On Wednesday July 29, 2015, will mark the 90th year of Chincoteague's annual Pony Swim. Chincoteague Pony Swim was made famous by Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague".
The Pony Swim:
The Saltwater Cowboys will swim the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island.
The swim takes place at "slack tide". (Slack tide is a period of about 30 minutes between tides, when there is no current). This is the easiest time for the ponies to make the swim.
The time of slack tide varies each year. However, the swim generally takes place some time between 7am and 1pm.
The specific time will be announced at the carnival grounds the week of the swim.
The Chincoteague Ponies will swim across the Assateague Channel, just south of Memorial Park on the east side of Chincoteague Island. There is no charge to see the ponies swim.
The first foal to come ashore will be named King or Queen Neptune and will be given away in a raffle drawing at the carnival grounds later in the day.
Parade To Carnival Grounds:
After the swim, the ponies rest for about 45 minutes. Then the Saltwater Cowboys will “parade” the ponies down Main Street, to the carnival grounds where the auction will be held the following morning.
The Pony Auction:
The purpose of the pony swim is to move the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island so that the foals can be auctioned. The auction takes place the following day.
The auction serves two purposes. First, the auction helps to control the overall size of the herd, keeping it from growing too large. Secondly, the auction is a fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
The Fire Company uses some of the proceeds from the auction to provide veterinary care for the ponies through out the year. The auction begins at 8 am. Auction winners will receive a certificate saying that they purchased a Chincoteague Pony from the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
The Carnival and Grounds are Open weekends 7to 11pm, from the last weekend of June through the last weekend in July, concluding with the Pony swim back to Assateague Island.
The small cache you seek is hidden along the Bay Side shore line of the Carnival grounds Parking lot. The Terrain is sandy and rocky with unstable footing, so Caution must be used while retrieving the cache.
Free Parking is available year round except during Carnival weekends where there is a cost for parking.
Enjoy the View and if given the chance take an opportunity to see all the events associated with the Pony Swim, but Plan a year in advance due to extreme Large Crowds.
Congratulations to The9Searchers for the FTF Hunt !!!!!