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Scilly swimmers thwarted by jellyfish and wind

Steve Copper Five swimmers standing on steps below a harbour, next to a boatSteve Copper
The five swimmers had been raising money for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust

A group of charity swimmers had to abandon their bid to swim from the mainland to the Isles of Scilly due to strengthening winds and jellyfish stings.

The five swimmers from Plymouth were trying to make the 31 mile (50km) crossing as a relay team but met "thousands and thousands" of jellyfish.

They were forced to give up less than four miles (6.4km) from their target destination on St Mary's, and needed immediate medical attention afterwards for rashes and swellings caused by stings.

One of the swimmers joked that due to the stings it looked like she had "lip fillers" as she waited for treatment in hospital.

David Hamilton mauve stinger jellyfish David Hamilton
Blooms of mauve stinger jellyfish have been seen off west Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Sara Harris, Nick Board, Stewart Douglas, Steve Copper and Jacqui Woodward had been planning the swim for years but only had a three-day window to attempt the crossing.

The keen open water swimmers set off at 07:30 BST on Tuesday from a rocky cove near Land's End, Cornwall, expecting the crossing would take between 16 and 18 hours.

They started encountering blooms of mauve stinger jellyfish as it got dark.

Liz Askins/Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust mauve stinger jellyfish - a purple looking jellyfish in the seaLiz Askins/Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust
The mauve stinger - Latin name Pelagia noctiluca - can glow in the dark

Mr Douglas said: "There were literally thousands at night because they come to the surface, thousands and thousands.

"We were mainly getting stung to the face, we were doing the swim in wetsuits so that protected most of our bodies but there was very little protection for the face.

"Myself, I put a balaclava on which helped but between us we probably accumulated 20 to 30 stings to the face each. It was horrendous."

Stewart Douglas One of the swimmers in the sea. He's wearing a yellow swim cap and black goggles and is in a wetsuit. You can see the silver metal railing of the boat.Stewart Douglas
The swimmers aimed to raise £1,000 for charity but have already exceeded their target

Ms Harris said: "Literally every stroke we were getting battered by jellyfish and jellyfish stings.

"I was inconsolable when I got out of the water, I've never been in so much pain.

"For all of us to go in again and again with those stings, it was pretty hard."

The quintet and their support boat Celtic Fox were just 3.8 miles (6.1km) from the finish line on the Isles of Scilly when they realised the strengthening winds meant they were not going to make it.

Steve Copper Five swimmers on the support boat. All smiling on deck.Steve Copper
All smiles on the way home, despite a rough night

Once they motored back to Penzance, they were taken straight to the minor injuries unit at West Cornwall Hospital to be checked over.

Ms Harris said: "It looks like we came down to Penzance to get... lip fillers, I think that would be the best way to describe it.

"And it was the trainee doing it."

The group is raising money for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust in memory of the father of one of the team members who recently passed away from the condition.

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