Coldwater Culture Sea training day, December 10th, 2011

Scraping frost off car windscreens did not deter Hanno, Ali, John & I who met at Dover Marina ready for a swim off the coast. We marvelled at the unlikely looking boat with a windowless cabin and speculated that the owner relied on extra sensory perception to pilot it. A few years ago when I was host of a radio show I twice interviewed Uri Geller. Perhaps this is his boat. I mentioned it to Bob Barlow later and he suggested that the boat would be called "The Bent Spoon."

We had to wait for Stuart to scrape the ice off the windows of Sea Leopard, and stood on the public pontoon we were asked by someone from the harbour masters office if we were waiting for a boat. Pete Hornby later asked me if it would be possible to catch a bus from that exact spot, but to be fair to the chap he probably did not expect that we would be going for a swim.

Dover Lifeboat followed us out, but went a different way when we left the calm of the harbour walls. This was the first trip for Ali Hornby and Hanno Nickau so I showed them Shakespeare Beach and Samphire Ho and explained the general reasoning for starting at each place. On the day (or night) of their attempt they would have to get ready in the fifteen minutes it takes to get to the start point before jumping over the side and swimming to the beach. On reaching the shore it is the habit to remain facing away from the boat. Compose yourself, adjust goggles and when ready turn to face the sea with a hand raised. The boat horn sounds, the clock/timer starts and the swim to France begins Both Ali and Hanno will be swimming this summer in solo attempts, with Hanno running from London first and then cycling onwards to Paris in the Enduroman Arch to Arc event.

We took turns to jump off Sea Leopard into the English Channel this morning cheered on by Pete, Tamsin & Lex (who enjoyed her first voyage on a swimming boat. Checking out for a relay in 2023 maybe? I recommend our pilot Stuart Gleeson -as well as his skill and professionalism, Lex enjoys blowing raspberries at him. Channel Swimming is a complex and technical challenge and having a friendly pilot who dines and socialises with us is very valuable.

Stuart took us past Samphire Ho so that we could swim across the tide which was flooding into the North Sea. Hanno was volunteered to be first in, he swam strongly. Stuart noted that it was the first time he had not heard Hanno's voice. We did 25 minutes each, John got ready when Hanno had 10 minutes left. At this point I realised that I had left my swimming goggles in the hotel. Ali kindly offered me her spare pair, but they were too tight in my eye sockets, Hannos were the same model. Luckily for me John had a spare pair of aquasphere. John wore a mask for his swim, but had got the edge of his rubber hat underneath the seal, consequently he had to stop many times to empty and adjust it.

The glorious sunshine & good company kept our spirits high, we have been very lucky to have a gradual step down in temperatures this year which has allowed us to acclimitise effectively. There have been some years that the inland water temperature has dropped from the mid 50's fahrenheit down to low 40's - this makes it hard to keep swimming distances. Ali went next, swimming smoothly through the waves. "I'm only taking fast swimmers next year," joked Stuart, "but I won't mind if Ali takes a while as Pete will keep me entertained, I'm sure."

Finally, it was my turn. It took me fifty breaths (a minute) to feel comfy in the face and head and from then on I felt good. Stuart turned me into the tide so I had to work hard, but as usual the time passed very quickly and they were soon waving to me to come in.

We adjourned to the lifeboat for lunch, where we were joined by Glenn Hatrick. Then it was off to the Sunny Sands for an afternoon swim before sunset.

John, Ali, Dan, Glenn & Hanno, Sunny Sands Dec 10th 2011

Coldwater Culture training trip, Saturday 5th November 2011

Training for the Channel is best done in the Channel. Obviously, not everyone lives close by so most swimmers use their local pool and open water locations such as lakes, ponds, rivers etc to gain acclimatisation prior to their relay or solo event. No two days in the Channel are ever the same, the challenge that draws people to want to do it is also the reason why many fail: the combination of wind, tide, weather, shipping, pollution, jellyfish and other similar hazards are factors that can end a strong swimmers best effort. Luck is needed and also diligent preparation, as exhaustion, hypothermia, sea sickness and muscle/soft tissue injuries end the attempts of many who did not encounter the problems listed above.

Coldwater Culture plays the game of if's: When in town, if the weather is favourable and Sea Leopard is not otherwise booked by another party - they go for a swim.

We met at 8am on the Saturday morning, a few of the swimmers had been out before, a few were new. The new ones were a little apprehensive, but despite being overcast (which can happen in summer) the water temperature was around 15oC, so not much different to the start of the season averages. Even in warmer months, large ships can churn up the water from below so a variation in temperature is not unusual. The idea of these training trips is to practice following the boat, get used to swimming in sea that is not protected by harbour walls or the land and to see how the motion of the boat affects those on board waiting to swim - no point booking a slot or committing to a swim if the experience is totally dire. Happily there was only one person who felt sea sick today, and they hadn't tried preventative pills prior to the trip, so with a good swim done a return will be made to try again.

Leaving Dover Marina- Dan Earthquake, Victoria Hill, Nicky Graham, Anji Page, John Barry & Julie Ryan

Victoria Hill with the famous White Cliffs in the Background

Nicky Graham with Varne Ridge and the Warren in the background 

Dan Earthquake

John Barry

Anji Page

It was a good humoured trip, Julie Ryan who had been in the Winter Swimming Council Relay team that were successful back in June accompanied usand gave advice to some of the new swimmers.

Please contact me if you would like to book Sea Leopard for a training trip.

- Stuart Gleeson

Angela Lurssen Successful Solo Channel Swim 24th September, 2011

Angela's friend Saffa at Dover Harbour where Angela did a lot of her training.

Angela Lurssen was a member of the Just Do It relay team earlier in the year, so was no stranger to swimming in the English Channel. After the usual formalities of paperwork and safety instructions we made our way to Shakespeare Beach.

Angela getting ready leaving Dover Marina

Swim start 0714 at Samphire Hoe. Angela has an hourly feeding schedule for the first three hours followed by feeds every half hour. Pace swimmers on board supporting Angela are James "Tex" Turnbull, who made a solo attempt earlier in the year and Keith Hunt who was in the Just Swim It relay team with Angela earlier in the year.

Feeding time

Shipping lane on the Horizon

1045 Pace swimmer James enters the water for his first hour of accompanying Angela.

1115 Entered South West Lane. The Straits of Dover are arranged like a motorway, with two separate lanes for traffic – the South West Lane and the North East lane. This scheme is called the Dover Traffic Separation System which was introduced after a series of accidents which started on the 11th January, 1971. The disaster happened when the Peruvian freighter Paracus hit the tanker Texaco Caribbean in thick fog causing the Texaco Caribbean to explode and sink with the loss of many crew members. The explosion was heard and felt throughout the South Kent area. The wreckage was hit the following day by the West German cargo ship Brandenburg which also sunk with the loss of 24 of its 32 crew members. On the 27th Feb 1971, the wreckage was also hit by the Greek cargo ship Niki, which sank with the loss of its entire crew.

Following a government enquiry, the Dover Traffic Separation System (TSS), the world's first maritime radar controlled TSS was set up by the International Maritime Organization. The shore-based long range traffic control system was updated in 2003. Marinas along both coasts provide information on the Traffic scheme and Channel weather. The scheme allows vessels travelling North to use the North East Lane on the French side of the straits and South bound vessels to use the South West lane on the English side. Between these two channels is a separation zone. Coastal traffic and yachts passing between marinas can use the inshore zones and vessels crossing the scheme, such as ferries, must cross at 90 degrees. Channel Swimming escort pilots are allowed to cross the lanes but have to be certified as competent by the Maritime Coastguard Agency with stringent safety rules for equipment carried on the boat including the AIS – Automatic Identification of Ships radar. This allows the coastguards and other shipping to see vessels on their radar giving information of where they are going, how fast and what size they are.


As we entered the South West Lane, Dover Coastguard informed us that 2 tugs - En Avant 1 and Serval - are towing barges in our general vicinity and on the next traffic broadcast gave our position with the information that we are escorting a swimmer and have limited manoeuvrability. A small tanker 90m long called Arklow Venture passes astern.

1140 A container ship from the VFB Line - CMA CGM Hydra - passes our bow. It is 347m long. Felixtowe is one of the few ports that can service the biggest of the World's shipping and a new terminal has recently been completed that will be able to accommodate Maersk's new Super E class that will be 400m long.

In the next hour a number of ships travel down the South West Lane - Elb Trader; Taixing; Montauk; Loveland Island (248m long) Nst Natasia and interestingly KV Bergen, which is a Norweigan Law Enforcement patrol vessel.

1245 Pace swimmer Keith accompanies Angela for an hour.

1340 - 1350 Bsle Star and Viking Diep pass behind us.

1426 We enter the separation zone.

1445 Pace swimmer James accompanies Angela for one hour.

1445 We enter the North East lane. A tanker, MT Deep Blue passes across our bow. It is 250m long.

1525 I see on AIS a ship named Florence on a close course to us. Gris Nez Traffic informs the ship we have swimmer in water and the ship kindly alters it's course.

In the next hour a number of ships pass us in the North East Lane: MSC Regina (259m); Euro Squall, Tegesos; YM Unison (330m).

France in sight

France here I come

1645 Pace swimmer Keith accompanies Angela for an hour.

Prescilla, Aries, Moi Matrix (302m) Loya, and Corossal pass us in the next hour.

1845 James accompanies Angela for an hour. Gallivant another Channel swim boat which has been escorting a swimmer in front of us all day is now a quarter of a mile ahead.

Another procession of ships makes it way up the North East Lane: Canarian Reefer; Blue River; Torm Marianne; Kornett and Ran.

2010. We leave the North East Lane and enter French Inshore Waters, passing Gallivant.

2050 Keith goes in again. The tide has turned and the flood is through. We have missed Cap Gris Nez. It is sometimes hard to describe the effects of the current and tide that run past this closest point to England. This photo taken by a satellite (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_Gris_Nez ) shows the current that moves in this relatively shallow part of the Channel. Remember here the Channel is 21 miles wide and that 220miles width of sea from the Atlantic is pushing up into it.

Cap Gris Nez is also very rocky so landing can present difficulties, especially in rough sea and windy conditions.

Cap Gris Nez from the Boulogne side

2140 In the lane behind us a Container ship from the VFB Line makes its way up the North East Lane - CMA CGM Pegasus - it is 363m long.

Our course is now for Cap Blanc. This is a difficult time for any swimmer as a days work of swimming has already been done and France is tantalisingly close with it's lights beckoning. The current is carrying us parrallel to the coast which is dropping away giving the swimmer more distance to cover. Lots of swimmers make it this far and have to give up, beaten by the tide, current and exhaustion. Angela keeps going. We come just inside the Abbeville buoy and we finally land at 0015 at Cap Blanc, just below the war memorial.

17hours and 1 minute to swim the English Channel! Well done Angela.

Success!

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Paul Syers - 1st October, 2011

Report by Stuart Gleeson

The seven metre tide meant that starting from Samphire beach was the best option. Sea was very calm with very little wind. Paul started at 0315. In the first few hours he took a while to settle, occasionally straying away from the boat and having some adjustments with his goggles. Conditions were very good and the flood tide carried us into the South West shipping lane by 0600. Paul is feeding hourly. His supporters are Sam Jones, a successful Channel swimmer from 2008, Mike Bell, Mike Ball and Mark Watkins. Around 0700 Paul complains of being stung by jellyfish. 

0720 Slack water (asked by observer Steve Franks.) 0815 Tide is on the Ebb. Flat calm, warm sea and air - 17.4oC & 17.8 respectively. 0825 Enter Separation zone. 0904 Entered North East Lane. 0910. Debris and rubbish in the water. 0952 Dolphin sighted. 1012 Paul feels a bit sick.

Next feed has tea with sugar and jellybabies. Supporters decide to feed more often as he looks a bit tired, so feeds now every 45mins 1100 A 300m container ship from the VFB line passes a mile behind us.

 

1115 weather still good, air temp now 20.6oC, water still 17.8oC. 1157 Supporter Mark moons at Paul. 1203, observer asks where we are - 1nm from French Inshore Waters. 1245 Paul going away from the boat. Klaxon & observer whistle to bring him back. 1315 Slack water (asked by observer). Sea now 18.2oC. 1320 Paul stopped. Supporters encourage him. 1326 Breast stroke. 1332 Supporters yell, Paul starts front crawl again. 1342 Breast stroke again. We have just left the North East lane. 1414 Observer asks for hourly details. Sea is now 18.7oC. Paul says he wants to stop. 1418 Paul climbs ladder. He is too tired to continue.

Paul had a go just over a week ago and has tried hard to succeed, so well done for a valiant effort.

Thanks to Steve Franks for the photographs. Last photo by Mark Watkins.

Sea Frogs Relay Team, 20th August 2011

Report by Stuart Gleeson.

I met Sea Frogs relay team at 715pm on Saturday 20th August 2011. After boarding the boat and getting all their kit in sensible places I took Sea Leopard out of Dover Harbour whilst my crewman Stewart Richardson give the usual talk on safety proceedures and CSA Observer Steve Franks reminded the team of the rules and filled out the paperwork. High winds were forecast for the following day, so starting on the ebb tide to avoid them seemed sensible.

We reached the beach at five to eight, Claire Hunter starting off. A good few people on the beach to greet her. Steve blew his whistle at 758pm and confirmed the time with me as the swim began. No wind, sea flat with warm sea measured at 16.2oC.

Kate Stone was in next, followed by Kate Forey. Early stop to adjust goggles - always a concern when swimmers play with goggles as it sometimes gives an indication that they are struggling - but not in the first few minutes! Kate F carried on without any further stops.

Alan Wood took over from Kate F, swimming away from the boat quite often. The team blew whistles to attact his attention, but apparently he had ear plugs in. Jonathon Ebsworth swimming at number 5 tended to get too close. If a swimmer stays between 3 and 5 metres from the boat and looks at the bow, when I adjust position they can too. If I'm having to stop or reposition to compensate for a swimmer going in the wrong direction then we are losing ground and it adds time onto the end of the swim.

Just before 1am Maria Staveley took over swimming a mixture of front crawl and breast stroke.

On entering the SW shipping lane, my attention is focused upon keeping the swimmer close and the dangers of approaching ships. We are travelling at less than 2 knots, whilst the big ships are coming at us at anything up to 25knots. Stewart and I keep an eye on things. Dover Coastguard information broadcasts regularly warn shipping of our presence in the Channel and our limited ability to manouevre, and we listen out for things like tugs with long tows, especially the length. At night this is particularly important, as it would be catastrophic to get in between the two. This is exactly what is happening ahead of us with the tow lit with searchlights. Some ships have the bare minimum of lights showing.

Moonlight Venture, a tanker some 214m in length closely followed by CMA CGM Thalassa which is 347m long are two of the ships that took some careful piloting and communication with their skippers. Thalassa going 23 knots with limited room to manouovre due to her draught. The AIS gives us (and the coastguard) information on position and the details of the ship, those interested in finding out what ships were in the Channel on the day of their swim can visit http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=dover and use the history button to alter the time and day to suit.

Swimmers have to make progress against the tide for a swim to be successful, this is not an easy thing to tell them when they feel they are working hard. On this swim the wind picked up and consequently the waves got a bit higher. Sometimes all they need is some encouragement and Stewart has proved to be good at this over the season.

The swimmers rotate every hour, for me there is plenty to do with ferries and shipping to watch and the course to keep. North East lane is under French Juristiction, so Gris Nez Traffic warns ships of our presence and occasionally calls up individuals to alert them of our position. Some of the swimmers get seasick, especially when the wind gets up.

Around 1120am the team had a discussion about stopping the swim. With some suffering from seasickness and a few others not wanting to swim again they decide not to carry on. Alan is in the water, they call him to the side and he agrees and climbs back onboard at 1132am, Steve Franks notes the time as 15hours 34minutes. We are about 6 nautical miles off Cap Gris Nez, but assuming the team could continue making good progress it would be more like 10 to go.

Well done Sea Frogs for a good effort. Hope to see you again in the future.

Sea Frogs relay team have their own webpage which can be viewed https://riaseafrogs.wordpress.com/sea-frogs-relay-team-2/ and also made their own report of the swim which can be viewed here: https://riaseafrogs.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/saturday-20-august-2011/

Safe Hands Swimmers - Successful Channel Relay Swim,15th September 2011

It was an unexpected call to ask if I would be available to accompany a trip with Stuart Gleeson on Thursday. My preparations for my own adventure were advanced enough to allow a days interruption – Winter Coastal Endurance – living in a tent for 6 months to raise money for Army charities.

Accordingly I was then contacted to determine a start time – meet at Dover Marina for 0130hrs.

Met Stuart Gleeson the pilot – we’ve met before – and his crew Stewart Richardson. Relay team arrived a few minutes later. They loaded their equipment on board and got themselves ready. Stewart Richardson gave a safety talk about lifejackets, radios, what to do in an emergency etc.

The team are a group of Midwives, raising money for a charity.

Sarah Coates, the first swimmer got ready as boat travelled to Sanfire Hoe, the start point. There were three boats with swimmers starting around the same time – Viking Princess and Louis Jane.  Every hour there is information to record – stroke rate of swimmer, temperature, wind force & direction, flow of tide and height of waves. Also the position of the boat – latitude and longtitude – and a record of what the swimmer(s) eat/drink during their crossing.

Sarah entered the water and swam to the small beach at Samfire Hoe, Stewart Richardson shone a light ashore. When she had cleared the water and signalled ready, the swim started officially and Sarah began the swim to France at 0245hrs. The team are enthusiastic but obviously a little apprehensive. Jen Hamilton gets ready next and takes over from Sarah at 0345hrs. Sarah is helped on board and dries off.

It’s still dark at 0445hrs when Paula Strange enters the water and takes over from Jen. We are 1.5 miles off the shipping lane. During her swim Paula was sick but carried on her swim. At the change over to fourth swimmer Vicky Woodlands - 0545hrs - we enter the South West Shipping lane.

Edjan gas tanker appears to be on a course too close so Stuart gets Vicky to treadwater for four minutes to let it pass.

0645hrs. Stacy Morgan is the fifth swimmer – the changeover is the best so far – the team is getting more organised. We see a number of ships in the South West lane during our passage. It is hard to get the names of most of them, but a check on the ship AIS website shows that Edjan was in a steady stream of traffic that passed us: General Cargo ship Julia; General Cargo ship Emsbroker; Container ship CCNI Atlantico; Cargo Ship M.V. Calibria; Tanker Anna Victoria; Vehicle Carrier London Highway; Container Ship Cap Gabriel; Container Ship Rio Del La Plata.

0745hrs. Kerensa Davies is swimmer number six. We still have 1.1 miles to go to clear this shipping lane to enter the seperation zone. Kerensa was sick, but carried on.

0845hrs. Sea State is calm with slight waves. Ripple at height 0.5 metres. 6^th and 7^th swimmer – Jill O’Dwyer – change over. Just past the North Ridge bouy in the Seperation Zone.

0945hrs. Sarah takes over from Jill. Stuart had to hold Sarah for a minute of treading water due to two French trawlers out of Boulogne crossing our path.

1045hrs. Jen is in again. Sarah said she felt a lot better this time around and enjoyed it. This is despite being stung by a small jellyfish.

The team has settled down now and are enjoying the swim.

1145hrs. Paula in again. Sick again, but carries on.

1245hrs. Vicky Woodlands in for second swim. Now in the North East Lane. Lots of ships pass us in the next few hours: Tanker New Breeze; General Cargo ship Hendrik – S; General Cargo Ship Romi; Tanker Maesk Rosyth; General Cargo ship Baccara; Container ship Montreal Express; General Cargo Ship Fehn Coral; Cargo Bulker Cape Veni; Tanker Dutch Mate; Vehicle Carrier Gran Canaria; General Cargo ship Sardinia. We have to alter course to avoid Sardinia, which is a hundred metres long. Not the biggest of the ships that pass us, but certainly not one we would like to get too close to. Those interested in seeing more detail of these ships can visit the website: http://www.shipais.com/photos/

1345hrs. Stacy Morgan enters the water, taking over from Vicky. Hourly checks show that the water temperature has dropped by a degree and a half. This is likely due to our position over the deepest part of the Channel. Recent research and investigations have discovered that the deepest part of the English Channel was once a river bed and that the surrounding area was inhabited, sometime before the last ice age. For swimmers this means that on the change of the tide – in Vicky’s case from Ebb to Flood – the flow of water travelling along this deeper part can be stirred up by the large propellers of the passing ships and high speed ferries resulting in a variation of sea temperature.

1445hrs. Kerensa takes over from Stacy. There has been a break in the traffic for half an hour now, which is welcome. Our passage through the North East Lane so far has been quite busy.

1545hrs. Jill takes over from Kerensa. France is closer now of course, the team can see progress and are happy in their efforts.

1645hrs. It is Sarah’s turn to swim again, surely her last rotation. Pilot discusses our position and the likelihood that we might get taken around the Cape (Cap Gris Nez) towards Boulogne depending on the strength of tidal flow and the speed of the swimmer(s) in the last few hours.

1745hrs. Jens turn in. There is a possibility that we Jen might land the team, but she will have to swim hard. Paula, who has been sick on both her swims may be hoping that Jen does indeed land – but it is hard to tell because in relays it is always good to be the person who finishes for the team. Stuart is making preparations with Stewart for the finish – the small boat is pulled closer and the engine is started.

1845hrs. Close, but not close enough. Paula enters the water and takes over. It is a short swim to the rocks, deceptively close but it still takes twenty minutes to cover the distance and clear the rocks.

At 1905, seventeen hours and twenty minutes after Sarah Coates started the journey, Paula Strange lands in France.

Back on board it is a happy occasion as Paula dries off and changes. There has been a few hard moments for the team, but wind, tide, shipping and the two French trawlers did not manage to thwart the efforts of these remarkable ladies. Well done.

The full set of photos for this swim can be viewed on http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150220141981230.312744.673111229&l=79c5a6693b&type=1

and

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/set=a.10150285605761230.330973.673111229&l=f8411891a0&type=1

Hi Stuart,

Just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to you, Stewart and Mike from all of us, we really did have such an amazing day on Thursday! I can’t begin to tell you how elated, delighted, ecstatic, overjoyed and thrilled we all were to successfully complete our Channel Swim!!

Thank you for your amazing support and encouragement, your expertise of The Channel, your knowledge of the tides and weather, for getting us there and back safely (from my dad!), the wonderful cups of tea, the updates of the progress and water temperature!! I’m still checking the shipping forecast and I still don’t understand it!!

Many, many thanks to you all once again, please pass them on to Stewart and Mike. If I hear of anyone wanting to do the amazing crazy swim I’ll be sure to recommend you!!

Thank you,

Paula & The Team of Successful Channel Swimmers

xxxxxxx