Emma
France's Journey to Swimming the English Channel:
Challenge '07
The big day Channel solo attempt - my account of what happened and how I felt.
Fundraising See how much money we raised for a very worthwhile cause.
Class of 2007 The Gozo gang and all their amazing achievements.
Shingle Stompers Last minute channel relay - a fun way to end the season
I made the decision to attempt the channel in 2007 in September 2006 with the slot, pilot and boat confirmed in the middle of December.
At the time I was struggling with injuries in both shoulders, couldn't swim more than 200m due to pain, was swimming slower than I had for a few years and was only training about 3 hours a week. If I was to make a credible attempt at the Channel I would need to do a great deal of training. I lacked direction and purpose and had almost given up swimming altogether a couple of months previously. I needed a goal, and the goal needed to be a big one!
The Channel is BIG!!!!
This section will take you through what happened on the big day, the highs and lows of training and much more. To read the raw emotions of my account just after the swim go to The big day. The summary below tells you all about the day after some reflection.
So what was it like?
As you may already know, my solo attempt wasn’t successful. After 8 hours I aborted the attempt as I wasn’t making sufficient progress. However, it was quite an experience and here is my account.
Once we got ourselves and all the kit (there is a lot) onto the boat we had a short trip to Samphire Hoe which was to be the start point. It seemed strange putting on suntan lotion in the moonlight, but would be the only opportunity to do so.
The pilot took the boat close to the shore and I jumped into the very dark and cold looking water, wearing only a swimming costume, hat, goggles, ear plugs and lightsticks (so that I could be seen by the boat). The water was actually just over 17C which although very cold, it was as warm as I had been in all summer. I swam the short trip to the shore and cleared the water ready to start the crossing. Once I’d started, the nerves disappeared quickly and I entered a very calm zone. I remember thinking 'Oh my goodness, how cool is this, I am swimming the channel!' It was quite a buzz.
Apart from a couple of small lights on the boat, and a few light sticks hanging from the lower and upper decks the boat was in total darkness. I couldn't see any of the crew or my team, so it was a bit lonely out there. However, strangely enough it was quite comforting as the harbour can also be a very lonely place, so I felt right at home.
The water felt quite rough, and it was strange not being able to see the waves, I had to go on feel alone. Fortunately in training we experienced all sorts of conditions so I don't think that these conditions were any worse than I had experienced in training. It was really dark, my only visual was the boat - and it did look like it was being thrown around quite a lot. I figured it was probably better in the water, and could imagine people and boxes being thrown around all over the place, although I couldn't actually see anyone. I guess it's a bit like when you're on stage - everyone can see you but the lights are so bright it makes it difficult for you to see the audience. All I could see were the lights on the boat.
I started the swim with a 'not quite recovered' shoulder injury. Two days before the swim I couldn't even hold my right arm out straight without pain. I had calculated that I had approximately 14 hours of pain relief by alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen. As I was expecting to be in the water longer than this, I decided to not to dose up before the swim but to wait and see, and only take pain relief if and when I needed it. However, at the first feed I quickly discovered a flaw in this plan, the boat was all over the place and when the sports bottle was thrown over the side it took 4 or 5 attempts to get it. There was absolutely no chance that in the dark and with the waves, that I would be able to get hold of any pain relief. So I accepted that I would need to wait until dawn and calmer water before asking for anything.
The signal for a feed was one of the crew waving two lightsticks and it was a very welcome sight. I couldn't hear much of what was being said, and it took quite a while to get the feed down, but then I was off again. This pattern repeated for 3 hours after which the feeds moved to every half hour.
During the dark hours I saw a few ferries, some lit up like a Christmas tree, and one came remarkably close as it went round me!
Slowly but surely the water got calmer and after about 3.5 hours I noticed the colour of the horizon change from black to blue, gradually getting paler before a hint of orange crept in. Then in a matter of minutes sunrise was upon us, it was almost as if someone switched the lights on!! The world became a very different place. I knew it wouldn't be long before I felt the warmth of the sun on my back.
But with dawn came the news that we weren't progressing much. I was going up and down the channel with the tide, but not progressing forwards very much. I needed to up the pace and make the feeds quicker. With the help of pain killers I tried my hardest and felt like I was getting faster. At 3.5 hours solid foods were given as well as carbohydrate drink (Maxim) with banana being the first bit of food on offer. At 4.5 hours it was a chocolate mini roll, which is normally my favourite, but I was starting to feel a little queasy so only had one bite. Because of the need to keep the feeds short, I didn't drink all the Maxim, but on the basis that I had more fluid, more often than during training, I wasn't concerned.
At 5.5 hours the feed is meant to be anything but Maxim to give the chance to clear your system out. What I didn't realise was that Maxim was added to my tea. However my body took the 'clear out' instruction quite literally and I was violently sick! But what could I do but put my head down and carry on swimming? So I did just that, still feeling nauseous. What I hadn't realised that the time it took for me to stop and be sick meant that all the distance that had been covered in the preceding 30 minute segment had been lost.
I remember noticing the shipping lane not long after this and had a quick buzz of excitement. However, it didn’t seem to get any close and it became clear I wasn’t making sufficient progress. When I came in for the 7.5 hour feed I said 'I'm not making progress am I?' 'No you're not' was the reply. Not what I wanted to hear. If we carried on at this rate of progress it could take 40 hours. Whilst this would be a clear record for the slowest crossing I knew I would never achieve it and knew that all was lost. I was given the choice to give up or carry on. What a choice to be faced with. It was a battle between logic and emotion. Logic said to stop, but emotions meant I couldn't bring myself to get back on the boat, it felt wrong, so I said ‘one more feed’. During this last half hour I said goodbye to the dream. I never thought that I would get out of the water unless I either a) finished, b) was pulled out due to hypothermia or c) had to quit due to shoulder injury. None of these were the case and I got out knowing I could have carried on for much longer, but to do so would be futile. On a positive note I did get to the first shipping lane in that last swim, so at least a recognisable milestone.
On the boat my team were fantastic and talked about all the positives, but I had an overwhelming sense of failure and disappointment. I wanted to do this for so many reasons and in tribute to so many people who have helped me along the way. To these people, I am sorry, I gave it my best shot, but it was not to be on this occasion.
So what’s next?
Million dollar question - will I try again? Well after much soul searching and a good chat with the ‘Channel General’ I have a plan of attack:
I took 2 months off training to allow my shoulder to heal. I've also seen a rehabilitation expert, and whilst it's still not completely recovered, I'm on the road to recover.
Speed work over the winter
Attempt Lake Windermere in 2008
Attempt the Channel again in 2009
So it’s not over yet!! Watch this space.
Thank you all for your support, just over £4,600 has gone to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, our efforts have been recognised by the campaign at their annual conference. The sponsorship and messages received from my supporters has been absolutely inspirational. I’m not sure I would have even started without some of the support that I had. Thank you.