Day 124 – 29th October 2010

This morning was simply Fun with very capital F. It was at least 25% rougher than yesterday and although swimming around the pier was clearly doable, it would have been a lot of work and possible worry rather than fun. The best way of describing it so you can get the picture is to picture a heard of white horses in groups of four or five bearing down on you.

From the moment we put our feet in the sea we were literally swamped by the waves. The wind and the tide were going from east to west, which meant that the pull was away from the pier to the west pier. Having got in and swum a couple of hundred meters out we then literally were either climbing up huge swells and going over them or grabbing as much breath as possible and going under them. Because the water was so busy it raised the temperature a lot; I would guess by a good 2 degrees. Apart from Bob and I there was also Little Bob, Mike and Lindy; all also having a play; Lindy losing her goggles to a big wave almost at the start of our swim. After about 20 minutes, when it was just us, Bob and I came back to the beach ready to go in, but couldn’t resist going back in the sea for another 10minutes. Seriously, it really was that much fun.

On a “training” note, a day like today is actually really important to me. First of all when you are swimming in these conditions you have to put on bursts of speed to fight through the waves and avoid them spinning you under or throwing you onto the beach or the groins. This is fantastic for the shoulders and legs as sometimes you get three or four “mountains” of water hurtling at you at in succession and you really have to put on the speed. Secondly, and probably more importantly, this is the best training ground for learning to cope in severe conditions and for getting yourself in a position where you respect the sea but are not frightened of it; or at least if you are frightened you are able to control the fear and keep your head calm and stay controlled. When I get into the channel, even though the waves may be a lot higher than today, I will feel completely able to deal with them simply because of having days like today to play in. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted, but when you get into it and realise your capabilities then you literally yearn for days like today.