Yes, you've read the title correctly - We (Helen Goodwin, Graham Barker and Darren Hutchinson) are planning to Swim to the Isle of Wight on Sunday 16 August 2009 to raise money for charity!  Like all the best plans this was challenge was hatched in the pub after too much beer!

We're probably completely mad and, in even committing to this challenge, it no doubt illustrates what some people had already come to think of us!  It's also true that catching a ferry would be a whole lot easier but where's the challenge in that? 

 

The swim, between Gilkicker Point (Gosport) and Ryde Sands (Isle of Wight) is approximately 3 miles (see attached plan).  We'll be leaving at slack tide in the hope that we can get past halfway before the tide comes in - if we do we'll get some assistance from the tide to help us to the finish, if we don't we could end up in Bognor Regis or, heaven forbid, Calais!  The swim will of course be weather dependent - if the outlook is poor (waves of more than 5 feet!) then the swim will be postponed and we'll have to try again another time.

 

We'll be crossing four shipping channels, weaving our way past hovercraft, yachts, tankers and the best of the Royal Navy.  The Solent is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world - and if that isn't enough to deter us don't forget to consider the marine life which can include swarms of jellyfish in the summer months....

 

To say we'll be out of our comfort zone is an understatement - our little recent experience of sea swimming suggests its very easy to get spooked by the slightest unknown object in the water, let alone the thought of how deep it is.  However, hopefully the adrenaline will kick in and some hard work and the bizarre psychology of safety in numbers will see us through this rather unusual challenge.

 

We are looking to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.  Cancer will affect one in three of us during our life time.  Graham's brother is all too aware of this having fought it four years, he's currently receiving chemotherapy to treat the latest attach on his nervous system in his spine.  This challenge is a great opportunity for us to raise some money to help Cancer Research continue their pioneering work into treatments for cancer patients.

 

We are undertaking this challenge with the generous help of Portsmouth and Southsea Voluntary Lifegaurds (PSVL)  and therefore we'll have plenty of qualified support.  Of course we hope we won't need to call on their lifesaving skills on the day!  In return for their wonderful help we are also raising money for PSVL to support such a fantastic charity and ensure that they can continue their wonderful services.   If you prefer to donate to PSVL we have another webpage almost identical to this one (www.justgiving.com/isleofwightswim/) - both are very worthy charities.

 

We would therefore welcome any donation, whether big or small, by using the page below.  We've set a very modest target for fund raising but we hope to beat that with your generosity.

 

Now for the technical bit "Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

Thank you for your kind support for a great cause - we'll let you know how we get on.

Helen, Graham and Darren.