Emma's Channel Challenge Swim

[Spidey]

As you have probably already worked out, Emma loves a challenge, and I am not talking about the 200m Fly. This summer she is taking on what will unquestionably be the biggest challenge of her life to date. She plans to go on a day trip to France without a ferry, train or plane. That's right she plans to swim from England to France! If you'd prefer not to encourage such lunacy, please feel free to stop reading now.

As you are still reading, let me tell you a little more. Sometime between July and September (depending on weather and choices of other swimmers), she will enter the water in Dover wearing only a traditional swimming costume, a swimming cap, and a pair of goggles and a smile and swim until she reaches Cap Gris Nez (or someone forces her to leave the water due to dangerous weather or hypothermia). She's guessing the swim will last between 14 and 18 hours in a water temperature of around 16-18C. During this time she cannot touch the boat or any person. The shortest distance is 21 miles (1,408 lengths of a 25m pool), but the actual distance swum may be much further than this due to the effects of the tides. She fully anticipate to swim some of this crossing in the dark. She will cross 2 shipping lanes, which are known to be the busiest in the world. Other risks include jellyfish, cold and exhaustion.

She has now completed all the mandatory steps to allow her to start this challenge, including arranging a boat and pilot, passing a medical, and completing a 6 hour qualifying swim in 16C. She will do all that she can to maximising my chances of finishing and at the same time recognise that she may not achieve it.

In terms of statistics, we are advised that more people have climbed Everest, than have swum the Channel; also, more people have gone into space than have completed this challenge. The swim is the Everest of swimming.

Clearly she would like to use this challenge to raise money for charity, and if you would like to support her, please follow the link below to go to her just giving website. Alternatively, if you prefer to make a pledge in the traditional way based on your success criteria, please feel free to email her. If you know of any company who would like to provide corporate sponsorship to this event, please let her know.

http://www.justgiving.com/emma-channel-07

She is in the process of creating a website to provide further information and updates, and hopefully will also reflect real time updates on the day. The address will be www.emma2france.com <http://www.emma2france.com/>, and should be up and running in the next month or so.

[Emma]

Not wanting to claim any undue good luck wishes.... it is the other Emma who likes to do 200 fly that is swimming the channel!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[FlyingBean]

Originally Posted by Emma

Not wanting to claim any undue good luck wishes.... it is the other Emma who likes to do 200 fly that is swimming the channel!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Emma - are you sure you don't want to do it for me? I'm open to negotiation!!

Spidey - thanks for the post, the more people that know the better. The support I have received so far from friends and family has been fantastic (mixed with much abuse about being barking mad), and it certainly helps during the tough training sessions in Dover.

[jimbo]

The unfortunate thing about this is that if you do not raise more than £2000 you won't be able to give ANY money to charity, because that is how much it costs at least just to attempt it.

[FlyingBean]

Originally Posted by jimbo

The unfortunate thing about this is that if you do not raise more than £2000 you won't be able to give ANY money to charity, because that is how much it costs at least just to attempt it.

You are quite correct - it is a very expensive venture, probably even more than £2k. But I have covered the costs out of my own pocket. By using the just giving website everything (except their transaction charge) goes directly to the charity, none of it comes via me.

The only money I would consider for covering the costs is any corporate sponsorship.

Another reason why this is a once only attempt - I'll never think of the £7.50 National entry fee as expensive again!!! I can't even imagine how Alison Streeter has funded her 43 successful crossings

[Leprechaun]

Originally Posted by jimbo

The unfortunate thing about this is that if you do not raise more than £2000 you won't be able to give ANY money to charity, because that is how much it costs at least just to attempt it.

Not a totally charitable comment insofar as I know of a number of swimmers who fund the entire venture out of their own pocket, indeed we did this for our relay in 2005. So anything raised for charity is exactly that.

By the way, the personal investment in such a challenge is, from personal experience, likely to be far greater than the amount you quoted, but the reward for succeeding is priceless - support the Flying Bean generously!

[Dover Swimmer]

Originally Posted by jimbo

The unfortunate thing about this is that if you do not raise more than £2000 you won't be able to give ANY money to charity, because that is how much it costs at least just to attempt it.

Unless you fund the whole thing yourself and give 100% of what you raise to charity....!

[Dover Swimmer]

Emma - I think I know which Emma you are in Dover. I just wanted to say that, a couple of weekends ago when we were doing 4 hours, do you remember a lady giving you your feeds (she hasn't been there before or since?) She was my friend Wendy, she was down 'visiting me' for the day (!) She said that she was the most impressed by you out of all the swimmers she fed that day. Apparantly (correct me if I've got the wrong Emma) you had a rough patch just before your feed and really wanted to get out and seemed very miserable. But you didn't get out, you carried on and were very strong. Wendy was really impressed.

Also I've just looked at your website and wanted to thank you for these words which resonated with me today

"These demons are not real, but they feel like they are at the time. They don't introduce themselves as demons, they just jump right in unannounced and uninvited and feed on my fear."

I had a sh*te swim yesterday at Dover and what you wrote there really 'spoke' to me. I'll be trying to remember it next weekend in case those demons jump in unannounced again!

:-) Nic

[FlyingBean]

Dover Swimmer - you have the right Emma! That was a rough patch, I couldn't really work out what was wrong, I just didn't want to be there. I should have realised sooner that it wasn't real - it just feels so real at the time. The support from the beach (and from the boat on the day) is crucial - this is a team effort afterall.

As for the words, I've plagarised those from someone else . They rang true with me too!

My 'demon' strategy now is to invite them in for a while, long enough for them to realise that I hear what they're saying, but I'm simply not interested! That is assuming that I recognise them!

[Dover Swimmer]

Oh so it is you I have to thank for those words!

Yeah, the key is recognising them as demons and not getting tricked into thinking they are real eh! The middle/third quarter of Dover training in always the worst (for me, anyway) - you're exhausted enough to need a break but not near enough the end to have one! It's all good mental training...

[Spidey]

Emma - how is it going?

[FlyingBean]

Training is still generally OK, thanks for asking. It's a bit of a rollercoaster at times, physically, mentally and emotionally. Should be on track for a credible attempt. The biggest issue at the moment is the weather and the impact that it has on the conditions in the channel. No-one is going anywhere at the moment as there are force 7 gales out there causing unswimable conditions.

Hopefully this will improve by my slot in September

Off to Dover again at the weekend, I wonder what the General will give me - if I was a betting person I would say 7 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. Might even squeeze in a night swim Saturday night.