Wednesday, August 11, 2010

England to France 3rd August 2010



What a great day. We started at 3.18am in total darkness from Shakespeare Beach. The water was beautifully warm and dead flat calm, just like a good day in the lakes in Inchigeela or Inniscarra in Cork. I was so happy to feel the temperature as it was my only big concern. I was very calm, and started out happy and strong, and then, Bang! Hit the wall at 3 hours-I guess it's good to get these things out of the way early! I felt horrible for the next 2 and a half hours, had trouble feeding and felt as if I was going nowhere. Luckily I had a beautiful sunrise to focus on until I eventually felt better and got into my stride again.


The conditions began to deteriorate throughout the course of the day, and by the final few hours, the water was very choppy. Lucky for me I quite like these conditions, and it certainly was not boring!


By the time I saw France there was nothing going to stop me and I plodded on until I climbed ashore 13 hours and 58 minutes later.


An amazing feeling after training for so long.


To my crew, Mick, Derek, John and Lisa, you were flawless and I thank you all. You're all crazy and made me laugh a number of times which was great.


To my pilot, Paul Foreman, you were fantastic, very supportive, and I felt that I was in good hands all the way to France.


To David and Evelyn at Varne Ridge, you guys are right in there in the midst of the craziness and obviously loving it, thank you for making our stay so enjoyable.


To Niamh and Caelan, thanks for helping Mum achieve this goal.
To those who helped me with my fundraising for Barretstown, thank you. We still have a bit to go to reach our target, so please keep donating. All funds go directly to Barretstown Kids Camp. You can donate here.
To everyone who supported me before and during my swim, thank you so much.


Last but not least, Coach supreme, Eilis Burns, you're the greatest!


And to the magnificent seven: 3 down, 4 to go!

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