Welcome to the IASC team blog

March 2010

Home Sweet Home

Well I have just arrived home - it has been a great but tiring few days. I dont know which was more tiring, the swimming or the celebrations ;-)

All Team IASC with the exception of Eoin, who arrived home yesterday, landed in Dublin before 5pm. It is a really satisfying feeling arriving home knowing we achieved what we set out to do. A bit different to how Team Breac felt a couple of weeks ago but as a few of the messages of support said - Team Breac will prevail. And prevail we did! The Smugglers and Team Trosc led the way in style on Saturday with two amazing swims and thankfully we were able to follow their example and complete the IASC hatrick on Sunday!

I dont know if it has fully sunk in yet, When Ace got out of the water after his amazing third time and DJ got in,and started motoring towards shore it looked like I mightnt have to get in for a third time but as the other two teams had warned us the last few swims are the hardest and the shore stayed a distance away despite Dave covering huge ground. The pilot smirked at me and said "Looks like you will have to get your hair wet again!"

Ace gave me a few tips and before I knew it I was in again. The beach looked close but never close enough. As I was swimming I could see all the lads watching from the boat and roaring on encouragement. There was only one thing going through my head for that last swim and it was just go as fast and hard as I could and see if that beach appeared!!! I was waiting to see the lads getting changed to jump in and swim to shore with me when we were close enough but they seemed intent on staying fully clothed!!!

Then all of a sudden they were waving to get my attention.....was my hour up.....I wasnt sure what was going on. I stopped and they told me this was it - the boat couldnt go any further I just had to swim to the beach! Swim to the beach - were they mad - it still looked ages away! My arms ached and I wasnt sure I was going to make it. I just kept going and then there was a white cap beside me (Al) telling me for god sake swim in a straight line! I was taking a little mini detour but once he got back on course again, we were closing in. I had to be the first one to clear the water and the others could follow so Al swam beside me until I could stand and then I was on my own. Half swimming, half running to roars of encouragement from the lads (Do a Baywatch on it!!!), I managed to make it on to the beach! It was a great feeling - hard to describe but one I will never forget. There was a man on the beach and he started asking me where had I come from and I had to force my brain to function and try and get some coherent French out of my mouth! And then the lads were there and there was alot of hugging and celebrating!

Our stay in France was brief but memorable and then it was back to the boat to more hugs and celebrations with Brian & Heather the CSA observer. Next up was the bubbly and the boat was turned back to England and we were on our way home! The journey back was long but I had a little nap on the engine box which was nice and cosy ;-) The other two teams were out in force to welcome us back into the harbour - more hugs, celebrations and more champagne!! It was awesome.

I wont bore you with details of the celebrations - what goes on tour stays on tour! A good few nights were had by all is all I will divugle!

Great to be home though and to know that I dont have a 7am session in the pool with Foxy! Even though she was trying to get some volunteers in the airport on the way back ;-)

Thanks to everyone for all the continuous support and encouragement. It has been an amazing experience and I am honoured to have been able to share it with the best group of people anyone could ask for - my fellow IASCers.

I think is probably the end of my blogging career - its been a blast!

A x

How do relays work?

We've been immersed in the background to channel swimming so much over the last year that the swimmers often forget that our supporters are not sure of the mechanics of a relay crossing. So here is the low down.

In team breac there are 5 swimmers. The sequence in which the swimmers swim is decided before the team get onto the boat and is then given to the observer from the Channel Swimming Association. This sequence must be maintained throughout the swim.

Each swimmer swims for an hour and with 5 mins to go the changeover window commences. The next swimmer gets into the water & starts from a position behind the previous swimmer and then swims past them. At that point the previous swimmer can return to the boat.

If a swimmer can't complete their hour or touch the boat during their swim the relay team is disqualified.

Relay swimmers generally don't put on any lanolin oil or other insulation as they can handle the water temperature for an hour before changing over. Relay swimmers generally don't feed in the water as they have the chance to do that outside their swim rotation.

Swims generalls start from a beach near Dover called Samphire Hoe and aim for a point on the French coast called Cap Gris-Nez. The route generally takes an S-shape curve as the pilot aims to have the swimmer working accross the tides. As a result the distance travelled can be several miles higher than the “as the crow flies” distance which is 22 miles.

The first swimmer enters the water from the boat and then swims to the beach and clears the water. At that point the time clock starts and the swimmer enters the water again on the first leg of the relay to France. The last swimmer similarly must clear the water at the French side.

That's all I can think of ....so we'll put into practice tonight.

Ian.

Pogonotomy and Omadóphily (In the style of Sonnet XIII)

O, that you wear your hair! but, love, you are
No longer yours than you yourself here live:
Against this coming end you should prepare,
And your sweet semblance to smugglers give.
So should that beauty which you hold in lease
Find no determination: then you were
Yourself again after your beard's decease,
When your sweet issue your sweet face is bare.
Who lets so fair a chin fall to decay,
Which husbandry in honour might uphold
Against the stormy gusts of an october's day
And barren rage of the channel's eternal cold?
O, none but unthrifts! Dear my love, you know
You had a beard: let your team say go.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.

We met Tim (He whose rib I previously defiled) and went out night swimming. A 9pm start we went off to the Sutton end of Dublin bay to jump into the sea of a spot of night swimming. Not the “drunk-fun-naked-night-swimming-of-youth”, more the “terrifying-middle-of-the-irish-sea-whatthefuckwasthat-night-swimming-of-madness.”

The team was in high spirits, apart from savagely cold feet from a bout of welly wearing. This was agreed by all to be a mistake. If it is a sunny day when we get to go (or more properly not a rainy night), runners will be in order.

All five of the team got in before me and looked confident, strong swimming by everyone. Those fuckers. There is really nothing like a strong display from your teammates to put it up to you. I stripped off 5 minutes before I was due to get in and even though it is a cliché, it really is warmer in the water than on the boat. I froze standing there in my tightie-greenies.

I hopped in the water, and started to swim. If any of you are planning this, here are Con’s-toptips© for a happy night swim:

Make sure no light is being shone at you. Tim was wearing a LED light and when he looked to see where I was (so he didn’t run me over, which I didn’t begrudge him for), I couldn’t see at all.

Shift your brain to neutral, when you start to think the demons come and they aren’t friendly. They have voices. They say things like “What the fuck was that?” and “Oh Christ, I hope nothing lives in the sea” and “Please don’t let me die”. Demons aren’t rational. I found one demon approximately once every ten minutes. Strong repetitive movement, an eye on the boat, and a mental calming exercise was enough to quieten them. They come back though, they are bastards like that.

Have a sign with your support person. I found the light in my eyes so arresting I am going to ask them to blind me with 5 minutes to go, and then 1 so I can slow down and let my relay partner pass.

You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it. If you do 30 minutes, an hour won’t be an issue.

Alcohol is not a banned substance in long distance swimming. Just saying, that’s all.

I got back into the boat after my 30 minutes and we went for a tourist trip down the Liffey. Being on a small craft in Dublin bay at night is spectacular, as is the trip past Poolbeg and down the Liffey. I really recommend anyone who has a chance to do this, to do it. Bring a camera, unlike this moron.

The night swimming really worked as a team building exercise. Everyone completed the task with good grace, there was good, friendly banter and every bit of training we do makes the channel look more achievable.

Nothing other than weather, or fiendish bad luck (external, not internal demons) will stop us now.

I’m officially stoked.

Homeward bound

So as most of you will have already heard – we are on our way home :-( Earlier than expected and without having attempted what we came to Folkestone to do, but we live to fight another day.

To say we were gutted when we spoke to the pilot yesterday is the understatement of the century but when he said none of the CSA pilots are even contemplating going out before next Thurs we knew there was no point hanging around any longer. We had only been in Folkestone for 2 days at that point and it felt like a week!!!!!! And that is not an exaggeration. The pilot said we were better off going home than hanging around driving ourselves mad waiting for a change in the weather that simply isn't going to come.

He is more confident of getting us across the next time. The tides are much smaller and he has a bigger window to work with. He says he has a 5-day window to get Team Trosc across. Once they make it over and a window opens up in the weather he is going to give us a call with 12 hours notice and we will hop on the next plane and make our way to Folkestone.

So it means back to training on Monday morning which will probably be the hardest thing seeing as we thought we would be all done when we got back to Ireland. I'm a bit worried about getting into the Irish Sea again – the Channel was positively balmy in comparison!!!!

Mr B. is refusing to blog – no surprises there but he has offered a few comments......

“I am looking forward to a dip in Skerries this evening and a nice home cooked meal.”

Mr B assures us all he will be bringing us vital piece of kit back to Folkestone in two weeks- his trusty Superquinn plastic bag. Who needs a kit bag when you have one of those :-)

No doubt there will be lots of questions over the next few days due to early arrival home but all we can say is that the circumstances conspired against us. We have to take positives from our trip and we feel like we will be ready to hit the ground running when we get the call next time!!!!

So I will have to ask you to keep your fingers crossed for another two weeks.

Thanks for all the support so far

A x

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