Postponed until September

At least now we know. Friday, the last day of the neap tide, will be a great swimming day, it seems, but the swimmer before me is going out. Good luck to you, Maggie, make the best of it and don't stop until you run out of water! I will go for a long training swim tomorrow and maybe again on Friday, just to make the most of my time here in Dover.

Yesterday and today the wind has been up to gale force, even with the sun out for lots of the time, which helped to keep spirits up. When we jogged down to the harbour from Varne Ridge yesterday via Shakespeare Beach, from where swims used to start (now they may also start from Samphire Hoe, created from debris from the Channel tunnel), the waves there were breaking so high, there was no way of getting into the water. The Channel was really showing its power - exactly like in July/August 1985, when Minati and Saumya were there with me.

I will be back in September. My helpers have to be home in Zurich and Graz by Sunday, and I would not swim on a strong spring tide anyway. Waiting for the next tide is no option for various reasons. The budget will be stretched, but I am still lucky - swimmers from the U.S. or from other far away parts of the world mostly don't have this option.

We had a nice chat with Alison Streeter, my pilot, on her boat in the morning. She had been more depressed about the weather than many of us swimmers, wanting desperately to give us a chance to go. She will try to take out as many swimmers as possible already on the next tide if the weather allows so that there may be "vacancies" on the first September tide from the 6th to the 11th or so or even a few days earlier. I will be able to go to Dover on very short notice as soon as the weather seems right and there is a slot.





On Alison's boat - Bea tells the famous story of her mid-Channel haircut for the umptieth time - and we just crack up laughing again!

All the preparation is done, loose ends have been tied together, things can only run smoother in September. New helpers will be needed for the boat, but for the bike and run part the crew is already confirmed (anybody else who feels inspired is still welcome!). We have gathered valuable experience here and sorted a number of things out (feeding schedule, what to feed, how to feed, things to take into account like stomach sickness of the swimmer etc., bought light sticks, grease etc.) - and my muscles have grown! All the hours of training in the choppy harbour and acclimatising to the cold will not be lost. I might have to take cold showers and maybe even an ice bath every now and then at home, but in September the water usually is even a bit warmer. The air temperature right now is not very helpful either, rather making for a higher chill factor during the swim.

I will leave some things in Dover, like food supplies, gear, clothes, so that everything will just be ready to go when we come back. Fingers crossed!

With 2 girls of the successful Teens on the Move Sea 2 See-Relay and their coach Dee from Australia, our caravan neighbours, and Dori (U.S.), who swam successfully last Friday, on the beach in Dover harbour

With Michael Read, head of the CSA (the Channel Swimming Organisation I swam with in 1985) and former King of the Channel with 33 crossings

My current pilot Alison Streeter is part of the CS & PF, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, a new organisation to pilot, observe and ratify English Channel swims. For us swimmers the main thing is to swim under official observation - I am trying to keep away from politics.)