After spending the whole summer as Ladies in Waiting, our seven-lady relay was finally given a go-ahead last week writes Jaana Tarma. We were the very last lot this year for Paul Foreman and Optimist.
The Ladies started at 4.58 on Thursday 8 of Oct with Lou kicking off from Shakespeare Beach. We progressed in an orderly fashion through the first rotation (Lou, Nicola, Kirstie, Jaana, Eliza, Jan and Mary). Sure, there were jellyfish, cramps, scary waves, prolonged shivering, and tea mugs annoyingly turning over. Everything went to the plan till.... during our second round debilitating seasickness prevented one of the swimmers from getting in, and thus made the swim unofficial.
There was no question of quitting, so we pushed on through Separation Zone, which had some pockets of brown jellyfish soup, but nothing like the three hours of solid mass Jessica Hepburn encountered during her heroic crossing.
We were already half-way across North-East Shipping Lane, admiring France which appeared so much bigger than diminutive England far away in the horizon, when the boat starting having difficulties. It simply couldn't keep alongside Mary. Optimist had to speed ahead, wait, and catch up with her again. The wind was pushing it off-course too; when idle it was pointing South, rather than East towards France. Mary zic-zacced in unison.
A rope, maybe from the same lobster pot which annoyed #NoChlorine the previous week, was tangled around Optimist's starboard propeller. During the wiggling the crew had tried to remove it, but without success.
By now the sun was setting, and the Captain announced that continuing in the dark would be too risky. Some years ago Optimist's engine had packed up; within seconds the swimmer was swept away in the dark. The crew jumped in a dinghy and luckily managed to recover him.
The Ladies had swam about two-thirds of the Channel in 12.5 hours, in 16-degree water.
Thank you all for your wonderful messages, hugs, encouragement, mental support, and volunteering to do Jaana's job which allow all of us to go!
May we humbly suggest: 1. All swimmers should be equipped with an illuminated tow-float between sunset and sunrise. The current lights are not visible very far, and are obscured if the swimmer is coming towards the boat. 2. Mugs are no good for hot drinks, they frequently spill their contents on the deck, leaving the swimmer with a luke-warm teabag. Is there a baby-bottle variety, ideally large enough to double as a hot water bottle? Product designers, here is your chance!
