Whitby Regatta 2022: First Sandsend to Whitby swim since 1988 is cancelled due to sea fret

Whitby Sea Swimmers had revived the event, which was held from 1960 until 1988 when it was discontinued due to a lack of organising input.

They had attracted a fully-booked field of around 30 entries for the two-mile swim from Sandsend to Whitby Harbour and had also arranged a shorter course called the 'Beach Hut Swim' between West Cliff and the harbour.

The organisers had even secured the services of the William Riley, an historic and recently restored Whitby lifeboat which was retired in 1931, to act as safety vessel. It took part in the Rohilla shipwreck rescue efforts in 1914.

There are records of swimming races at the Regatta going back as far as 1911.

Yet a sea fret which blew in on Saturday morning led to the swim being cancelled for safety reasons as visibility was poor.

The 'haar' lingered for several hours and also affected the Red Arrows flypast, with the aircraft being unable to display over the town as the crowds' view was obscured.

Organiser Ceri Oakes said: "A heavy sea fret descended the morning before the start of the swim. For the safety of all our swimmers ans support crews we were left with no option but to call the race off at the last minute. I am truly overwhelmed with appreciation for everyone who showed up. I'm so proud of everyone who was involved, disappointed it couldn't happen this time, but still left with a warm glow of gratitude for you all."