Hanno Nickau, Victoria Hill, Dan Earthquake & Anji Page on Sea Leopard.

Anji, Hanno, Victoria & I met Stuart Gleeson at Dover Marina at 3pm for another trip on Sea Leopard. We're all quite good at following the boat now so we practiced starts - over the side, swim to Shakespeare beach, clear the water & swim back out & follow the boat. Nothing difficult, but I think it good to rehearse so there aren't surprises on the big day. Likely we'll start in the dark, so that's another thing we'll be practicing at a later date.

It seems traditional now to photograph Hanno diving off the boat.

Anji on Shakespeare Beach, Dover

Victoria Hill wondering if the woolen gloves would work in water.

The waves were slight but the wind was gusting which made for a chop with no discernable pattern. Maintaining a comfortable rhythm in such conditions can be challenging first time so it is well to practice regularly in the random combinations that the Channel provides. We'll never be able to say we've swam in all circumstances but hopefully our experiences will help us cope with whatever comes our way on the day of our adventures.

Thanks as ever to Stuart (and Gary) for keeping us safe and happy. Whilst I enjoy swimming in all it's forms, swimming off the coast with the boat is still my favourite.