Story
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">OK, update time!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">We arrived in Tarifa in Spain on Saturday 1 October only to be told that the strong easterly wind the Levante was blowing strong and hard, making the swim impossible, and the weather forecast was not good. It looked as if this was going to remain the case for the next few days. Each day we got an update, which was getting more and more gloomy - maybe there was a short window on Friday, but the organiser, Rafael, had more swimmers waiting than he could take in one crossing, and the rules said only one crossing a day. my group of three were 2nd in the queue, and the swimmer at the front of the queue would set the pace of the slot - only those who could swim at the same speed as him could go.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">We met at the beach for a "swim-off" on Wednesday morning, but sadly number 1, an American who had previously swum the English Channel, was faster than us. We were not going to be selected and might as well fly home. At a very emotional meeting that evening, and looking at the tears in my eyes, Rafael came up with another solution: once before he had been able to persuade the authorities to allow a second crossing in special circumstances. He would ask the coastguard "first thing" (which meant around 10am) and text us. Thursday morning we packed our bags and sat watching my blackberry. It beeped when the text arrived: "maybe ok, not sure". Enough for us to stay a little longer.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Rafael pulled it off - the authorities agreed we could swim but only once all of the first group had exited the water. But they needed to start early and swim fast, or we would get caught by the strong current that was due to arrive early afternoon and be swept past the final point to make land.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Friday morning we were up early to wish the first group on its way - and speedily. Then we waited. The signal went up, and we started swimming just before noon. "Swim fast for the first two hours, as you need to be through the centre of the Straits before the current gets too strong." Every time we stopped for a feed they pushed us on - "quickly quickly". The Atlas mountains were getting bigger, but they were also moving to our right at some speed by now.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Finally, the boat told me to stop and wait for Christopher to catch up, but then he captain changed his mind "Go, now, go go go". I was in a bay where the water was like a washing machine, I could not see the bottom, and I was surrounded by tall cliffs - I just needed to touch one of them. The boat was being pushed this way and that, and was also trying to keep an eye on Christopher, who was just behind me, but was being dragged around the point by the current. I managed to get round the boat and touch the cliffs - I had made it to Africa in 4 hours 9 mins. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Christopher made it a few minutes later, and John also made it in less than 4 hours 30 mins. It was touch and go, but we had done it. I have added some photos showing us swimming, as well as a map showing the route I swam. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">I arrived home on Saturday afternoon exhausted emotionally as well as physically. It had been a very long week. If you are able to sponsor me, and support this fantastic cause, then please do so. But also thank you for all your support to me personally. This was very much something I wanted to do, and I am just so glad that I can also do something for St Christopher's at the same time.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Sara</span></p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my latest JustGiving page.</p>
<p>As some of you may remember, I have raised money for St Christopher's Hospice before - it is the hospice in South London that cared for my late mother and made her last weeks so much more bearable for all of us. It really is a very special place but needs to raise £14 million each year to pay for the amazing services it offers to the local community.</p>
<p>So what am I doing this time? Well, I am hoping to swim the Gibraltar Straits, from Spain to Morocco (in other words from Europe to Africa) at the beginning of October. I say hoping because this is the windsurfing capital of the world but you cannot attempt the swim in high winds - so there is a real chance that I won't even get the chance to try. But if I do, due to the currents I will be swimming between 18k and 22k across a major shipping channel. </p>
<p>Others have done this swim before (David Walliams did it a couple of years ago, and, like David, I will be in a wetsuit) but for me this is a real challenge, and I have been training hard all summer. This photo is of me having just swum the length of Lake Windermere (17k) in August.</p>
<p>So, if you would like to sponsor me now, then please do so, but I quite understand if you would prefer to wait and see whether I actually complete the swim - why would you sponsor me to sit on a beach waiting for the wind to drop (other than to support a very good cause of course)? I will update this page to let you know how things go, so please do wait and see if you prefer.</p>
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<p>Thank you again for all your support. </p>