Pete Windridge-France

I have even more fantastic news regarding my mate Pete, some will remember form a previous post that we trained together at Ellerton Lake and Dover Harbour for the Champion of Champions event this year. 

Well, yesterday 24 September 2011, virtually 24 hours after Joe Hunters success Pete made his own attempt to swim The English Channel..I am delighted once more to report Pete landed in France after 17 hours and 55 minutes having been escorted by Lance Oram and the boat Sea Satin since before day break into the night.

Many many congratulations Pete...you and your family should be very very proud

In the presence of heroes, Pete, Me and Joe earlier this year in Dover

So in exactly one month all our targets have been met, My 2 Way Windermere 25 August, Joe EC 23 September and now Pete EC 24 September

NOW WHAT!?

Champion of Champions (CofC)

With the familiar road to Dover once again beckoning, we departed from home midday Friday 17 June, we had made arrangements to collect Joe Hunter enroute with a rendezvous of Cambridge services. No sooner had we recommenced the journey from the RV when Joe started reading out emails from his iPhone (posted on the Google Channel Swimmers Group) indicating the severity of the weather forecast, for the first time in history Freda Streeter the Channel General, was advising swimmers that gale force winds together with a spring tide would make it unsafe to swim in the harbour the following day.

This, in our minds, obviously put the BLDSA Champion of Champions event (5 miles then 3 miles then 1 mile) in doubt..it would be a great shame to take time off work, book and pay for accommodation and drive the best part of 350 miles only to find the event cancelled. There was no news from the organisors, therefore we continued south to our lodgings for the night just outside Dover on the A20. Once checked in we headed off to Cullin's Yard for the standard maximum belly stretch, the storm was certainly with us, the windows of the restaurant being lashed with wind and rain as we stuffed our faces.

Next morning after a poor nights sleep, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a clear blue sky as I packed the car and prepared for the brutal day ahead. The normal early breakfast issues and nerves began to surface, there was little time to worry though as we were required at the safety brief for 8:30am.

Several swimmers had already arrived, we sat, chatted, registered/ numbered and basically became a little frustrated as the start time came and went. Eventually a briefing did take place however it was not entirely good news, the standard 1 mile square course was to be adjusted, we were required to visualise this as the buoys were yet to be placed, suffice to say the square would be replaced by a half mile triangular course, meaning ten clockwise laps not 5! what a nightmare, Neil Streeters boat 'Suva' would be anchored at the base of the triangle, we would simply swim by, shout names and numbers and be ticked off...easy enough...?

Around 10:15 swimmers after downing a litre of maxim, we were counted into the water and off we went, the water was 58f  about 14.5c, the usual dog fight at the first turn buoy before the field spread and clear water appeared, it was a little bumpy you might say, the incoming tide was bringing big swells, and wind brought with it just about every weather type known to man, we had rain, sunshine, hail, cloud, wind all in the space of three hours. The photographs do not capture the water movement sadly.

Neil was unable to anchor Suva on the silt bottom of the harbour which resulted in the first lap being more of a square due to drift, a change of plan emerged as numbers were now being taken by a rib, it seemed to take forever to reached six laps, I was worried I was going to have to do eleven as the rib was away performing a rescue during one of my passes. After what seemed like an age without a feed in the choppy swells, I swam upto the the first turn buoy on completion of lap ten only to be told to swim to Suva and give my number again, after 3hours and 10 minutes I was heading to shore after what felt like more than 5 miles, having battled the breakers at the beach, it was actions stations to feed and warm up before the start of the 3 mile swim in less than and hours time.

After a sit in the car and chat with Joe, being attended to by the motherly KGB we emerged to be given the news that due to several issues (abandonment's, injury to kayak safety crew and the weather conditions) the 3 mile event was cancelled. Most of the experienced swimmers stated the 5 mile swim was nearer 6 so that was pleasing but I didn't know how to feel in truth...the lazy part of me was relieved, the planner in me was disappointed, I felt a little cheated but accepted the cancellation decision and spent the next hour or so catching up with some friends who we hadn't seen for some time.

Several 'legends' for me to introduce to Joe, the likes of Kevin Murphy (The King of the English Channel) Jane Murphy, Marcy MacDonald, Freda, Nick Adams, Nuala, Dee, Liane, Thomas, Rebecca Lewis to name a few.

The course was then re positioned closer to land for the 1 mile event, two laps and that was us all done, we hung around for about an hour for the presentation and then due to delays hit the road for the seven hour drive home.

Tired and a little disappointed due to the lack of the 3 mile swim but overall very happy to have swam for 3 hours without a feed at 58f, something I have not managed before now.

Thank you as ever to KGB for your help and support, to Joe and of course the BLDSA especially the paddlers in some atrocious conditions.

IFS and BUTTS

The Buttermere swim came and went in the usual blink of an eye, I drove across country on Sunday the 15th May in what seemed like constant rain and low cloud. We had arranged to meet at the ideally located Dalegarth Guesthouse situated a matter of yards from the waters edge, half way up the Lake on the east side, most of the other swimmers were already in attendance having spent the night camping, they looked pretty fed up after cold hours of torrential rain. We gathered at lakeside, had a brief safety chat and eased into ourselves into the water. There was about 15 swimmers with me being the only fool without a wetsuit, which was pointed out to me by a horrified bystander as I entered the water! Did he really think I had forgotten!? Here's where we started from, Charlie had told me about this tunnel/cave on our last trip to Buttermere for the GLG Challenge.

As expected the water was somewhat colder than Ellerton, I swam two lengths of the Lake as the mist descended making visibility rather testing in my already fogged up goggles, not quite the hour and half required, however I was still happy with 80 minutes at 53f 11C in poor weather. The arm held up fine for the first hour with just moderate discomfort from this point.

Recovery was going well and I was taking the rest advised by the medical experts, (not swimming everyday) with just the occasional swim in an attempt to maintain some level of acclimatisation, that was until I aggravated the injury dealing with something unexpected at work last Monday, swelling and crepitus returned with a vengeance, causing me to worry about long term impacts. I therefore made an appointment to see Dr Ishtiaq Rehman who had previously helped me with some rotar cuff issues, he is a GP but has made sports injury his specialism. Without going into details he confirmed what we already know but has pointed me in the right direction for some quality treatment at Body2Fit. The future looks bright as they say!

I don't remember if I mentioned Joe Hunter ? he is a local swimmer with a slot booked to attempt the English Channel this September, he lives even closer than Pete Windridge-France, he is an absolutely ideal training partner for the build up to my 2 Way Windermere Swim. We have had three swims at Seaton Carew in the last two weeks in some quite hideous conditions due to the recent high winds, the temperature has dropped at the coast to 50f give or take 1 degree, therefore we have been particularly pleased with ourselves to complete our 60 minute sessions. On the temperature front, the lake has steadied off at 58f (14.4C) Last Saturday I swam there with Joe for 90 minutes. Fingers crossed  I will manage a two hour effort before the end of the month...well, maybe tomorrow.

Less and More

School holidays always present added logistical considerations, what with working shifts, child care and now the Easter break, it will come as little surprise that the last week has been a little stop/start in terms of training, however..every cloud...

Monday I managed an hour in the pool at Total Fitness, though I haven't been back since. I didn't get back to the water 'til Thursday when I had a really nice swim at Ellerton Lake (with Amanda Bell and Jo Charlton) the temperature had settled to a steady 55f, I got into a nice rhythm swimming 5 laps in the desired 60 minutes.

The facebook group I mentioned on a previous post, were then invited to a Sea swim at Seaton Carew on Saturday 16th, the day was fine and warm, very little breeze and glass like water conditions,joined by 3 other swimmers (Amanda, Kate, Phil) and Charlie armed with the camera for evidential purposes, I swam for another 40 minutes at 50f 10c...I was delighted that all three other attendees agreed to take the plunge without the rubber for the final two or three minutes..I just wanted them to experience the water and the freedom without their second skin. There was no complaints and everyone seemed to have a great time, to the extent that most are looking forward to more time in the salt...I told you salt is good for you!

Sunday was another gorgeous day, which allowed for another trip to the coast, this time accompanied by KGB, I entered the water alone swimming for another 47 minutes at 51f (there was a patch at 53f which felt amazing, though it didn't last!) The sea was once more glass like in appearance, I don't really like the water being so patchy as the good news is allowed followed by the bad.. which makes me clench my teeth under water and curse out loud! That said I am pleased with the progress and should top the hour in the sea this week all being well. I have also been nursing the remnants of an ear infection as you will notice by the cap in the photographs, it seems to be doing trick..better safe than sorry.

So... for all I only made the pool once, the increase in open water time is good, looking back on last years records I can see that I am around a month ahead, which is ideal considering the enormity of the goals that lay ahead. After all it is now less than two weeks til the swim4life (24 miles in 24 hours) closely followed by the gruesome Champion of Champions in Dover Harbour.

There has also been some other excellent news...swimming alone in cold open water for anything more than a couple of hours can be soul destroying, hence I am grateful to the other swimmers joining me at this early point in the season. However, better still is the my new find - Peter Windridge France, he is an English Channel aspirant with a slot booked for this summer with CS&PF Pilot Lance Oram, he only lives in Leeds about 60 miles away. In an ideal world we will be able to meet up and perform our longer training sessions together which I can tell you makes a massive difference.