A fitting End to the season

Hythe to Folkstone swim

Well the end of the Season is drawing closer and I have been a bit out of it for the last couple of weeks with not a hell of a lot of swimming going on. 

A couple of weeks ago, A friend of mine contacted me on facebook with an idea to do a swim in the ocean Down at Hythe, Kent. The plan was to swim from Hythe to Folkstone. Nothing special about this swim, just a few mates getting together to go for a swim in the ocean. I did not respond in a timely fashion, as is usual for me, I generally leave things to the last minute. As the time approached, on the weekend that he had proposed, I found myself in a very odd situation. I had nothing planned for that day. The weather was looking to be good, I hadn't really done any notable swimming in the previous 3 weeks. I then responded and asked some more details. The deal was this, Get down to Hythe, Jump in the ocean and swim to Folkstone. 

The Plan was to jump into the Ocean, at these rocks that you see in the above photo, then swim to the furthest land point that you can see in the distance. I enquired about the distance and I was told that it was about 10Km. Having done nothing bigger than a 3 km swim for at least two months, and harbouring the remnants of a head cold that I was struggling to shake, I was a bit apprehensive at the distance but thought, Oh well, what is the worst that can go wrong? - Apart from the obvious, sinking, drowning, getting washed out to sea and ending up in France of all places. There were a few other minor grievances.

Well the weather did not disappoint - surprisingly for British Summer time. I phoned Greg about 2 days before and he had managed to procure the services of two kayakers as support and his parents to watch us along the shore. The tide would be with us. I asked about the anticipated time and he mentioned about 2 - 3 hours. I did the sums in my head - yes, without any aid of electronic devices. - with a 2 mph tide and us swimming at about 3 mph, that was a bit excessive but it looked to be a good swim. he mentioned that there would be about 4 - 6 of us doing it.

So I left London on an awesome Autumns day and headed down to Hythe for 10.30. it was not difficult to find the group. There were not the expected 4 - 6 swimmers but 11 swimmers had arrived and their following parties, plus the two able bodied kayakers. We all got changed into our kit, me in my inconspicuous budgie smugglers plus 3 other like clad participants and the rest all donned their black condoms and we were now ready

After a few photos, we were in the water and off. The first thing that was apparent was how warm it was. We had gauged it at about 16 degrees Celsius - I find the oceans are generally about a season behind with regard to temperatures. It is such a large body of water that it does not react to changes in outside temperatures like lakes do, staying a lot warmer for a lot longer into the winter months. There was also the horrid taste of the salt water. Something I do not think I will ever get used too. no matter how many times I swim in the ocean and how much of it I swallow - or not, I still hate the taste of it.

We were off, I was getting into my rhythm pretty quickly. As I was not swimming with triathletes, there would be very little catching these guys and girls up as they were all predominantly swimmers, and pretty quick ones at that. I got into a group of about 4 of us and we trundled down the coastline at a leisurely pace, which seemed blistering - thanks to the tide that was with us. Every now and again stopping to take in the sites and to also gauge how fast the tide was running. Put it this way, if you had just lay on your back in the water you probably would have got to Folkstone in about 3- 4 hours. The water was calm with very few waves, That big ball of light in the sky was threatening to peak itself out from behind the clouds. It was a great swim, no real racing, done at a leisurely pace with enough time to stop and chat with the other swimmers.looking at some of the photos of the swim, I can sort of understand why I do not swim with a wetsuit. If I did, my body would be so high out the water that my legs would be kicking thin air. As salt makes you more buoyant, this was also apparent in the sea.

 I think the hardest job for the day went to the kayakers who had to keep tabs on all of us. 

It all seems pretty simple when organising something like this. 2 kayakers, one at the front, one at the back and things will be good. Won't it???  Well in theory, yes. In practise, it is difficult when some swimmers like to remain fairly close to the shore and others head way out into the ocean, about a km form shore - in theory to get the faster tides. I think the Kayakers got more of a workout than the swimmers trying to keep tabs on us and check that we were all fed, watered, photos taken, alive!!. They did a superb job on all of the above. As we were all relatively accomplished swimmers, we all made a point of sticking with one or two other swimmers so that we were not totally alone.

We past some of the Knolls that were sticking out into the ocean and it did get a bit wavy and choppy out there and I was then reminded that ocean swimming is a very unique skill, completely different from swimming in lakes and rivers where there is very little chop or wave swell. The Waves and the swell can play havoc with your stroke as it rolls you over a bit so you are not centred in the water and, if you are not able to adjust your stroke to compensate, you can end up with a pretty diabolical stoke- not that my stroke can get much worse.

After about 1 hour and 28 minutes I arrived at the prescribed landing point. it was a great swim and the final mapped distance was just shy of 7km. I was expecting to be a lot more broken than I was. I came out feeling very good, bar some minor chaffing under my arms and shoulders being a bit still, all was good. I was pretty pleased with myself that I am still able, on very little training to float my way through 7 km of swimming. It was the one thing that I was a bit apprehensive about when I had arrived down in Hythe.

We all then gathered on the shore and quaffed down some hot chocolate, kindly supplied by the organising committees parents and entourage. Greg then came and did a bit of swimming with his camera and took some photos of us whilst we were out at sea. I think it is a fairly new toy for Greg - a nice Gopro Hero3. Takes some stunning photos and I cannot wait to get my hands on one in the future.

Greg adnd I at the Finish. Thanks Buddy.

My Channelversary

One of the other highlights for me in recent weeks was my Channelversary - for those not in the know, that is an English Channel Anniversary. on the 28th Of September 2008, at 10am in the morning, I stood in trepidation on the shores of Samphire Hoe, with some of the best friends a person could ever want, staring out over the English Channel about to embark on what has turned out to be a highlight in my life. 11 hrs and 45 minutes later, on the 29th of September, in pitch darkness, I set foot on French shores at the base of the Cap Griz Nez lighthouse.

last weekend was the  5th anniversary of this day. I have always meant to get across to France to see where I landed during the hours of daylight. I thought it only fitting that I follow through on this desire on the exact day that I landed 5 years ago.

So, on 29th September 2013 I booked myself and my car onto a Ferry for this pilgrimage. I left London at 6am to get the ferry and then took a drive down, along the French Coast to Cap Griz Nez. I then stood on the shores of France and looked back over the Channel. 5 years after Swimming here, and now standing there looking back over the Channel, I think it has finally sunk in, what I managed to achieve all those years ago was actually a fairly astounding feat. For so many years, it had never occurred to me at how much of an undertaking it was. I had always just looked at it as just another fairly long swim. With the help of those Friends of mine, and the trip to France and seeing it all in the daylight, feeling of nostalgia set in and a realisation that the English channel is one of the biggest swims in the world and the one that nearly all other marathon swims are pitted against. (Cuba to Florida notwithstanding) It must be that for a reason.

I sat for a couple of Hours just starring over the water re-living all the feelings and emotions that I had experienced all those years ago. After 5 years of not doing a lot of swimming, venturing out into other endurance fields and enjoying them, I had this overwhelming feeling flood over me that marathon swimming is my passion and I love it and want to do so much more of it. Nothing comes close to the feeling of pitting yourself against nature  with little more than a pair of  budgie smugglers, a cap and succeeding! It is a very humbling, very lonely sport that you could never do without an army of supporters who are watching out for you the whole time. Without my amazing friends and family I would never be where I am today.

So, as the season Draws to an end for another year, I find myself looking to future challenges and they will involve a bit of water - in fact a fair amount of it. I now need to start looking at the options available to me in 2014 and start getting my mind focused again and get my training back on track..

the swims that I have singled out to try and get into next year are

Zurich Swim

Double Windermere

Loch Lomond

Further Field there is

Rottnest swim

Catalina Channel

1 or 2 of the swims above are what I will try and register for in the season to come, plus a few smaller 10km and smaller swims. I also want to try my had at a bit of ice swimming but we will have to see how the winter progresses

Lastly, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my Sponsors, Colins It for standing by me this year, through all the turmoil. A massive Thanks to my supporters, Family and Friends who have taken the time out of their busy lives to come down and watch me at some of my swims this year and who often believe in me when I find it hard to find belief in who I am.

So although I did not manage to get a big swim in this year, it has been a good year - at least from a swimming perspective. I look forward to getting some big swims in in the years to come. I need to find my swims  then focus on them and getting sponsorship.
I will still be swimming in the pools and also probably in the Lidos. if there are other nutters out there that will be swimming in lakes and Rivers, or the sea over the winter, I would love to join you if I possibly can.

A saying to finish

"You can't save time. You can only spend it, 

but you can spend it wisely or foolishly."

Benjamin Hoff