After 18 months of training and heroically hauling myself across the English Channel in 2023, I decided I was officially over swimming pools. Chlorine? Lanes? Other people doing breaststroke? No thanks. So, naturally, I swapped discipline for laziness and took a well-earned break… which somehow lasted a bit longer than planned.

But now I’m back at it with my next little adventure: swimming around the island of Jersey. That’s 44.3 miles (71.5 km) of tidal chaos, freezing water, and absolutely no waterproof snacks. It’s a tidal-assisted swim—which sounds helpful, until you realise the tide can just as easily shove you backwards if it's feeling cheeky. Most people take a boat. I thought, why not swim for 10 to 12 hours straight instead, assuming the conditions don’t turn into their usual mess.

This time, I’m doing it for a reason that really matters. After losing my grandma in 2024, I wanted to do something in her memory—something tough, meaningful, and a bit unhinged. So I’m raising money for the Stroke Association, because if I’m going to spend half a day swimming through saltwater and self-doubt, it may as well be for a good cause.