Open Water Festival is this weekend
The 2010 Open Water Festival on Fort Myers Beach will take place Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13, in the Gulf of Mexico near Lynn Hall Park.
After a welcome party and clinic on Friday, June 11, at 3 p.m., the action starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday -following a 7 a.m. check-in- with the age 10 and under Florida Open Water Junior Olympics and the age 11-12 Florida Open Water Junior Olympics at 8:30 a.m.
Following those events is the age 13-14 race, age 15-16 race and the Senior Florida Open Water Junior Olympics and Senior Championships at 10 a.m. The Gulf Coast Swim Team also competes in a 5-Kilometer Open at 10 a.m. The Saturday field closes with the U.S. Masters Swimming Masters Mile -a 1.5K event- at noon.
On Sunday, following a 9 a.m. check-in time, the Estero Island Aquathlon Series takes off at 9 a.m. It will be followed by the USMS Masters 5K at 10:30 a.m. There will be a two-hour time limit in that race.
Individual awards will be given to the overall male and female winners. Awards will also be handed to the top three finishers in each Masters age group.
In the Masters races, both races will have in-water starts and land finishes. Both courses go counter-clockwise so swimmers will have turn buoys on their left shoulders. The 5K course is two laps around a 2.5K rectangle marked by large orange marine buoys at each end. Swimmers may pass the yellow intermediate buoys on either shoulder. The mile course is one lap counter-clockwise around a 1.5K rectangle. At the start, swimmers will turn with the intermediate yellow marine buoys to their left shoulders.
The 2010 Open Water Festival is sponsored by Muscle Milk and the Hyatt Place.
Please be advised that parking spaces at Lynn Hall Park are very limited.
Once the lot is full, the only other spots are along the street by parking meters, in paid parking lots, or the parking lots under the bridge which also have meters. Cars will get tickets if they illegally park on the grass, sidewalks, employee/maintenance spots, or sheriff’s spots. Those tickets cannot be voided.