Bass Rock Pilot Relay Challenge 2026

How the day went…

The day began bright and early, with the team gathering at 8am at North Berwick Harbour. It gave everyone a chance to relax, put faces to names (for many of us meeting in person for the first time), fuel up with essential pre-swim bacon rolls, and spend a little time getting appropriately nervous about the small matter of swimming an eight-mile route around the Bass Rock.

"It's looking calm!"

Famous last words.

Around 9am, our skipper and crew arrived and Fergus delivered the safety briefing. Among the important points covered, one piece of advice stood out above the rest:

"If in doubt, aim for the big rock."

Simple. Reassuring. Unforgettable.

With briefing complete, everyone was issued their We Swim Relays caps, expertly suctioned onto heads, and made their way onto the boat. Meanwhile, Rachael headed to the beach to kick off the first leg of the very first We Swim Relay.

The horn sounded.

We were off.

For approximately 200 glorious metres, the water was calm. Then we left the harbour and were immediately introduced to the conditions that would define the rest of the day: waves. Lots of them.

Five strokes into the swim, the first jellyfish sighting was reported. Five strokes later, another. And then another. It genuinely felt as though the Firth of Forth had received the event brief and responded with:

"You wanted a challenge? Hold my seaweed."

With the first mile complete, Olivia took over and launched herself into the dark waters of the Forth with a dive worthy of an action movie. Naturally, the Rocky theme tune was playing in the background. Anything less would have been unacceptable.

As the relay progressed, the wind steadily increased and the journey towards the Bass Rock became more demanding and turbulent. Simon took on leg three, he was so committed to the course that he briefly attempted to drink it. We started to notice an increasing number of spectators. Not people, of course. Gannets.

Hundreds of them.

The birds seemed deeply intrigued by these brightly coloured, seal-like creatures making their way around their island home.

Ashley, our fearless skins swimmer, took on leg four as we approached Bass Rock and reached the halfway point. By now, the swell had grown significantly, and we watched in awe as she powered through the waves.

Meanwhile, conditions aboard the boat had become an adventure of their own. Our photographer David was putting on an impressive display of balance and agility, attempting to capture the action while simultaneously avoiding an aerial bombardment of bird droppings. Let's just say adrenaline levels were matching wave heights at this stage.

After witnessing all this, it was Gordon's turn to enter the fray and take us away from the rock and back towards the mainland. We helpfully shouted instructions from the boat, encouraging him to aim for a small white house on the shore. It quickly became apparent that he couldn't actually see over the waves.

Undeterred, we switched to the highly technical navigation method of wildly pointing in various directions.

Remarkably, it worked.

Poseidon aka Gordon smashed his leg of the relay, climbed back aboard, punched the air and delivered a triumphant, slightly breathless:

"We Swim Relays!"

At this point, the tide and swell were finally on our side as we headed back towards North Berwick Beach. Leigh-Anne jumped in and absolutely flew. In fact, there were moments when it felt like the boat was struggling to keep up.

Leg seven belonged to Chris. One of the great mental battles of open-water swimming is seeing land, feeling close enough to touch it, yet somehow never seeming to get any nearer. Add changing weather, tired shoulders and endless water, and it's easy to see why having a supportive team around you matters. Chris dug deep, got the job done, and handed over to Alex for the final leg.

With just 200 metres to go, Alex faced one final challenge. The boat couldn't follow due to the shallow water, meaning she had to navigate the final stretch solo. Using a flag on the beach as her target, she made her way ashore and completed the relay.

From the boat, we heard the cheers erupt from the beach and joined in ourselves, celebrating the wildest adventure we'd ever shared together.

There were hugs. There were smiles. There was a team photo.

We waved goodbye to our support crew as they headed off for a thoroughly deserved chippy, before making our way to the beach for ice creams, debriefs, more hugs, and eventually a well-earned feast at the Lobster Shack.

What a challenge.

What a team.

What a day.

Until the next wild swell...

Meet our Pilot Relay Team 2026

  • Rachael

    EVENT ORGANISER/ SWIMMER

    “This event has evolved from personal experience, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which ultimately helped me to overcome life-changing circumstances and restore self-belief. I couldn’t have done this without support around me. When you have a team that believes in you, even in the moments you doubt yourself, the outcomes of this support and your resilience can be life-changing.”

  • Gordon

    SWIMMER

    “Every year, I need a goal to stay motivated. The gym isn’t for me, I need the open water and the history that comes with it.

    I am really looking forward to the Bass Rock swim as its been on my list for a while, I hope Rachael has organised a clear sky and flat sea for the event!”

  • Olivia

    SWIMMER

    “I am not a swimmer but I love sport and I love a challenge.

    After reading about Rachael’s accident, her recovery and seeing her go on to swim 17km in open water, I was left truly inspired. I knew I had to get involved as soon as she launched the relay.

    I can’t wait to get in the water and be a part of it!”

  • Alex

    SWIMMER

    “I signed up to this swim relay because if it leads to even one more person being able to enjoy the open water, and find an outlet that I have through swimming, then it will have been a success!”

  • Chris

    SWIMMER

    “Having only taken up swimming properly in the past few years, taking part in the Bass rock swim sounded like a great way to build up my confidence in open water & doing it alongside some nice people always helps as well!”

  • Ashley

    SWIMMER

    “I’ve always believed in leaning into things that scare you and there’s something really exciting about swimming around such an iconic part of the East Coast like the Bass Rock!”

  • Leigh-Anne

    SWIMMER

    “Swimming has always been my ‘go to’ sport, you can’t beat swimming outside with friends on a lovely (or not so lovely!) day. I love the inclusivity of this sport and think the bass rock challenge will be a fun day out!”

  • Simon

    SWIMMER

    “I love an annual sporting challenge so when I saw Rachael was looking for volunteers to join her swim pilot I jumped at the chance!”

  • Charlotte

    HYPE-WOMAN

    “Participating in sporting challenges has always been a passion of mine - as a keen long distance runner, I know the power of having a hype team behind you, and I can’t wait to cheerlead from the boat for the We Swim event!

  • David Furley

    PHOTOGRAPHER

    “I love photographing people pushing their limits, and this relay has everything; teamwork, the raw emotion of a serious physical challenge and the stunning setting in the Firth of Forth. Shooting from the boat is also a new challenge for me as a photographer, one I can't wait to rise to. I'm really excited to be part of the team and to capture the feeling of the day.”

    You can find his work on instagram @david.furley