Day 225 - Wednesday 6th April 2011

Finally the sea is listening to me and starting to warm up. Sure at 7.3 degrees (this morning) it’s still very cold, but it’s warm enough to go around the Pier. Yep Big Bob and I are back in the room!!

I arrived at the Arch at 7am very much looking forward to my sea swim, but expecting just our usual 15 minute to pier and groin swim. Bob, however, had other ideas and suggested that maybe today was the day we could once again, after months off, swim around the Pier. You should have seen my face; Mike, who was standing next to me, immediately piped up with “well clearly Rob isn’t keen on that idea” – he was spot on!! However, not to be someone who shies away from a challenge I was first out the door and leading the march to the seas edge. Even at 7.3 degrees the sea felt iceberg cold, but in the two of us went. The air temperature was already around 9 degrees (apparently going up to 18 today!), the sky was a beautiful light blue, the sun was halfway up it’s pole and the sea conditions were a low tide, 85% flat and an Eastern pull. Within a minute of walking in we were swimming towards the helter skelter and heading under the pier; going through under the Danger Sign (interesting sign to read that far out) and around the Pier head clockwise. Going under and to the head was quick as the tide was easterly, but coming back around was harder work as we were then swimming against it to the west. Coming around and heading back in Bob and I stayed together the entire swim. It was a decent pace the whole way, neither of us going crazy but neither holding back and we reached the shore some 23 minutes after setting off. Flipping fantastic!! To be able to do a decent swim in the sea rather than the pool is like the best Christmas present ever. I now need the sea to continue to keep the temperature rising and then the pool can be a once a week job and the sea a five times a week job.

Reading back over my blog I found 29th April 2010, being my 4th ever day in the sea and the day I first swam around the pier. On that day I reported it was under 7 degrees and it was an incredible milestone. To think that under a year later I can swim around the Pier without it being a physical exertion on me and I can keep up with Bob the whole way is astonishing for me.

The next 3 months are going to be hard graft, but the end result will be fantastic with me not only completing my Channel Swim, but more importantly having completed a fantastic journey and becoming a swimmer along the way; in fact not just a swimmer, but actually someone who will now never stop swimming.

Life is good and a big thanks to my friend Big Bob as without him I would not be where I am today with my swimming and I certainly would have wimped out on the pier swim today!!.