A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind is in place for the South West from 4am until midnight today – with gusts of up to 65mph causing some swimming events to be cancelled
High winds have wiped out festive sea swims across Devon and Cornwall, with Christmas and Boxing Day events pulled under a yellow weather warning.
The Met Office warning for wind is in place for the South West from 4am until midnight today, with gusts of up to 65mph expected to spark disruption. A separate yellow cold-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UHSA), means conditions have forced a number of events to be postponed or cancelled altogether.
The annual Coverack swim in Cornwall has been forced to postpone its Christmas Day swim for the first time in the 57 years the event has been running. Multiple Boxing Day swims based in Devon have meanwhile been cancelled.
The Met Office’s warning, which also covers Somerset and a large chunk of Wales, says peak gusts of 55-65mph are possible along some exposed coasts – where large waves will bring additional hazards.
Organisers of the Coverack swim postponed the event until New Year’s Day, saying it would be “too dangerous” to go ahead with the warning in place.
Start Bay Inn, in Devon, said it was “really sad” to cancel its Boxing Day swim. “We are really sad to say that due to the rough NE wind it will be too rough here at Torcross for our annual swim,” it wrote on social media.
RNLI Teignmouth made the “difficult decision” to cancel its Boxing Day walk in the sea event. It said: “The annual event, which usually sees hundreds of participants take a festive dip in support of RNLI lifesavers, has long been a highlight of the Boxing Day calendar. While organisers understand the disappointment this decision may cause, safety considerations must come first.”
The Royal Air Force Air Cadets 200 Squadron Torquay were forced to cancell Torbay Council’s Boxing Day Dip at Torre Abbey.
The council said in a statement: “With reference to the Boxing Day Dip hosted by Torbay Council which 200 Squadron has been a part of for many years, unfortunately the RNLI have advised to cancel the Torre Abbey Boxing Day Dip due to large swells and easterly winds producing rough seas on Boxing Day and therefore the Boxing Day Dip at Torre Abbey Sands is cancelled for everyone’s safety.
“We understand that this is disappointing for some however the safety of all participating is paramount and we must ensure all are safe at this event.”
Cancelled and postponed events
- The annual Christmas Day Coverack swim, Cornwall – postponed
- Start Bay Inn Boxing Day swim, Devon – cancelled
- Boxing Day walk in the sea, RNLI Teignmouth – cancelled
- Torbay Council’s Boxing Day dip at Torre Abbey – cancelled
