Cape Breton canal swim hits 10th anniversary this weekend - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Cape Breton canal swim hits 10th anniversary this weekend

Hundreds are expected to descend on St. Peters, N.S., this weekend to swim through the villages canal locks.

Swim The Canal aims to bring 400 participants to St. Peters

The photo shows a group of swimmers in the canal, surrounded by wooded areas.
The first canal swim in St. Peter's had 75 participants, but that number quickly climbed to a high of 370. Organizers are planning for a maximum of 400 swimmers on Sunday afternoon. (Adam Cooke/CBC)

Hundreds are expected to descend on St. Peter's, N.S., this weekend to swim through the village's canal locks.

Swim The Canal originated as a nostalgia trip in 2014when local resident Ann Marie Kerr noticed that the St. Peters Canal National Historic Site no longer permitted swimming.

Recalling her enjoyment of canal swims as a child and a teenager, Kerr and her husband, Gordon, got permission from Parks Canada for a sanctioned swim that attracted 75 people to take the plunge on the final day of Nicolas Denys Days,the village's community festival.

The event grew over the next four years, eventually attracting as many as 370 people from across Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotiaand countries as diverse as Germany, Brazil, Austria and Sweden.

A photo shows a large group of swimmers in the canal for the Swim The Canal event.
The original Swim The Canal event had swimmers starting in the Atlantic Ocean and heading to the Bras d'Or Lake, but this direction was reversed in the second edition. (Annie MacDonnell/Swim The Canal)

COVID-19 sidelined the event for two years beforeit returned in 2022. Organizers are aiming for a maximum of 400 swimmers for the 10th anniversary this year.

'It's a rush'

In the event's first year, participants entered the Atlantic Ocean from Battery Provincial Park, swam through the canal locks and finished on the Bras d'Or Lake side of St. Peter's. However, this course was reversed in 2015 to allow the current from the locks to work with the swimmers as opposed to complicating their kilometre-long journey.

"It was a little tricky [in 2014]," said Ann Marie Kerr, who has completed all seven events. "When they opened the locks, we were all pushed back.

"But [with the current], it's wonderful. Everyone's screeching and hollering, and you feel like you're a really great swimmer. It's a rush."

A photo shows about a dozen swimmers participating in Swim The Canal.
Participants in Swim The Canal begin on the Bras d'Or Lake side of St. Peter's and swim the kilometre-length canal route before emerging from St. Peters Bay at Battery Provincial Park. (Adam Cooke/CBC)

With the assistance of Parks Canada staff, the local fire department, lifeguards and an army of volunteers, Swim The Canal has become a highlight of the summer for many Richmond County residents and visitors from other communities.

"We've had notes from people afterwards saying it's the best day of their whole life. It's so joyous it's just wonderful," said Ann Marie Kerr.

All ages welcome

While a small number of Swim The Canal participants are competitive swimmers, the pace of the swim including a pause prior to the opening of the locks makes it open to all ages and abilities. Many children swim with their grandparents. A92-year-old man took the plunge last summer.

Photo shows a lifeguard in yellow at right of a large group of people in a canal.
Originally designed as a one-time nostalgia trip for those who enjoyed swimming in the St. Peters Canal in their younger years, Swim The Canal will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the Richmond County community this Sunday. (Adam Cooke/CBC)

As he wraps his first full decade as Swim The Canal's main co-ordinator, Gordon Kerr will never forget the summer that a participant with the same name as the village's French fur-trading founder arrived for the swim.

"One year we had Nicolas Denys swim through the canal he came from Alberta," Gordon Kerr said. "It wasn't the 'real' Nicolas Denys, but it was close enough."

Online pre-registration for Swim The Canal 2024 endsFriday night. Same-day registration gets underway Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Battery Provincial Park, with the swim slated to begin at approximately 3 p.m.

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