BORDEN-CARLETON, P.E.I. -- A New Brunswick girl vying to set the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to swim across the Northumberland Strait completed the 15-kilometre crossing on Sunday.
Twelve-year-old Brooklyn Douthwright of Riverview completed the swim from Cape Jourimain, N.B., to Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., in about four hours.
Douthwright said at one point, she had a tough time making headway in the ocean water, but she pushed through and even finished an hour ahead of schedule.
"I was a little bit worried in one spot because I wasn't moving very far," said Douthwright in a phone interview after completing the crossing. "But other than that it was really good."
She said the swim, the longest she's ever taken on, wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.
"It was a pretty great experience," said Douthwright, who had a couple dozen people waiting for her at the finish line in P.E.I. "I'm really glad I did it. Knowing that I could do it when I'm 12 is really cool."
Douthwright was one of about 50 swimmers participating in The Big Swim fundraiser for the Bridadoon Village facility in Nova Scotia, a camp for children living with a chronic illness, chronic condition or special needs.
A spokesman for The Big Swim says Douthwright's mother will now submit an application to Guinness World Records to set the record for the youngest person to swim across the Northumberland Strait.
This year's goal is to raise $150,000, which would send 150 children to camp. Douthwright said she raised around $1,600.
