Channel Myths: Busted!

Sometimes (quite often) I have to remind myself that swimming from England to France is not something that most people decide to do in their lifetime. The confusion comes each morning when I  am immersed around swimmers, so many of whom have either already swum the channel or aspire to. So why wouldn't everyone else want to do the same?!

I have noticed a few myths swimming around and I will attempt to blow them out of the water.

In a straight line, at its narrowest point, the Dover Strait is 34km across.
Unfortunately I am not Trent Grimsey, and I won't be swimming in a straight line

Swimmers get pulled north and south by the tides that enter and exit the Dover Strait. This is an enormous amount of water movement, hence the typical 'S' shape.

Tides change every 6ish hours, they flow North-East to South-West in and out of the strait. So when the tide changes its direction, it turns 180 degrees and flows back to where it came from. Often the difference between high and low tide is 6m. This is enormous. 

There is one exception to this...and his name is Trent Grimsey. Aka the current record holder for the fastest channel crossing. 6hr 55minutes

Gone are the days of covering ones self in porpoise blubber or what ever it was. Thank goodness for that- After a horrid experience with duck fat I am glad this has been given myth status.

We do not wear wetsuits because for the swim to be officially recognised and acknowledged as a true channel crossing we all have to adhere to a stringent dress code. Cosi, cap and goggles-Just like Trudy Ederle (the first woman to swim the channel) and Capt Matthew Web before her.
It is a proud tradition, and one that breads open water swimmers tough.



So no wetty, no grease..just Vaseline and lanolin to help ease the chafing at the back of my neck and under my arms.

I will be stopping every 30-45 minutes for a feed, this is not a rest break. As the water moves at such a great speed, I cannot afford to hang around chatting, for risk of getting pushed too far north/south. Coach Charm will be making sure these stops are for fuel only and will last around 20-30 seconds. At the moment gels are the flavour of the day, though I will be experimenting with Ovaltine.

There is also no touching of the boat or person. Channel rules dictate that the swim is to be totally unaided, an observer onboard will be checking that I do not break any of the rules.

This is what a channel "feed" looks like, liquid carbohydrates handed to me via a bucket on the end of a broom stick. 

Despite appearances long distance swimming is not a solitary sport. On every long saturday swim I know Coach Charm is waiting for me on the beach with words of encouragement, and to shoo me back into the water.
The Vlad will always be visible somewhere along the course in his yellow kayak and hi-vis rashie.
Along the way I also get to bump into these legends and exchange a few words, usually profanity.

When all else fails, I get to think about my special little people; Princess Ada and Pickles. These two little dudes have gotten me through when I just didn't want to swim anymore. When I had 80,000 good reasons to stop swimming, somehow imagining Isaac's smile, and Ada calling me "Aunty Rachoool" gets me through.

 

Umm so I guess I'm doing this..

Its happening, I'v paid...Its happening. Im swimming the English Channel.

I'v just completed the Rottnest Channel Swim; 20km from Cottesloe beach WA to Rottnest Island.
As it was my second time competing, I wanted to smash the time I did last year. After a very frustrating delay to the start of the swim I went for it, and had fun doing so.
With the guidance of my paddler- Daniel, I managed to pass many of the swimmers that gave me looks of pity as I was treading water at the Icon Vessel. I ran across the finish line 5 hours and 49 minutes later.

Before my planned channel window opens (Sept 15) I will be going to Melbourne in April to participate in the Cold Water Boot Camp for the second year in a row. This is a gruelling weekend, culminating in an 8 hour swim in <16C water.

In the coming months you will find me swimming laps under the guidance of Vlad and Charm from Vladswim at the Andrew (boy) Charlton pool or Victoria Park Pool on weekday mornings. Saturday mornings I will be touring sydney with my wonderful team members, swimming in various locations for anywhere between 3-8 hours.

So far the longest distance I have swim is 27km (Palm beach to Manly) with Cae Tolman and Daniel Boardman; Martin Vavrek Ben Hutt and Nicole Piha supporting.
The longest time I have been in the water is 8 hours, once in Melbourne and twice in Balmoral.
The biggest week to date was 60km.

The average time it takes for swimmers to cross the channel is ~15 hours, and to be honest I have no idea where I stand in relation to the average.
To reach France will be what I imagine to be the sweetest most memorable moment of my young life.

The early mornings, relentless laps, excruciating shoulder pain, sea lice and JELLY FISH  will all be worth it just to have a crack at what is the pinnacle of every marathon distance open water swimmers career.

Watch this space...