Story
You may have heard that I completed the channel crossing on 22 September in a time of 14 hours 20 minutes. It was an extraordinary journey which commenced at Samphire Hoe, just west of Dover, at around 9.00 a.m. (a lot later than I was anticipating) and concluded at around 11.30 p.m. near Sangatte. I encountered many obstacles not least taking on food whilst unable to tread water and swimming in the dark, which I had not done before and ferries of course! The swell that they generated in the shipping lane is nothing short of horrible and made swimming very difficult. My right shoulder became extremely painful after the mid point as did my left forearm. I did however manage to pass an able bodied swimmer around three quarters of the way accross who had set off around half an hour before me! The photos show some of my injuries post swim. During the hours after the swim my shoulders got stiffer and more painful to the point where I could not move at all! Not something I wish to experience again. The pain was so intense that I could not move for 36 hours. My left arm swelled like a balloon and all the tendons began grating in my forearm. All in all a great experience!!! I would like to thank everyone that has helped in this project. Simply put I could not have achieved it without them. A very special thank you goes to my partner, Yvonne and to SIA and thank you to all those that have been good enough to sponsor me.