INSTEAD of battling with blistered feet on the Railway Trail, Michael Swain and Bror Muller found a novel way to complete last Saturday's End to End charity event in double quick time.

The two oarsmen glided across the water from Shelly Bay to Dockyard in the space of 37 minutes, as they became the first people ever to row the End to End.

Mr. Swain, president of the Bermuda Rowing Association, formed as a registered charity in March this year, said he had enjoyed the experience and hoped others would try to row the distance in future years.

The pair were well up to the task ? Mr. Muller was the standby crew for the champion transatlantic team Kiwi Challenge and Mr. Swain was a long-distance rowing champion at college level in Britain.

"One of the organisers of the End to End asked us if we wanted to row it, after we set up the Bermuda Rowing Association (BRA)," said Mr. Swain, a 44-year-old chartered accountant.

"It was dependent on the weather, but as soon as we saw that we were going to get calm conditions with a south-easterly breeze, we decided to go for it.

"From Shelly Bay to Dockyard is officially about four miles, point to point. I'm sure we went a lot further than that, because we followed the coastline.

"We were really flying. We wanted to set a standard for next year. Our association is rapidly growing so next year we hope to enter a fleet of rowing shells and to row from Achilles' Bay."

Mr. Swain and Mr. Muller, a 36-year-old information technology specialist, were rowing in , a double scull recently donated by Ernest Horvath and Bob Cooney. It is 20 feet long and weighs just 80 pounds.

Sculling involves the oarsmen using two oars each, while in rowing each uses one.

Mr. Swain said he had wanted to set up the BRA since he first arrived on the island 16 years ago. In its first six weeks, it has gained 45 to 50 members.

This weekend Mr. Swain will be sitting down with potential rowing coaches as he seeks to set up a junior rowing programme. He said youngsters could derive character-building benefits from the sport ? and he hoped that would appeal to sponsors to provide funds for equipment.

"The values instilled in our youth by the sport of rowing are many and will carry over to life in general," Mr. Swain said. "You have to be very self-disciplined and very conscious of teamwork.

"A lot of corporations use rowing as symbolic of pulling together."

l Anyone interested in knowing more should contact Mr. Swain on 296-2299, extension 302.