I can’t believe the high I have experienced during and since the swim. Something happened that day and I am truly grateful that it worked out the way it did. I remember sitting on the beach in Dover the day after the swim and having to tell myself that I had done it! The English Channel is such a mental battle and when they say 90% mental and 10% physical they are not far off the mark. The shortest distance from Dover to Calais is 21 miles, but in my case and ninety percent of other swims you end up swimmin
I will never forget when I first realized that I might be able to finish the crossing. I had been swimming for about 5.5 hours and my fingers started to straighten out. I can always tell if the water temperature is 15’C and below, because I develop what I call “claw hand”. Simply, it’s my reaction to the cold. It was about 10:30am and the air temperature was starting to rise and even though there was cloud cover I could sense the sun. I remember looking at my hand as it entered the water, with no “claw” an
I was now on a mission to make up lost time and get myself to France. I stopped feeding on Carbo-Pro because it was causing stomach cramps and coming right back up. I was now eating solid foods and feeling energized. At 7 hours we crossed the French shipping lane and I was feeling good. I don’t recall the next 4 hours other than looking over at the Louise Jane and all my friends on board. I could see Bonnie with a worried, concerned look, as she knew how much this meant to me. The rest of the crew would tak