Participants in the 2025 edition of Swim the Canal at the Bras d’Or Lake end of the St. Peters Canal on Sunday afternoon. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentDonna Boudreau first attended the Swim the Canal event in 2024 — but just as a spectator.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe West Arichat resident returned to the St. Peters Canal National Historic Site on Sunday, this time with her swim gear on, ready to take part in the annual fundraiser for the very first time.Article contentArticle content“My brother encouraged me to participate this year. He said, ‘You’ll be in good hands,’” said Boudreau, joined by her husband, James, and daughter, Janelle.Article contentArticle content Donna Boudreau, left, and her daughter, Janelle, take part in Sunday’s Swim the Canal fundraiser in St. Peter’s. The event marked the first time for Donna Boudreau, of West Arichat, to wade into the canal, as she took in the 2024 event as a spectator. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentBoudreau said her mother’s side of the family grew up in St. Peter’s, and in days gone by, swimming in the St. Peters Canal was commonplace among local residents.Article content“Some of her family members helped build the canal, so there’s also a bit of historical connection there in me taking part,” she said.Article content“Even though this event has gone through some changes over the years, and has grown quite a bit, it still seems interesting enough to attract a lot of people.”Article contentThe event, which started in 2014 and was only interrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is a fundraiser to support the volunteer activities of the Village on the Canal Association.Article contentParticipants are offered two choices for taking their plunges: either swim the length of the canal, at 800 metres, or the width, at 100 metres from Battery Park to the canal wall and back.Article contentBoudreau’s choice? “The one that will get me to the finish line the quickest,” she said with a laugh.Article contentArticle content Some of the 400 swimmers that took part in Sunday’s Swim the Canal event, with a lifeguard on site to monitor the canal waterway. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle content400 PARTICIPANTS A FIRSTArticle contentWith sunny skies, ground temperatures around 24 C with a bit of wind in the air, a record 400 participants began entering the water on the Bras d’Or Lake side of the canal around 3 p.m.Article contentLifeguards and safety personnel kept an eye on the swimmers, many of whom carried colourful foam noodles to help keep them afloat, as they reached the closed second canal lock by 3:45 p.m. Just after 4 p.m., that lock opened and swimmers continued into the Battery Park waterway to wrap up their swim by around 4:30 p.m.Article content“We try to keep the time spent in the water to a minimum, as it does get cold,” event organizer Gordon Kerr said. “The wind was funnelling in the lock and making waves. So some people ended up stopping once they got to the lock.”Article contentAs for how he and his wife Ann Marie, who first inspired the event, felt about reaching that target participation goal, Kerr confidently said, “I knew it was going happen all along.
IN PHOTOS: Cape Breton’s Swim the Canal event reaches record participation for 2025
