by Jamie McDougall
Autumn is often marketed as a time to “rest and reset” after a busy summer. With temperatures beginning to drop and the nights drawing in, Brockwell Swimmers’ third relay team, Channel Chasers, braved the weather and prepared to take on the Everest of open water swimming. Josh, Zoe, Lo, Andrew, Jamie, and Nicola boarded the Gallivant at 11pm on Sunday 29th September with the classic mixture of excitement and nerves. None of us quite expected what came next.
To the surprise of the swimmers and the crew, conditions at sea became very rough within the first hour. Strong winds and brutal waves refused to relent for the remainder of the swim which pushed us all to the very limit. Seventeen hours and forty-two minutes later we reached the French shores, exhausted but elated. On a swim like this, teamwork is what gets you through. We departed from Dover as six people thrust together seemingly by chance, and we returned with a bond that will last a lifetime. Looking up at the boat, seeing smiling faces and hearing encouraging words gives you the extra boost of energy you didn’t know was in there. I will always be appreciative of the kindness, compassion, and sheer determination I witnessed and experienced with my team mates on this swim.
Why did we do it? Some of us are training for a solo attempt, others prefer relay distances, but we all share a love of open water swimming and a desire to challenge ourselves. In the difficult moments of this swim the words of Mary Oliver, whose poetry is admired by literarians and endurance athletes alike, came to mind.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
