This swim was delayed from August and I've been looking forward to it all year. I look out to the breakwater, every morning when I get up and thinking I can swim that.
Finally on the 20/09/2014, the time came to swim it!
There was a great atmosphere at registration and so many people I knew, some had been building up to this swim all year.
Finally on the 20/09/2014, the time came to swim it!
There was a great atmosphere at registration and so many people I knew, some had been building up to this swim all year.
We registered down on the wharf at the Barbican and then waited to board the boat taking us out to the breakwater. After a few photo's and chatting to everyone, we boarded the boat in our swimming attire ready to swim.
Felt very relaxed on the boat just talking to friends. And at some point I stupidly said, 'oh I'm taking this one easy, may even just breast stroke'. Now the people that know me well, know there is no way in hell I ever take a race 'easy'. And predictably I didn't.
The breakwater then loomed into full view and I suddenly realised the sheer scale of the thing and thought who on earth thought of the idea to drop a couple of thousand tonnes into the sea in the hope of building a massive barrier against the sea!
Before we got in we were briefed, which put simply, was swim in the general direction of Smeaton's tower on the Hoe. After this the wetsuit swimmers leapt off the back of the boat first and then the skins swimmers marched down to get wet. This saved fannying around like I usually do down at Tinside when I train.
Since I was supposedly not bothered about racing this one, I jumped in and then chatted to my friends for a bit before we started. Then as soon as the start gun went, something clicked and I decided I wasn't going to take it easy. Despite saying I was to everyone before hand because I wasn't feeling 100%! I started drafting people and moving up the field of swimmers until there was no one to draft. I thought this was just because I had done my usual and gone horrendously off course. As it turns out I took a pretty straight line towards Tinside.
After I found my own space and got into my stride, the ship mooring bouys came into view. Now not many people know this, but I'm absolutely terrified of shipping bouys, particularly when there's nobody around me! Pathetic isn't it, a marathon swimmer that's swam parts of the channel and starts throwing a wobbly when he comes close to shipping buoys! Unfortunately for me, The Sound (area of water we were swimming across) is littered with loads of them! I started to relax a bit as I past drake island and then put some speed in to get me into the beach at Tinside. Again very unusual for me, I took a pretty good line in. Then familiar territory, the Tinside swimming bouys! Really started to pick up the pace now and got my James Bond moment going into the beach.
Felt very relaxed on the boat just talking to friends. And at some point I stupidly said, 'oh I'm taking this one easy, may even just breast stroke'. Now the people that know me well, know there is no way in hell I ever take a race 'easy'. And predictably I didn't.
The breakwater then loomed into full view and I suddenly realised the sheer scale of the thing and thought who on earth thought of the idea to drop a couple of thousand tonnes into the sea in the hope of building a massive barrier against the sea!
Before we got in we were briefed, which put simply, was swim in the general direction of Smeaton's tower on the Hoe. After this the wetsuit swimmers leapt off the back of the boat first and then the skins swimmers marched down to get wet. This saved fannying around like I usually do down at Tinside when I train.
Since I was supposedly not bothered about racing this one, I jumped in and then chatted to my friends for a bit before we started. Then as soon as the start gun went, something clicked and I decided I wasn't going to take it easy. Despite saying I was to everyone before hand because I wasn't feeling 100%! I started drafting people and moving up the field of swimmers until there was no one to draft. I thought this was just because I had done my usual and gone horrendously off course. As it turns out I took a pretty straight line towards Tinside.
After I found my own space and got into my stride, the ship mooring bouys came into view. Now not many people know this, but I'm absolutely terrified of shipping bouys, particularly when there's nobody around me! Pathetic isn't it, a marathon swimmer that's swam parts of the channel and starts throwing a wobbly when he comes close to shipping buoys! Unfortunately for me, The Sound (area of water we were swimming across) is littered with loads of them! I started to relax a bit as I past drake island and then put some speed in to get me into the beach at Tinside. Again very unusual for me, I took a pretty good line in. Then familiar territory, the Tinside swimming bouys! Really started to pick up the pace now and got my James Bond moment going into the beach.
I came in just under 42 minutes and was 6th out of the water. Despite the shipping buoys, I thoroughly enjoyed.
I met my friends as they came in and the organisers took this fantastic photo of the 3 of us;
I met my friends as they came in and the organisers took this fantastic photo of the 3 of us;
And then went to relax at the Terrace café overlooking the Sound!
Great day and will definitely do it again next year.
Happy Swimming
NEXT: Bude Sea Pool Channel Channel Challenge (21 mile two person relay)
Great day and will definitely do it again next year.
Happy Swimming
NEXT: Bude Sea Pool Channel Channel Challenge (21 mile two person relay)