NORTH Ayrshire Swimming ace Rachael Grant has revealed how she survived a near miss with a speedboat to take a dominant win in the annual Largs – Cumbrae charity open water swim.

The 15-year-old from Beith was the first to make it onto the island in the Firth of Clyde making the 1.7 mile swim from the dingy slipway near Largs Yacht Haven to the Sport Scotland centre on Great Cumbrae in a time of 35 minutes and 35 seconds.

Nine swimmers from the club’s Senior and Masters squad were among the 60 taking art in the event which is held every year to raise funds for the Gillian’s Saltire Appeal, a local charity which offers respite accommodation in Largs to cancer patients and their families.

Rachael, who regularly enters open water events, finished over six minutes ahead of the second-placed swimmer and we caught up with her to get her reaction to winning.

She said: "I was quite cold at the start, I think the temperature was about 14 degrees. To begin with there was this girl in front of me and then I went away from her and was swimming on my own.

“Usually you’re in quite a close pack and you’re going around a triangular course, but this time it was just in a straight line and there was no one else around, but I liked it.”

For most of the swimmers the biggest concern – aside from the temperature – was the risk of coming into contact with jellyfish, something Rachael knew all about from her previous attempt in the race.

“I did it about three years ago when I was 11 and I got stung by jellyfish and started crying so it was better than last time. I did see one of them but it floated away from me," she added.

As it turned out, the jellyfish were the least of her problems this time.

“At one point I hit some seaweed and got tangled up a bit and then this speed boat came past and went on top of me and I was under the water for a wee bit, but it was fine, " the teenager recalled.

Once warmed up on dry land Rachael was presented with the giant winner’s silver cup which she gets to keep for her year as reigning champion.