Coldwater Culture - Feb 24th - Offshore Adventuring.

For some reason this stayed as a draft in the webpage archive, but now that the season is coming to an end swimmers who are thinking about their preparations for next year would do well to consider hiring Sea Leopard for some out of season training. The Coldwater Culture training weekends that I run visit Folkestone every month of the year as a rule, & we get out to sea with Stu & Sea Leopard as much as the weather allows. It is tough, no doubt about it, but if you are going to swim the Channel next year some experience with a boat & pilot is invaluable. There is plenty to do: beach practice starts, swims against & across the tide, follow the boat drills - it's amazing how many people leave it to the day of their swim before realising that they will have to jump overboard (likely at night) & swim to the starting beach. Then when they get back parallel to the boat they find that they feel uncomfortable with it being close & consequently waste valuable time by confering with supporters & pilot about the best position to swim in. Of course, I recommend it: I've been hiring Stuart for training trips since 2007 & have had some of my best swims with him. I have found it to be very useful & most of all fun. No point pushing yourself to the limits if there isn't some element of enjoyment in it. Anyway, back to the story.

We met at Dover Marina, not a tickle of breeze: a bit overcast. Introductions to those who hadn't previously met: 8 of us swimming today off the coast with Stu Gleeson & the Sea Leopard.

Dan Earthquake, Jim Malone, Hanno Nickau, Anji Page, Ali Hornby, Sue Brooks, Victoria Hill & Nicky Graham

New to sea swimming, Jim Malone entered the water first, 7 degrees the reported sea temperature, though the Folkestone weather buoy recorded the water to be 6.2oC. Jim got into a comfortable stroke early on making a credible 25 minutes, the swimming in more severe temperatures inland showing its worth.

Jim Malone getting in for his first ever swim off a boat.

Jim Malone swimming off coast of Samphire Ho/The Warren

"Can't get the gloves off Jim? - I'll surgically remove them if you like."

Next in was Nicky Graham, very fast stroke - hard to get a good photo of her. 20 minutes no wetsuit made for another good effort.

Nicky Graham with the Warren in the background.

Curious Seal

A seal watched us from a reasonable distance, I've had to blow the photo up - I guess he/she was curious. Living on the beach near Samphire Ho, the local seals see plenty of Channel Swimmers - but not in February.

Sue Brookes jumped overboard as much to dare sister Ali as anything else, swimming strongly for 25minutes - again impressive for a first session in the Channel in February.

No Fear for Sue Brookes.

Anji Page followed after, 20 minutes easily accomplished.

Anji Page

Anji Page swimming - swimming off shore with the cliffs of the Warren behind

Ali Hornby couldn't be cajoled into jumping in despite the taunts from Sue & I. Goggles were her enemy today - spares as it turned out due to lending usual ones that had not been returned. We all agreed that lending best goggles is beyond reasonable generosity.

Ali Hornby - Folkestone is in the far distance.

Victoria Hill lowered herself in next, noticeably faster than last time - training with Duncan Goodhew (see http://twitpic.com/8nk6yl ) obviously helped on Thursday with a good thirty minute effort.

Victoria Hill with the Warren in the background

Hanno Nickau programmes his cybernetic interface whilst Jim looks on...

Unplugging before the swim...

...six million euro man Hanno Nickau dives into the Channel

Hanno Nickau - half man, half cyborg - unplugged himself from his computerised life suppport & dived overboard. Tide in full flood meant we had to change direction, we opted not to tell him so as to test whether he would follow the boat. He did & completed a full hour.

Warn the shipping - Dan Earthquake jumping into the Channel...

I jumped overboard armed with camera to get some swimmers eye photos of Sea Leopard. Then I got back on board so we could cruise back towards Shakespeare as the drift was taking us closer to Dover harbour than was desirable. I got back in for a short swim - lazy today. Without a hat the neuralgia was severe & it took me 62 breathes to feel comfortable, swimming with the tide almost to Admiralty Pier.

Self photo with Sea Leopard behind. Note the blue sky.

By this time we were all hungry, adjourning to the pub was not productive as Rugby was on & kitchen closed to cope with the multitudes glued to the TV. Sarah Dodsworth and some of the Blue Tits were there, having swam on Sunny Sands in the morning, I stopped short of accusing them for eating everything, saving that for Victoria who had got there just before us and had the last order of the day. Ugh! Ball games, they should be kept on school playgrounds where they belong. For me real sport is swimming, running, climbing, athletics, gymnastics, powerlifting. The only team sport I ever liked was Tug of War. Ball games. And no dinner. We reconvened at the Chinese buffet & made plans for a night dip on the beach. I gave my friends a short safety briefing, always best to have some sort of plan especially for swimming at night.

Lots of people avoid, fear or simply never get round to swimming at night. I've swam a few times in various lakes at night and it is enjoyable, sometime magical if the sky is clear and the stars visible. Channel solo and relay swimmers may have to swim in the dark for some part of their trip; there are a lot of early morning starts and if the first experience of swimming at night is the swim to Shakespeare or Samphire Ho beach at 1am on the day of your attempt then you have only yourself to blame if it bothers you. Stu and I can help: A practice start; some swimming offshore away from the protection of the cliffs at different times of day; varied conditions; swimming across and against the tide - these are advisible before committing to a date and the expense of the whole adventure. It is always a shame to hear of those who set off unprepared and don't make it - I was one of them a few years ago, suffering dreadful seasickness. It's what started me hiring Stuarts boat - to try and overcome it and I enjoyed it so much I kept coming back.

Thanks to Victoria Hill for additional photos.

The Drifters - Successful Channel Relay Swim - 15th September 2012

 

 

Report by Stuart Gleeson

 

We met at Dover Marina. After loading gear, introductions - Ram, Mark, Tom, Andrew, Nick, Ben - meet crewman Stuart Adams & CSA Observer Sam Jones. Safety briefing & confirmation of swimming rules/regulations follow.

 

2340: Leave marina for Samphire Hoe swim start. Ram starts the team off at 0010hrs.

 

First few hours saw the usual settling in: a few bouts of seasickness but good team spirit. Air temperature is cool & the team have noticed it. Of course dawn follows even the coolest of nights & the first sunshine always lifts the spirits. Not a great deal of traffic in the lanes today, but some good sized ones.

 

It is in great spirits that Ben ends the swim by landing on the shingle beach of Ambleteuse, his team mates join him for the usual pebble souvenirs.

A finishing time of 11hrs 32minutes is recorded & out comes the champagne. Well done team.

--------


Hi Stuart, Thanks again for getting us across the Channel safely! - The Drifters -

Coldwater Culture training swim - 9th September 2012

We met in the lobby of the Grand Burstin Hotel at 730am: Jackson had to head off home whilst the rest of us drove to Dover to meet Stuart Gleeson & the Sea Leopard.

 

We left the Western entrance of Dover Marina heading for nearby Shakespeare beach to practice beach starts.

 

Jim dove in first, we looped him round in a circle followed by Glenn, Eleanor & Nicky.

There are many in the triathlon world who barely believed it when photos appeared of Glenn swimming last winter, even more incredulity when the wetsuit came off. His swim today in trunks with white cliffs behind will bring many accusations of "cheating" from various rivals I'm sure.

 

 

 

Unfortunately for Glenn, he lost his wetsuit sometime over the weekend, so he's going to have to get used to swimming in the trunks.

 



Eleanor Woodward dives into the Channel with Shakespeare Beach in the distance.



 

 

Jim had a short go without his wetsuit - diving in meant that it was then minus trunks as well. He recovered them quickly.

 

Practicing following the boat seems easy enough - like anything a few goes makes it simpler.

 



Shipping was warned as I jumped in to an otherwise calm sea.



 

 

Then it was me (Dan Earthquake) I swam us back towards the marina, sea very flat & warm: the conditions we all dream of for our crossings. I love these trips out with Stu, always good to head out to sea with friends & practice for Channel crossings.

Each of us had commitments to fulfil so said our goodbyes & went our separate ways. A good fun weekend. Thanks Stu.

Bourne to Swim - Successful Channel Relay Swim - 7th September 2012

Report by Stu Gleeson.

 

We met at 0230. Loading, introductions - team meet Garry (Crew) & Sam (CSA Observer). I give the safety brief, Sam confirms the rules & fills out the paperwork whilst Garry & I steer Sea Leopard out of Dover Harbour into the Channel towards the pebble beach at Samphire Hoe.

 

Swim starts at 0320, cool breeze in a cloudless starry night. Entered Sou'West lane at 0655. The team are happy & relaxed, conditions aren't perfect for swimming, but average for the Channel. 0855 entered Separation Zone. Wind picking up some. At 1304 I call Gris Nez Traffic to inform them that we are in French Inshore Waters. 

 

A tough few hours for the team passes with success - Tardinghen Beach in 13hrs 0mins from starting. Well done Dave, Neil, Ross & Andrew. A good strong swim.

William Baker - Successful Solo Channel Swim - 6th September 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

 

William had some bad luck having previously been booked to go with another pilot who had some engine difficulties, so it was a case of him having to wait for my other trips to go before I could take him.

 

A cool but still night, we started William from Samphire Hoe at 0326. Quite a bit of traffic in the lanes today. William had some sickness, pain & moments of doubt but managed to carry on despite these challenges. After 18hours & 40 mins, William landed at Wissant.

 

Well done William. A tough courageous swim.

Kamil Nesa Alsaran - Successful Solo Channel Swim - 4th September 2012

Report by Stu Gleeson.

 

0200 meet. Usual pleasantaries & introductions of crew/observer to swimmer & supporters before setting off to Samphire Hoe.  The night is calm & still. Swim recorded as starting at 0315. Kamil took a while to settle into a comfortable position next to the boat & changed sides. Swimming either side makes no difference to me as pilot, but it is useful for the swimmer to be able to breath both sides so that the full advantage of the boat can be used: it provides shelter from the wind & the bright sunshine (not a concern until sunrise & only on some days in the UK).

 

Entered Sou'West lane at 0600, leaving it at 0813 to enter Separation Zone. Some fog patches today. A few bottlenose dolphins swim close to Kamil & the boat. Kamil seems happy enough. French inshore waters at 1320. Good encouragement from his wife for a big push across the shallows makes for a happy beach landing in 13hrs & 19mins.

 

Well done Kamil.

The Pattern Family - Successful Channel Relay Swim - 3rd September 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.
 

 

A warm night, we meet at Dover Marina & everyone finds their own space as I give the safety talk. CSA Observer Sam Jones carries on the official bit by confirming rules & noting particulars whilst Stuart Adams & I steer Sea Leopard out of Dover Harbour for a 0305 start from Samphire Hoe.

 

A happy team, each motivating the swimmer in the water & caring for each other after each rotation. Good fast progress, even with some of the family suffering from seasickness. This trip is the 50th birthday treat for Hugo Pattern & he seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Within striking distance of France after 10 hours, Harry does a big push leaving mum to do just five minutes to land at Ambletuese Ft Mahon after just 11hrs & 5 mins.

A delightful family who obviously love swimming together.

 

Well done team. Happy Birthday Hugo.

 

Challenge 5.21 - successful Channel Relay Swim - 1st Sept 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

 

A cool night. Met the team at Dover Marina: safety briefing, introductions - crewman Garry Clarke, CSA Observer Sam Jones. Off to Samphire Hoe. At 0110 the swim started, all the girls are happy with the stereo filling the night air with music. Sea like glass, no wind but some rain.

 

Good quick swimming from the team: into the Sou'West lane in 2hours (0310) & into the North East Lane at 0630. Some sea sickness but they coped well & kept each other motivated.

 

Alice, Amy, Poppy, Isabelle & Josephine propelled themselves across the Channel in an amazing time of 10hours & 50 minutes landing at Point du Riden at midday.

 

A great trip, lovely to see you all make light work of the Dover Stait. Well done.

 

Thomas Hackett - Successful Solo Channel Swim - 23rd August 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

Thomas Hackett & his supporters met me at Dover Marina at 0230. I gave the usual safety briefing & as CSA Observer Sam Jones confirmed the details of the rules, Stuart Adams & I steered Sea Leopard out of Dover Harbour towards Samphire Hoe. Thomas made his start at 0332.

 

As is usual, it took a few hours for the swimmer to feel entirely comfortable: the anticipation in the days & weeks beforehand & the adrenaline of the occassion all contribute to nerves. Support from those on board always makes a difference & today was no different.

 

We entered the Sou'West lane at 0615 as the cameras came out to take in the Sunrise. Good progress despite Thomas feeling negative, we made the Separation zone by 0850 & into the North East lane at 0932. A few painkillers & some kind words from his sea weary supporters later & it was soon time for Elizabeth to enter the sea to swim in to Tardighen beach in France.

 

An excellent swim, well done: 12hrs 52minutes.

Wyatt Song Successful Channel Swim - 9th August 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

Our first meeting for the attempt was at 4am - unfortunately thick fog meant that it was too dangerous to make an attempt so I delayed the start to the afternoon tide - let the Sun burn the fog off. At 1530 the team returned to Dover Marina & so proper introductions were made & crewman Stuart Adams & I prepared for  departure. CSA Observer Sam Jones bought along her Olympic Torch for us to see - all the torch bearers were given the opportunity to buy the torch that they carried. Incidentally, Julie Ryan, who swam in a relay with me last year & a solo attempt in 2010 also carried the Olympic Torch during it's journey around the British Isles.

Sam recorded the start time of the swim as being 1615, sea flat calm with sun & no wind. Seals sighted early on, some live nearby at Samphire Hoe & are sometimes swimming around Dover Marina.Wyatt was cheerful, quick feeds & onto business - the best way. At 1932 I notified Dover Coastguard that we were entering the Sou'West lane.

Sunset replaced by a clear night, good visibility. 1015 entered separation zone. Wyatt joked on his feeds with his family eventually changing to swim on the port side as we entered the NorthEast Lane. 1115 longer stop, Wyatt was sick, but like many swimmers was happy to vomit to clear stomach acid & salt, refuel & carry on. 115 - some mention that shoulders are sore. An hour later Wyatt was in good spirits when told approx 3.8 miles to land. 245 French Coastguard ask for assistance to identify an unknown vessel, this is later confirmed as a fishing boat.

0430 Wyatt has a lot of pain but perseveres. An hour later he appeared to be slowing considerably as the sun rose over a calm sea. Family take many photos. Gallivant & Sea Satin passed by with their successful swimmers returning - cheering & waving. A good team spirit among swimmers who sometimes have never met - & will never meet.

0800 half a mile to the beach ahead. Wyatts right shoulder is hurting him. Troy mentions the beach is occupied by nudists to encourage him onwards.

0827 Wyatt lands at Wissant beach 16hrs 17mins after setting off from England. Wyatt indicates he wants to swim back to England so sets off again within the required 10 minutes. At 0917 shoulder pain makes Wyatt decide to get back on board. No problem Wyatt - an excellent swim by anyone's standards. Well done.

Photos to follow.

Adam Engelskirchen - Successful Channel Solo - 8th August 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson

We left Dover Marina at 0320 bound for Samphire Hoe for Adam's Channel swim. Accompanied by crewman Stuart Adams.

Start time recorded as 0410 by CSA Observer Sam Jones, some swell & breeze which flattened out within the hour. At 0652 I called up Dover Coastguard to report we were entering the Sou'West lane. Adam had some early sickness - sometimes the liquid feeds of electrolytes can upset the stomach. Sam Jones gave good advice to the support crew to help overcome this.

MSC Gaia 1201ft long passed close, later another vessel of the same length - Hanjin Asia - was on a direct course for us. Obviously, I took evasive & appropriate action. It was not the last big ship to come close that day, but usual for a Channel crossing to encounter them. Some drizzle & overcast conditions generally.

Despite experiencing some pain in his shoulder, Adam kept a good work rate & remained positive. His support team provided encouragement in the right places which definitely helped. Tide swept us past the Cap, but Adam pushed onwards successfully landing at Wissant at 1800hrs: 13hrs, 50mins after leaving England.

Photos to follow.

 

Hi Stuart,

I had hoped to stop by before we left England to convey my thanks for the good piloting, but didn't manage to get there.

I was very happy to be successful - even if it took longer than I'd expected. It was a long-time goal and I trained hard over the months leading up to it, so it was really important to me to get it done.

Thanks again to you, Stuart and Sam. I couldn't have been happier with the support and the result.

All best,

Adam

Jan Roodzant Successful Channel Solo - report to follow

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

Met the swimmer & supporters, gave safety briefing & introduced them to crewman Stuart Adams & CSA Observer Sam Jones. Left Dover Harbour at 0600 sea state calm, sun shining. Jan started his swim from Shakespeare Beach recorded as 0625 by CSA Observer Sam Jones. 

Some seaweed & rubbish in the Channel today. I informed Dover Coastguard as we entered the Sou'West lane at 0920. Hans joined Jan for a while, but not for the full hour. Swimmers often like to have a friend swim alongside, which is allowed under the rules for up to an hour at a time (every other hour) if deemed safe by the pilot. Whilst I will always allow it if it is safe, it is rare that a support swimmer does anything other than slow the pace.

The usual convoy of huge ships passes us, notably tanker Excelerate (905ft long) & container ship Maersk Buffalo (965ft long.) Occasionally I have to contact ships in the lane to alert them of our presence & restricted manoeuvrability, sometimes this is done by Dover Coastguard, who also give out regular service broadcasts which give general safety information to vessels in the vicinity. Sea Leopard is visible on AIS (Automatic Identification of Ships) radar - so long as someone is on the bridge looking at the screen! Jan had a few bouts of sickness, but carried on without too much interruption.

At 1237 I informed Gris Nez Traffic that we entered the North East lane. Jan complains of some shoulder pain & later some backache. 1451 entered French Inshore Waters.

Jan has a very close encounter with the Les Quenocs North cardinal buoy:

After 11hrs & 25mins, Jan landed on Cap Blanc, accompanied by Hans. 

Excellent work Jan! Well done. 

Ali Hornby - Channel Solo (unsuccessful) - 24th July 2012

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

Met Ali & her family at 0145 along with CSA observer Sam Jones. Ali has swam with Sea Leopard a number of times before (as has her support crew) on training trips so is familiar with the boat which makes for an easy relaxed preparation for the swim. Stuart Adams is crewman for me.

We leave Dover Harbour & approach Samphire Hoe - this is the second time Ali will start from the beach, having done so already this season with a relay attempt.

Sue watches as Ali Hornby lowers herself into the Channel ready to swim to the starting point.

0320 - Ali begins her swim. Perfect weather - calm sea, warm air temperature. Ali feeds at 0420, 45 seconds. Onboard, Ali's sister Sue Brookes; brothers Paul & Steve Husband & brother in law Ray Brookes organise themselves. They all swim & have trained for the past year to help Ali today. Husband Pete Hornby is charge of feeding. The whole team is very humorous.
 

Large patches of seaweed are floating by as we approach the Sou'West lane which we enter at 0700. At 0720 Sue swims with Ali for some company for an hour. They both encounter seaweed & Ali changes sides to be in the Sun (portside).

 

Some big ships in the Channel today - notably containers ship Maesk Tanjong (333m long) & CMA CGM Centaurus (364m long). The AIS Radar (automatic indentification of ships) tells me how big, how fast, which direction - & I use this information to calculate a safe passage through the shipping lanes. Everstrong (which alters course for us) is a baby by comparison at a mere 301m, but the bow wave that it produced due to it's speed & proximity causes Sea Leopard to roll heavily. Ali seemed to enjoy it though. Tanker Grand Challenger (only 229m) is hailed by Dover Coastguard to alter course to give us a wide berth - we show on radar as having limited maneuvrability - but a reminder from Langdon Battery is always welcome.

 

Alison was sick a few times, later she speculates it is from a bad bag of chips the day before rather than salt ingestion. In any case she carries on. At 0920 Ray enters sea to swim with Ali. 0950: I inform Dover Coastguard that we have entered the separation zone. 1030 - Informed Gris Nez traffic that we are entering the North East lane. Dolphins in the distance.

1320. Ebb tide appears still to be running, though by the book it shouldn't. But this tiny corner of the World has a mass of water squeezing through a relatively small gap twice a day - wind & weather elsewhere can affect what flows past us. It is these invariables that make the English Channel swim so tough & hard to appreciate for those who research beforehand: sometimes the conditions don't match the tidal stream atlas & the forecasts are wildly wrong.

 

In these next few hours we ask Ali to speed up & have to feed her more often & quickly. We hope to take full advantage of slack water. She never complains. Brothers Steve & Paul swim with her for their alloted hours & help keep her spirits up. Big ships pass, some close enough to have to take evasive action. We leave the NE shipping lane at 1927. I'm concerned that we will be swept back into the lane by the tide which is picking up progressively. At 1945 Ali decides to end the attempt.

Ali swam 16hours & 25mins getting within three miles of France. A superb effort, a pleasure to have had your company in the months before today. Hope to see you again soon.

Ray Brookes, Sue Brookes, Steve Husband, Ali Hornby, Paul Husband, Cynthia Husband & Pete Hornby.