WESTMORE — The Rivard sisters continued to make a splash during NEK Swim Week, with 13-year-old Vera Rivard of Springfield, NH, finished in a tie for first place overall with Charlotte Brynn, 51, of Stowe.
Both swimmers posted times of 2:21:16 for the five-mile swim.
Younger sister, 10-year-old Margaret Rivard, finished third among the women with a time of 2:28:29, just ahead of Cindy Werhane of Portland, OR. Last year, Margaret became the youngest to swim the length of Willoughby.
Florin Rosca, 47, of Carlisle, MA finished first with a time of 2:42:00.
Bob Singer came in second with a time of 2:58:02.
In addition to woodals, beef jerky, and Couture’s Maple Syrup, the winners received a six pack of ski tickets at Burke Mountain.
The weather was cloudy, rainy and windy at the start, inviting many to don their wetsuits.
As he has done in every swim of the week, Kevin Sullivan, 56, of Chelmsford, MA finished first in the wetsuit division and first overall, with an impressive time of 2:04:50.
Winning among wetsuited women was Eileen Hee, 45 of Wooster. Her time of 2:36:19 narrowly edged out Margaret Haskins, 59, of Morrisville, whose time was 2:36:44.
Westmore Fire and Rescue provided support throughout the five-mile swim.
Other big news of the day kept patrol boats out on the lake for another few hours, as five swimmers decided to double-cross Willoughby. Charlotte Brynn, 51, of Stowe (4:59:59), Vera Rivard, 13, of Springfield, NH (5:05:32), Cindy Werhane, 48, Portland OR (5:22:12) David Tutchener, 36, Burlington, (4:56:54) and Cat Spina, 37, Hilo, HI (6:06:06).
There are only three other known double-crossings of Lake Willoughby. In 2012, Shannon House Keegan finished her five-mile swim, had a burger and visited with friends, and then swam back the extra five miles. Last year, Janet Harris of New York, NY double crossed in misty, rainy conditions on the Friday before swim week.
Vera Rivard became the youngest to double-cross, adding another gold star to her extraordinary 2017 swim season.
