Nobody can doubt that the annual Flowers Sea Swim is a major open water event on the world calendar now. So many past and present Olympians and world champions were in this year’s race that it was inevitable that the course record would be severely challenged. And so it was.
A record 850-plus entered, watched by Penny Palfrey who last week set the world record distance for an open water swim of 67.25 miles in the Bridging the Islands epic from Little Cayman to Grand Cayman.
It was organised by Frank Flowers and his daughter Dara Flowers-Burke who have made it the world’s richest open water event with over $100,000 on offer in cash and random prizes. Open water expert Steve Munatones had a strong input and Californian swimmer Lexie Kelly relocated to Georgetown for three months to ensure everything went smoothly as race coordinator.
Charles ‘Chip’ Peterson broke last year’s record set by Alex Mayer to win the one mile race from the Ritz-Carlton to Royal Palms in 17 minutes and six seconds, an improvement of eight seconds.
The thrill of winning was enhanced with a US$5,000 reward for breaking the record which the 23-year-old student from Southern California gratefully accepted. It will definitely go on books but might find its way onto his entertainment budget.
He said: “I was confident that I would be near the front but didn’t know that I would win and set the record.”
That will buy a few shots, won’t it? “Yes, yes,” he said initially then realised and backtracked. “No! No! No!”
Now for his London Olympics bid. “We just had our open water trials but I unfortunately didn’t make the team. So now I’m going to train for the 1,500 metres in the pool.”
Peterson’s first Cayman Islands experience has been totally memorable – and not just for the winning cheque. “I’ve loved every minute of being here, everyone is very hospitable and the Flowers family is absolutely amazing. I’ve loved it and will hopefully come back. I’ve been so happy with the entire set up. It was really, truly amazing how this event ran considering the number of people that are entered in it.
“Compared to other one mile swims it’s in gorgeous water and I can’t think of anything else that could make the event better.”
Max Fabian is the 19-year-old brother of Eva who was fastest woman and fourth overall. Max came second and despite his obvious speed has no ambitions of going to the London Olympics. He swims mainly to support Eva, 17, who is an open water world champion and has already won numerous titles.
Max was about a minute off Peterson’s time. He hopes to close the gap next year but doesn’t think he can win. Eva was second in the Pirates 5k swim last November and having heard about the fabulous time she had here, Max wanted to experience it for himself.
Eva said: “I’ve been training with Max and I knew it would be very difficult to beat him because he’s been training very well. This time I was more confident because I knew the course better. It turned out very well and now I’m looking forward to the Pirates swim.”
Next for her are the open water world championships in Shanghai next month. She is staying in Cayman for a few weeks for warm weather training. A smart girl as well as athletic one, she is an accomplished violinist and going to Yale University in the fall to study music.
Eva said: “Oh my gosh, the Flowers family treated me so well and I want to thank them. This is a wonderful event and I’m so happy to be here again and I can’t thank the Flowers family enough for the opportunity.”
Dave Kelsheimer is the legendary American coach who elevated the swimming scene in the Cayman Islands some years ago before moving on to coach in Australia. He works closer to here now, having moved to Santa Monica last year and taken some of the Australians with him. Eugene Tee, 17, is one them, a student who moved last November to join Kelsheimer in Santa Monica. This was his third Flowers swim.
“I hope to swim for Australia in London next year,” Tee said. “My best race is the 400m individual medley.
“The Flowers swim is a great event. I love coming here, it’s a great course and it’s run beautifully and there are definitely some fierce competitors. The atmosphere and environment is just great. There’s nowhere else on the planet you can find a place like this. It is eaily my favourite open water swim.”
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