Friday morning (01 Jul) the alarm went off at 7am and after a big breakfast we packed up the cars and headed off to Dover Marina. On getting to Dover Marina we found the boat (Anastasia) and meet up with Eddie and his crew and our Channel Swimming Observer Markus. After transferring all our gear and supplies onto the boat we headed out of Dover Marina in the boat and drove around to Shakespeare Beach where the swim would start from.
We had decided that I would take the first leg so donned in my togs, swimming cap and goggles, covered in Vaseline (to prevent chaffing) and feeling very relaxed I jumped off the boat to swim the 200 meters to the beach and was a bit taken aback by the cold! When I got to the beach I had to clear the water and climb up on the stony beach. After taking a few deeps breaths in a bid to relax and adjusting my hat and goggles I just thought OH MY GOD WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING THIS. I waved my hands in the air to let the boat and crew know I was ready to go and with the sound of the horn the swim started. So I walked back into the sea and set off in the direction of France. The weather that morning was just perfect at about 20 Dec C and the sun was shinning. I swam back to the boat and took up my position on the starboard side mid way up the boat. We had decided before the swim that we would feed every 40 minutes, which would mean 2 feeds for every two hour swim. So I had planned just to swim to each feed and not think too far ahead or about the enormity of the swim. I was given a five minute warning to my first feed and although I wasn't thirsty or feeling I needed a break I was excited to see how the feeds would work out. At feed time a bottle of a high energy drink (Maxim) was thrown over board, lodged in the middle of a swim float, which was attached to a long piece of sting. I swam for the bottle and after a quick 30 second feed I was on my way again swimming to my next feed and then to the completion of my first 2 hours. Before the change over I was given a 5 minute warning and then Maighread climbed into the sea and had to swim past me and then she took up her position on the port side and started her first 2 hours. When I got out I was feeling great and delighted with the way my first two hours had gone and amazed when I looked back and could see how far from the White Cliffs of Dover we had got.
I quickly got changed out of my wet togs into some warm clothes and a woolly hat, which looked a bit ridiculous while everyone else was walking around the boat in shorts and a t-shirt! Then it was time to feed and rehydrate. My wonderful crew had a plate of ham sandwiches ready, which were lovely and followed by a selection of chocolate including milky ways and chocolate swiss rolls. Then it was time to sit back and relax until I was up again. Before I knew it Maighread was given a ten minute warning that her first 2 hours was up and I was back up on deck in a dry pair of togs ready to go. So I jumped in, swam past Maighread and took up my position on the starboard side.
I just focused on relaxing into my stroke and again just swam to each feed as before. For some reason I struggled mentally with the last 30 minutes of my second swim. I was starting to get a bit paranoid wondering what was underneath me as I swam and thinking that the crew on the boat weren't watching me! Which in reality was far from the truth. The whole time during the swim there was at always at least one crew member looking at us if not all of them! At this point in my head I imagined I could hear some sort of a siren and started to think that something was wrong. I remember looking at the boat and seeing Maighread still dressed in her ski gear while I was thinking I should be getting my 5 minute warning any minute. I couldn't understand why Maighread was not getting ready and why they hadn't given me the warning. I was starting to panic a bit thinking something had gone wrong and then when I checked my watch I realised I still had 20 minutes left to go. Its sounds completely irrational now and I can't explain why I was feeling like this but I guess it was just part of the experience! So I started to talk to myself at this point and just pulled myself together and just focused on swimming the last 20 minutes and then I knew I could take a break. Panic and paranoia over and my second two hours were up and Maighread was back in. Much as before I got changed, ate some more ham sandwiches and chocolate and rehydrated. After this swim it was amazing to see how close France was looking and to hear that we were know in the separation zone meaning as the crow flies we were half way there. This gave me a huge boost and I spent the rest of my time off mentally getting my head ready for what I was thinking would be my toughest swim yet as during training I usually hit the wall during my 6th hour.
For this swim I had requested a feed every 30 minutes to try and keep my energy levels up. So after the change over off I set off with a slight feeling of dread thinking of how I had felt before in training sessions when I hit the wall. So I just decided to stop thinking about it and follow my own saying throughout the build up to the swim and "just do it". So I just focused on putting one arm over the other and again swimming to each feed. An amazingly after 2 hours my third swim was finished and I didn't hit any wall. Thinking back now it was probably one of the most comfortable two hour swims of the day for me. So Maighread was off on her 3rd two hour swim and we were now into the 11th hour of the swim and France was nearly within touching distance (well slight exaggeration) and Dover look liked a distance memory in the horizon. As Maighread's swim progressed France was getting closer and closer. It was now starting to look like Maighread would make it to France and we would complete the swim in less than 12 hours, which was amazing.
So at this stage I started to think I would not need to get in for a 4th swim. But towards the end of Maighread's 2 hours the tide had started to turn meaning Maighread was swimming against the tide making it more and more difficult to reach the French coast. So I got the nod from the pilot that I would need to get in for a 4th time. So getting ready in for my 4th swim I knew we were only a mile from France so I didn't mind getting in again thinking it would only take 30 minutes or so. Little did I know! At this stage it was 9:30pm and starting to get dark so I was wearing glow sticks attached to the back of my togs and goggles. Because it was dark at this stage the boat had turned off all its lights with the exception of its small navigational lights. I had asked that one of the crew sit at the side of the boat with a glow stick so that I knew someone was always watching me and again if needed I requested a feed ever 30 minutes. So back in I got and total darkness descended. I could make out France as a dark shadow with the odd sparkling light and every few minutes I could see the flash of a light house. I was getting very excited at this stage thinking any minute now Maighread would be getting back in and following me into the French coast. But as time went on and I was swimming as hard as I could I was conscious that France was still lingering there as a dark land mass not really getting that much closer considering the effort I was putting in.
The crew started to shout and scream trying to egg me on. With each cheer and shout I kept thinking oh great we're there but anytime I looked up France wasn't getting any closer. So after 30 minutes I could see Mary get my feed ready and telling the pilot it was feed time. So I was looking forward to this feed more than any and just some direction as what to aim towards. But then I could see Mary put the feed down and there was no sign of me getting it. I latter learnt that Eddie siad there was no time for a feed and that if I stopped swimming for 20 seconds the tide would push us too far away from France and mean we would end up swimming for another 6 hours until the tide turned again or not make it at all. Feeling a bit annoyed at this stage I just kept swimming rationalising that I was just there and there was no need for a feed. Throughout the entire day I had swam right beside the boat but for some reason now I noticed the boat was pulling away from me and away from the coast. So I tried to keep with the boat but was finding it increasingly difficult to keep with the boat. Then after about 60 minutes in (still no feed) the small rib piloted by Dave dropped into the water and stayed slightly behind me (as to not aid me in any way!) as the main boat was drifting away. I later learnt that due to the strong outgoing tide the big boat wasn't able to stay alongside me because it was getting pushed away. So with Dave in the rib behind me I was pushing as hard as I could towards France. This stage of the swim was by far the most difficult and frightening. For the first time all day I felt alone, completely isolated and swimming in complete darkness there was a lot of "stuff" hitting off me and getting tangled in my arms. I guess it was probably only seaweed but with fatigue and paranoia setting in I was imagining all sorts of things! With about 300 meters to go Dave stopped me and said I would have to go the rest of the way on my own as it would get to shallow for the rib. So now I was really alone and heading towards a dark, isolated beach in France.
Eventually after 13 hours 53 minutes I reached the beach, stood up and touched the rocks. The feeling of relief was overwhelming. But because it was so dark and isolated and I was all alone I turned around straight away and headed back to Dave in the rib. Unfortunately because of the conditions it was too dangerous for Maighread to go in the rib with Dave. I swam the 300 meters back to Dave and after a big congratulations I tried to climb into the rib. But with no strength left in my upper body it was a no go. So I held onto the side of the boat and got a pull back some of the way. But again with no upper body strength left I couldn't hold on for very long so I then had to swim most of the way back to Anastasia. When I finally got back to the boat to a huge cheer from the crew I climbed up the ladder and was greeted with a huge hug from my brother Emmet and then Maighread. It was the first time all day we could speak to each other as we hugged each other it was so emotional we were both crying along with the entire crew. I don't think I can put into words the overwhelming feeling of relief we felt as we chatted all the way back to Dover, which took about 3 hours. The following day while still trying to absorb the feeling of such an achievement we learnt that we were the first ever 2 person relay from Ireland to swim the English Channel, which just added to the sense achievement.
