The expression on his face after this weeks swim kind of sums up how he was feeling, I believe Dave Chisholm took the photo though I am not 100%.
The dreaded North
"5.30am, I am awoken to the sound of the
alarm, today I am attempting to swim the 'North Channel'.
A knock on the room door; it's
breakfast, one weetabix in a packet washed down with coffee.....ONE....!!!
Myself and team mate Terry laugh at the
north channel breakfast (don't worry , I had energy bars as well).
So half seven, we meet with pilot 'Brian
Mehargh MBE', he takes us to the boat and after brief introduction to the crew
we set of to my starting point just north of Bangor in Northen Ireland.
I am not really feeling anything. I'm
not nervous, I'm not scared, I'm not thinking I'm gonna do this, I'm not
thinking I'm not gonna do this.... It was strange that I had no
emotion, I knew where I was and I knew I had to get in and
swim, the day was going to be whatever the day was.....
Vaseline around my beard, down my trunks
and under the arms... goggles on... look round at Terry my feeder who was also
on my '09 English crossing and my good friend Martin Cullen (who was
observing),
"lets swim this channel and go
home" I say and jump in.....
The water is fresh, not to cold, maybe
what I was expecting (10.5 as I later found out) quick look for
jellies as those that know me, this was my fear, I haven't been stung before
and was really not looking forward to getting stung.. there were none, I
swim to the rocks, touch and start my swim to Scotland...
The first 6 hours of the swim I
really enjoyed, this makes me sick to even think this. The water was fresh
but I had trained for this, I have been in the sea pratically every
weekend from Oct 2010... my first feed at 1.5 hrs then every 30 min.... S I S
gel in luke warm sweet milky tea.. the guys on the boat are in wet weather
gear, it is drizzle, but that wet drizzle.... I am loving it... I'm in the
north... I am swimming better and enjoying it more than my English Channel crossing then.......BANG!!!....
I see a jelly with a maine longer than me
as a person.. I swear... reality check... oh yes this is the north (the dreaded
feared north, the cold one the one full of jellies). I am now looking
everywhere for them, I need to see them,, I need to avoid them,
can I be the one makes it across with out being stung....would that be
fair...who cares , I didn't want to get stung..... they do thin out and
after a while you kinda forget yet at the same time still looking.... On the
boat, they are saying there isn't that many, I don't believe they saw all
the ones I did.. I come to what I can only describe as a mine field, I
am trying to weave in and out, left right, more left, oh back right, like
dribbling on a football pitch, I am through, thank ---- for that, but
still on alert.....
I have swam most of the Channel at this
point but the tide is changing and as we know it's a waiting game now, but
saying that we did keep going forward which was very good. The water
turned murky like Dover, I couldn't see much, OUCH!!! I got stung oh
I'm not going to get across without getting stung... I can't see them to
dodge them, oh well it is what it is, I've got this far, I got to
finish.. I think of all the people sending messages, the swimmers I
know that know what this swim is all about.. digging deep... it's hurting ...
the tide has changed, it's taking us in, it's strong, I'm looking
for excuses to stop... I need a milky way... I need a
drink.. I need a wee.. each time though I stop the tide is taking me
further south (I know I'm going to get in it's just a case off how
quick, I want a reasonable time, I know I shouldn't be messing
about, swim man swim!!! (COME ON Howard it's 30 lengths of the pool
left, I question if he means a 25m or 50m pool....
I know I have to
dig deep but I have been stung a few times now, it doesn't hurt its
a funny sensation... the dingy is in and I finally touch Scotland....
I
made it I am the 13th person to have swam the north channel, I'm happy but
exhausted....
Back on the boat, it's hard for me to
stand and keep my balance. I get dressed and go downstairs on the
boat, I can feel my stings..it is uncomfortable, I feel sick.. Brian
comes down and sits with me and we chat for ten minutes, he says I swam really
well especially on a spring tide and that a neap would definitely been an
interesting time...I feel he is inviting me back..he is, but he knows I
probably won't return, all though, never say never.....
I have said before that I would like
another go at the ENGLISH CHANNEL but as for the NORTH .......I'm not sure whether in what I have
written here gives the full representation of that channel, It is COLD, there
are JELLIES there are lots off JELLIES . They STING and they HURT the next day.....
Im not trying to be big headed,but
anyone that wants to attempt THE NORTH CHANNEL is a loon and needs help........"
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