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Sea Leopard - swimmers eye view

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Force 6 Channel Relay team - practice swim 19th May 2012


Force 6 Channel Relay Team - 2012
 Force 6 Channel Relay team took the opportunity to have a practice swim away from the shelter of the land in preparation for their coming attempt. Team Captain G gave the swimmers a briefing on how the rules of the swim on the day will work & how changeovers are made every hour with the first swimmer being overtaken by the second, this being the process that will be repeated hourly until the swim is complete. The official observer will be keeping time & making sure that the rules of the swim are followed for official recognition. It is good practice for the team to have a rota of who is looking after who, so the first swimmer will usually be attended to on exit by the fourth swimmer, the second by the fifth and so on. This ensures that each swimmer who has just finished is looked after by someone who has plenty of time to help, every team member having an opportunity to eat, sleep & get ready for their swim whilst the journey continues across the Channel to France.

 Team Captain G gives a briefing to the swimmers

G getting ready to swim



G swimming in the Channel for a practice swim

G surfing along a wave

Fiona

Fiona the little Mermaid

Alex the Rocket

Alex

Gary

G & Ali Castleton discuss the weather

Ali Castleton - practice swim in the English Channel.

Following the boat is the most important skill for a Channel Swimmer as one waves are over a few inches in height as is usual (more likely a few feet!) it is virtually impossible to see anything other than the pilot boat & direction is certainly difficult to judge. Luckily the pilot will know which is the optimum course as per the prevailing tide & conditions, steering the boat accordingly. The movements of vessels in the English Channel are carefully monitored by Coastguards on both sides along with constant radio communications. At regular intervals both coastguards warn shipping of particular hazards to be mindful of, these include unusual loads being towed (such as an oil exploration platform); marker buoys that are off station or drifting; notifications of emergency situations such as man overboard or containers floating & of course the presence of Cross Channel Swimmers. Each pilot boat has AIS (automatic identification of ships) radar fitted so that both Coastguard & shipping can see the location of the swimmer, the speed & course that is being taken. Much of a pilots expertise is concerned with safely negotiating the swimmer through the two shipping lanes whilst taking into consideration all the pertinent factors. It may be that a swimmer will have to treadwater whilst a large vessel passes, restricted as it may be in moving or altering course. There may be other obstructions - such as a debris or loose nets from fishing boats that the pilot has to avoid - so a swimmer must be prepared to follow the boat no matter what without question. Any time taken discussing direction & location is time wasted in drifting. If circumstances force a swimmer to treadwater whilst a large ship passes, this time can be used for extra feeding, hydration & motivation from the supporters. Practice swims such as the one today allow for all these instances to be easily understood so that on the day of the adventure the swimmers can turn their arms knowing that all eventualites are in the hands of their pilot, who they know & trust. Additionally practice swims help the pilot become familiar with the swimmer & assess their capabilities in varied conditions which is helpful for calculating the optimum course.


Ali & Nicky Channel Swim training, 12th May 2012

The swimmers met at Dover Marina in the sunshine, the sea promising to be the warmest so far this year. This was to be a practice swim, charter shared between Ali Hornby, who is swimming solo this July & Nicky Graham who is training for an attempt next July. Both have been out on trips before with Sea Leopard in preparation for a relay swim on the first tide of the Channel Swimming season which begins in the last week of June.

Nicky Graham & Ali Hornby

Nicky swam first, the sea reasonably calm with some clouds hiding the full strength of the sun.

Nicky decends the ladder into the Channel, the beach at Samphire Hoe in the background

Nicky Graham swimming offshore - Folkestone Harbour Arm in the background.
 Ali took a turn next. Both Ali & Nicky have swam outside through the winter as part of their preparation for the Channel.

Ali Hornby

Nicky Graham warms up as Stuart Gleeson watches Ali

Nicky Graham

Whilst swimming, concern was raised for an empty kayak that had been spotted from the shore. Sea Leopard assisted Dover Lifeboat in locating the craft - and the person who had been paddling it was successfully rescued by the RNLI.

Dover Lifeboat