Sixteen-year-old Eleanor Gardner of Harbour Amateur Swimming Club powered home to take victory in the 2007 annual Trunk Island Swim in Harrington Sound.

Gardner, the top female winner for the last two years, became the first female to win the overall event since Sarah Manuel in 1979.

Held in almost perfect conditions, Gardner led the race from the outset, establishing an early lead with team-mate Denzel Wellman, and held on for a convincing win, in a time of 17 minutes and 18 seconds.

In second place, in 17:25, was veteran Kevin Insley, always in contention in any open water-swimming event. Insley also captured the first male Masters title. Wellman finished in third place with an excellent swim of 17:39, as he and Insley swam head to head for almost five minutes.

Rounding out the top five was another open water stalwart, Mike Cash, in fourth place with a time of 17:56 and Nicole Yearwood of Harbour was fifth in 18:09. The team trophy also went to Harbour Amateur Swimming Club, as Ashley Yearwood joined Gardner, Wellman and Nicole Yearwood in establishing the fastest collective time of four swimmers.

In contributing to the team win, Ashley also repeated as the first swimmer in the twelve and under group. The Harbour team, of Insley, Cash, Stuart Joblin and Paul Deguilo, narrowly beat the Bermuda Masters Swimming team.

Other trophy winners were Giles Lorimer-Turner as the first male in the 12-and-under group, Karen Bruton as the first female Masters swimmer and Peter Weedon in the over 50-years group.

Exactly 100 swimmers competed in the event, which starts from the bay of Trunk Island and finishes in Palmetto Bay, a distance of 1,325 metres.