‘Special Needs Boat Crew’..

And finally the last two members of the boat crew……. “What have I done?”       And finally, adding a much needed International outlook (and good looks generally) to the ‘dream team’, Eddie Peinado, the celebrated Brazilian adventurer has taken time out from his attempt to circumnavigate the Great Lakes in an inflatable canoe to add his experience to the crew. Eddie, an accomplished budgie wrestler is uniquely qualified, having himself swum the channel 2 years ago in 12 hours and 29 minutes. He will therefore be the perfect ‘safety officer’ onboard, able to recognise when Gary is actually in need of something as opposed to just ‘girling about’ and also just how high the volume on the pa needs to be to ensure that Gary can hear just what a good time is being enjoyed on the party/safety boat…..     To complete the dream team support crew is “Hagar”, enrolled for his expertise in all things wet (T shirts, towels and nappies). More used to providing top cover from his aerial taxi, H will be providing a bird’s eye view on the crossing from the warmth of his sleeping bag and tightly gripped thermos. A born leader he has pushed, coaxed and motivated lesser mortals to the brink of their abilities even occasionally beyond them into A&E. Hagar is a natural explorer himself spending many of his weekends rummaging through the car boot sales of Dorset seeking that elusive reward. If there is one man who can singly handed help Gary achieve his goal of crossing the channel Hagar, will try and find him or her! Ladies and Gentlemen the ‘Dream...

Ladies and gentlemen… “The Boat Crew”...

Rather than bore you with more swimming training stories today, it is time to introduce my ‘Boat Crew’.. hand picked from a cast of millions. The Boat Crew are essential to any successful swim, let alone a successful English Channel attempt. They will feed, monitor, push me……  and yes……   “Stop me from getting back into the boat early.. no matter how tough it gets!”   I am extremely lucky to have such a high calibre duo on call. Without them this would ‘NOT’ be possible.   I asked them to write a short paragraph each introducing themselves, which they did indeed do. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr David Eaton-Jones and Mr John Jenkins. David is one of Britain’s most committed yet surprisingly least well known adventurers. In his early teens he conkered “Everest” (his best mate’s playground champion) and then in his twenties travelled solo from Pole to Pole (Catchpole in Barnsley to Hampole in Kettering) sustained simply by his wits and some wagonwheels. Looking for fresh challenges he wanted to tackle the mighty oceans and has now worked with a number of leading sportsmen to find alternative uses for budgie smugglers. This is an ongoing project. More recently he has teamed up with a retired Welsh explorer, John Jenkins, to push the boundaries. Not of themselves but of a raw recruit for whom swimming the channel has been a lifelong dream and nightmare. David’s key contribution has been to set the right strategy for this epic crossing (“swim fast in that direction”) as well as ensuring there is sufficient seating around the support vessel for him to get an all round tan. Fresh from his successful support of the recent unsupported trek to the South Pole that saw Ben Fogle take his place amongst the adventuring greats John has agreed to undertake the highly complex and demanding role of ‘chef d’equippe’ on the channel attempt. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, invaluable when experience is required and can also cook a bit, invaluable when everyone is hungry. His biggest challenge will be overcoming his pathological fear of boats, swimming and water in general. He is however confident that a continuous supply of red wine and fine cheese will help beat this and ensure his active participation in the ‘wet bits’ as he describes them.   The ‘Men in...

Bridge to Bridge San Francisco

Well another swim down. 10km In the beautiful setting of San Fancisco, Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge, water 13.5C. A misty start, including a ‘Jock in a Frock’ on a surf board.. frightening!! It was a good work out but using a strong Flood tide.. pushing me along. Hence I finished about 5th overall including the wetsuit...

Another Lake Swim..

Another lake swim this morning and the temperature has risen to a balmy 12C degrees. I swam for an hour and 10 minutes. 4 Times around, approximately 3.5km. The weather was grey and rainy. I had to abandon the swim due to the wake boarders amassing at opening time and the beautiful ‘lifeguard duo’ becoming rebellious unless I bought them a treat!!  ...