Go Overboard: a swim for Ionian conservation

Digital editor Abi Whyte – with her mum for company – headed to ‘the Emerald Isle’ of Greece for a swim event raising funds for environment conservation and commemorating those who fled a Communist dictatorship across the Straits of Corfu

My eyes are bleary from lack of sleep but I’ve just downed a strong Albanian coffee, adrenaline is pumping and the crystal waters of Ksamil Bay are calling. This is it. I’m ready for my first ever sea event – a 3km swim from Albania to Corfu with 100 other swimmers from around the world. 

White sands and parasols gleaming under a blue sky, it’s hard to imagine that up until the early 1990s, this paradisal expanse of water – the Straits of Corfu – was a militarized border, separating Greece from the Albanian Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands tried to swim to freedom across these waters. Sadly many died under communist gunfire, or were lost at sea.

Now in its 11th year, Go Overboard (formerly Albania Overboard) is a swim event commemorating those who lost their lives and raising money and awareness for the Ionian Environment Foundation, a charity supporting more than 40 projects across Corfu and the Ionian sea. The charity’s ambassador is naturalist Lee Durrell, second wife of author Gerald Durrell, who wrote My Family and Other Animals and dedicated his life to conservation on Corfu until his death in 1995. 

An idyllic start

A relative newbie to open water challenges, this is my first ever sea event, but my nerves are calmed by the morning sunshine, tranquil water and impeccable organization by the event team. At last year’s event, the swim had to be rerouted because of bad weather – hugging the Corfu coastline for 3km instead of starting in Albania. 

“This is third time lucky for me,” a fellow swimmer tells me as we get ready. “The first time I brought the wrong passport so I wasn’t allowed into Albania. The second time – last year – the route was changed because of the weather. And now here I am, finally about to swim from Albania to Corfu!”

It had been an early start that morning. Up at 5am, I’d driven from where I was staying down to Corfu port, where we all caught the early hydrofoil ferry over to Saranda in Albania. Buses then took us down to the swim start in Ksamil Bay, where we could spot our destination point across the water on Corfu – Agios Stefanos. The same bay where escaping Albanians made it to shore just a few decades ago.

All swimmers assembled, founder of Go Overboard, Nick Lemis, gives us our safety briefing, warning us to keep to the left of the destination point because of the strong current. Rousing speech over, he sounds the horn and we’re off. I’ve always been a bit frightened of mass starts, but with only 100 swimmers in the water, this doesn’t feel too crowded or overwhelming. 

I start off slowly then find my stride, mesmerised by the flickering shafts of sunlight in the deep blue. The water is calm and beautifully warm – a pleasure to swim in. I feel tiny jellyfish zaps from time to time, then suddenly, about halfway through the swim, I get a whopper of a sting in my armpit. This chafes a bit for the duration of my front crawl but I ignore the stinging sensation and swim on, knowing there are medics at the other end that can treat it if needed. Whenever I look up there are always support boats in sight – a reassuring presence in the middle of the Ionian Sea. 

Battling on

In the final third part of the swim, I look up and realise I’m exactly where I shouldn’t be – to the right of Stefanos Bay. The current has swept me – and a few other swimmers – away from the finish point and I realise I’ve got a battle on my hands to get to the end. I swim on, eking my way frustratingly slowly against the current. After about 20 minutes feeling like I’ve gotten nowhere staring at the same patch of seabed, I’m very tempted to raise my hand for help from one of the nearby support boats. But I then spot another swimmer ahead, hugging closer to the shoreline. He seems to be moving forward with ease so I decide to follow. While the current is still strong, I’m making more progress here than in the deeper water, and I soon find myself in Stefanos Bay where the finish line is in sight. 

Tired and stinging, I grunt with determination and swim on for the final stretch, fully convinced I’m going to be the last one getting out. Turns out I’m far from it – there are still lots of swimmers behind me. A glance down at my sports watch tells me I’ve actually swum nearly 5km, not 3. I didn’t know I had it in me! Exhaustion turns to elation as I clamber along the jetty, hearing my mum shouting my name and seeing a welcome spread of sandwiches, snacks, water and beer. Now we’re talking!

I chat to a few other swimmers who also found the swim surprisingly tough, but we all acknowledge that it has only made the reward even sweeter. Many say they’re definitely going to return next year to do the swim again, including a man of Greek and Albanian heritage, who tells me what a significant swim it was to take part in. His emotion is palpable as we yell “Yammas” before downing our beers. What a day it’s been. 

Exploring the island 

To make the most of being on Corfu for the swim event, my mum and I booked a week’s stay in Roda in the north of the island. We hired a car for a couple of days and explored swimming spots around Kalami Bay (of the Durrells fame) and Kouloura Bay in the northeast, and Paleokastritsa in the northwest.

We caught a bus to Corfu Town to explore its maze of historic streets, churches, shops and cafes in the old quarter, and also went on a Blue Caves tour that took us to swimming spots only accessible by boat. To my surprise the tour took us through the very same stretch of water I’d swam just a couple of days before. While eating our BBQ lunch on the top deck, my mum and I toasted my triumphant crossing with a glass of Greek wine. Yammas!

Go Overboard’s swim from Albania to Corfu takes place every September. Find out more about this wonderful sea swimming event at go-overboard.org