Both of these distance swims are significantly challenging. Your training and fitness ability should match the swim in which you choose to participate. There is a 4 hour cut off for the 7k swim, and a 2 hr cut off for the 3.1 swim.

It is also strongly recommended that you get used to sighting off of long range landscape. The course will be marked with motor boats and orange buoys, but your canoeist is there to keep you on course and safe, and it is permissible to use a GPS. You are responsible for acquiring your own accompanying canoe/kayak and assistant (s)

Active Communities - Peachland The lake can be cold, and it is strongly recommended that you wear a wetsuit. Your canoe can carry water and nutrition for you, however you must not progress along the course by hanging on to your boat. You may stop to rest and hang on, but not progress along the course. DQ will result.

As one of the safety procedures in affect, we will only allow one swimmer per canoe this year. The canoe must stay with the swimmer until reaching the Swim Bay dock area. More information will be given at race time. If either you or your canoeist/kayaker requires assistance whether medical or otherwise from a support boat, please hold the paddle up in the air with the spare pfd on top of it. It is dangerous to climb into a canoe from open water (swamping). Swimmers must not be left alone in the water. DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT SUPPORT.

Medals will be given to the top three in each age group. All finishers will receive a souvenir of the event. PAYMENT REQUIRED AT TIME OF REGISTRATION.

ABOUT THE FULL SWIM 7 km

Make sure you have checked in at the Community Centre between 6:00 and 6:45 am. The swim starts at 7:00 am and leaves from the 5th Street Dock. All swimmers must be accompanied by a canoeist or kayak.** You must make your own arrangements. Your supporter must wear a pfd, and have a pfd in the canoe for you. (Please note that it is easier to have two canoeists) You will swim to the south end of Rattle Snake Island, along behind the island (east side) to the north tip and then return back to Peachland. The swim exit is to the left of the Swim Bay Dock. Post swim food and pancake breakfast will be available at the Community Centre

Day of Race registrations for 7k swimmers only

ABOUT THE HALF SWIM 3.1 km

All swimmers for this distance must be accompanied by a canoeist (two recommended) or kayaker of your own arrangement.** The check in for the 3.1 swim is between 6 am and 6:30 am. You will then be held in a waiting area until time to board the houseboat(s). Your accompanying canoeists with pfds must have already headed over to Rattle Snake Island in order to be there for the swim start. Allow 30 mins. to 45 mins. to get there. Once over at Rattle Snake Island, your swim will start with the finish being to the left of the Swim Bay Dock. Post race food will be at the Community Centre.

If you are swimming 3.1 and wish to have a place on our transportation boats, registration is recommended before Aug. 3th. Registrations for the 3.1 k swim after that date may require the swimmer to travel over to the island with their paddlers.

ABOUT CANOES AND KAYAKS

We are unable to arrange kayaks or canoes to personally accompany swimmers; nor can we match a lone swimmer with another swimmer/paddler. It is the responsibility of the swimmer to provide their own wetsuit, or swim without one. That is your choice. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS FOR Canoe, Kayak, Paddler, Wetsuit.

You can have more than 1 swimmer per canoe/kayak as long as the swimmers are of similar speeds.

RULE - Boat stays with slower swimmer. Faster swimmer no more than 3 boat lengths ahead. Each swimmer must have an assist person. eg. 2 swimmers per canoe with 2 paddlers. One person in Kayak—one swimmer. No motorized boats. It is your responsibility to ensure that your canoe or kayak is lake worthy and does not leak or otherwise take on water.

REGISTER

For registration form click here
2010 Rattlesnake Island Swim - Registration Form
Make Cheques Payable to: District of Peachland.
Mail cheque to: PEACHLAND RECREATION DEPT. , 4450 6th Street, Peachland, BC V0H 1X6
Phone (250) 767-2133 Fax (250) 767-9597 Email: phaffend@peachland.ca

T-Shirts not guaranteed for late registration, so REGISTER EARLY!
$50 Before July 10, 2010
$60 July 11 to July 30, 2010
$75 After July 31, 2010
Above fee doesn’t include extra breakfasts ($5) or TShirt for paddler ($17)

VOLUNTEER
Contact the Recreation Department at 250.767.2133.

RESULTS
2010 RATTLESNAKE ISLAND SWIM RESULTS

ABOUT RATTLESNAKE ISLAND

Directly across the lake from Peachland, is Rattlesnake Island. This is the largest island in Okanagan Lake. A narrow channel separates the island from the mainland, and many boaters delight in exploring this channel where the water is a deep royal blue and a feeling of mystery exists. Close to the island in one of the underwater caves is said to lie the lair of the Okanagan's legendary monster Ogopogo.

Ogopogo or Naitaka (Salish: n'ha-a-itk, "lake demon") is the name given to a lake monster reported to live in Okanagan Lake.

The first documented sightings of the monster date back to around 1872, and occurred as the area was being colonized by European settlers. In 1926 a sighting is claimed to have occurred at an Okanagan Mission Beach. This event was supposedly witnessed by about thirty cars of people who all claimed to have seen the same thing. It was also in this year that the editor of the Vancouver Sun, Bobby Carter, wrote, "Too many reputable people have seen [the monster] to ignore the seriousness of actual facts."