off course slightly. In my training, I tried to swim between 7 to 10 kilometres each week in various sessions. I wanted to make sure that if the current was going to be strong, I had enough in the tank that I could go longer if I needed to. On the GPS, you can see I've done a curve to try and get back to the finish line. Halfway across, the current was going right to left. So, I think in your head you think: 'I don't want to go too right, because that's where the current is going to push me.'
'That is weird that there's 500 of you in the waters at first. Then suddenly you have the channel to yourself...'
'There was a point when I looked and could see everybody coming in pretty much the same way. So, then I didn't feel so bad. I was swimming with a lot of others at the start. Then I was on my own for a while. Boats were away in the distance, and I saw a few swimmers here and there. That is weird that there's 500 of you in the waters at first. Then suddenly you have the channel to yourself. I felt like that on the Bosphorus swim as well - there's 3000 swimmers and then you still feel like you can swim with space as they fan out.'
'I sighted with landmarks and there is a big mountain in front of you on Saint Kitts. There's a tall peak you can definitely see, and then to the right of that, there's a smaller peak and a dip into a valley. You really should be aiming more for the valley. I realised I was probably 100-metres or more to the left of the finish line. That was a tough swim because it was a strong current at the end.'
'On the Thursday night, they sent an email to say there may be a possibility it might be cancelled. I think it was the right thing to do to manage expectations. When we talked to the locals, they were saying: "It'll still go ahead". From a safety point of view, we had to be cautious. There were some big swells and the chance of a storm, which actually hit overnight. It was raining heavily all night, and we woke up to blue skies. It was still a little windy, but we had sunshine. That was really nice.'
'It was raining heavily all night, and we woke up to blue skies...'
'I did the English Channel Relay a few years ago. Then I did the swim around Guernsey with the SwimTrek team, and I've also done the Dart 10K. The difference with this one is you could see the bottom all the way and that was lovely. It wasn't as crystal clear as it could be, because the weather made the water milky, but normally in open water events you're lucky if you can see your hand in the water. It was so nice to watch seabed the whole way and right towards the end I did swim with a couple of turtles and that was the pinnacle. I wish I'd had my GoPro with me!'
'There was one turtle that stayed with me for quite a while, just swimming along. There was quite a lot of coral too, as well as reef fish and starfish - you could do plenty of starfish-spotting as you swam. Then there was all the seagrass and patches of sand on the bottom. Being able to see the bottom helped most in those moments when you're fighting the current and feel like you're not going anywhere.'
'The difference with this one is you could see the bottom all the way and that was lovely...'
'Some people mentioned they saw small sharks and they mentioned the whale that breached in the Narrows during the briefing. I think that news circulated fast. They also tell you that the waters are abundant in wildlife. I didn't see any shipwrecks though.'
'I booked a few extra days and arrived with my husband a few days earlier on Saint Kitts - before we joined the SwimTrek package. We visited the beautiful local beaches, drove to different bays to stroll the sands and visited funky bars as well. The cocktails were amazing, and we had to sample the rum punches. The food was just incredible too.'
'Looking back, I think the best part of being on the SwimTrek trip is joining fellow swimmers to share the adventure. Everyone was there for a different reason. One group used to live on Nevis and had come to scatter their parents' ashes. They were the ones that really partied after the swim, and it was a really emotional journey for them. There were lots of touching stories from different people. Then we all caught up at a great celebration dinner at the end at the Mount Nevis Hotel.'
"I did swim with a couple of turtles and that was the pinnacle..."
'One other great thing was seeing all the locals who showed up. There's a lot of students on the island who attend the three universities on Saint Kitts and Nevis. There were lots of Americans and other nationalities too. I think SwimTrek had roughly 80 swimmers taking part, as well as non-swimmers who are there to support their partners. I think the event will grow each year and in 2026 they are aiming to have around 1000 swimmers involved.'
'The locals are just lovely. Everyone is so friendly, no matter who you talk to, whether it's a waitress, taxi driver, or the man behind the bar. They seem to want you to be there and enjoy their island - they're proud of it. They just love to stop and chat to you, which is part of the Caribbean lifestyle. No one's in a rush.'
'One thing I didn't know about was the tragedy of the Christena disaster - [a ferry boat that sank between Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1970]. There's this big memorial at the museum. I learned that 233 people lost their lives, and this spread some fear among the locals, who do not swim. When boat sank it impacted the whole of Nevis and so everyone you spoke to still remembers it and how it changed their lives.'
'Many lost relatives or knew someone who died. They described how the whole island was wailing for two days. It's only now the next generation is coming forward with a new approach to swimming in the sea. The younger swimmers are growing up without that fear of deep water. The local guide was a coach who is teaching swim groups, and they are trying to raise money to get the island's first pool as well.'
'One of the local swimmers was a girl, Skyler, who won in the younger categories. I think she's only 13 and currently training for Olympic contents in the next Olympic Games. That's just amazing when you think they don't actually have a swimming pool and train in the sea. I think she would compete in the 100-metres since she is so fast.'
"It's only now the next generation is coming forward with a new approach to swimming in the sea..."
'Finally, I want to give a special shoutout to the amazing volunteers and the whole team who made the event so special. They work their socks off and are always so friendly and seem thrilled to cheer you on and provide support.'
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to learn more about this trip, including dates of travel, kit lists and further itinerary information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on info@swimtrek.com.
