MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I have been traing since May and now finally my alotted window has come round from now till the 9th Oct, anytime 24 hrs a day. So wish me luck anyone who wants to follow my progress Go to Twitter and look for jonswims2france. It's my lifes dream to do this so invested some of my redundancy from April to make it happen and 1000's of lengths later I'll be off.
Fantastic, hopefully you're not starting in Cuba?
Good luck
Can't you afford a ferry? Try a plane, Ryanair are cheap and you SHOULD remain dry.
I don't post much on here, but this deserves one. Best of luck to you.
Why France of all places?
[i]Why France of all places? [/i]
because 'I'm swimming to the Isle of Wight' doesn't have the same cachet?
Nice one! That's proper swimming! Good luck!
There were some cross channels swimmers on Eggheads the other week. Couple of them (the ladies) were rather attractive, in a chunky kind of way. Young woman said she'd done a couple of there&back swims. Crazy!
Good luck to ya heresjonny
Why France of all places?
Where do you suggest?
Good effort!
Why don't you incorporate it into the 'London to Paris triathlon challenge'?
Run from London to Dover, swim the channel, then ride a bike to Paris. Only about 8 people have ever done it! Got to be worth a try.
Just a thought...
😀
What's all the allotted window bobbins ? Just do a Matthew Parris and dive in there.
I think you need to get coastguard clearance and have the tides working in your favour. Plus a support boat and crew. I can see why you need to book in advance...
Doing a london to paris cycle in July next year, bit worried about the 'channel' bit atm, can anyone recommend some good tyres for channel hopping
Yes I have a pilot boat to guide me across on the best route, leaving on high tide going out and aiming to get to france to jump on the incoming tide about 12 hours later. Arch to Arc yes heard of that but thought I'd do the swim bit first.
Having done a very small amount of open water swimming I have the highest respect for anyone that swims the channel. What an achievment!!
I don't use Twitter so when you finish the challenge and can gather enough energy to lift your fingers can you please update us on here?
Good luck with it dude!
Richie
Good luck.
Good luck! I think that is just ace!
What did you do when you were young?
I swam to France.
oh.
Yes 34 is young, I new it was. Saying that a 16 year old girl did it yesterday. So if she can I can.
Are you there yet?
Best of luck and carbo load like mad.
Glad you have a lead boat-do it safely and get them to play some music or something and pass you carb gel.
good luck, jonny
Not sure about the SE, but the weather's a bit wild here in the SW - not ideal conditions for loony swimming!
good luck
do they have internet access in the channel?
Can hopefully text into my twitter page, other people have done that already this year.
all the best mate, following you on twitter
Best of luck to you sir! 🙂
Best of luck!
Good luck!
Have fun and stay safe out there.
I know a few channel swimmers - my girlfriend has done the Channel and the Cook Strait - and I've been to Dover a bit myself. Lots of respect to you, it'll be tough, but it will be a hell of a thing to have done!
cool ! what an amazing challenge...hope you do well and stay safe.. 😉 sorry i dont do 'Twitter' so cant follow you on there..
Best of luck 😉 
Wow, good luck matey!
WorldClassAccident - Member
Why France of all places?
Because its not Britain! (and Belgium is further)
We shan't be swimming - we'll be taking all our belongings and cats through the tunnel.
OP: Good luck with the swim!
Excellent, Have a good one 😆
Good luck, bonne chance and suerte. 😀
Fantastic - weather has cleared up quite a bit. Hope it has gone well - did you get seasick? I wanted to do this but baulked at the £2000 hire cost of the boat.
can you tell us more about the logisitcs of doing this, i assume one cant just rock up and swim it.
Hi everyone
Now looks like tuesday about 7am.
Yeti Guy
Book boat with CSA (cross channel assoc)£2100
register CSA £450
Medical doctors say you are fit
6 hours quaifying swim in water 15c or below.
Since Middle of April been doing about 10km a day in the pool broken up into intervals (400 lengths of 25m pool)monday to friday.
Sundays sea training May bank holiday 1st one. 10.5c temp did 2 half swims with an hour out to warm up. Every sunday building up to 6 hrs Sat and then 7 hrs sunday, replicate expected crossing time.
Sea temp now mid channel about 16.2c.
Objective of the swim is to reach French coast as the tide is going in so you are helped into the shore line. Not get there too late and have to fight an outgoing tide, can add hours onto your swim time.
I will write a more accurate account of the swim and see if I can put this into practice. average crossing time is 12.5 hrs average age 33, I'm 34 and hope to do 3000 m an hour its 38km across.
May the tide be with you
Brilliant. Grease up.
good luck mate and get swimming!
good luck! that's a big ass swim, at least there are no sharks to worry about! 😯
16 degrees? toasty. Good luck!
Last sea swim today white horses and everything, good 1.5 hrs felt more like 3 bashing through, over, under all those waves swallowed half the channel too.
Felt good water like a tepid bath honestly, phone pilot tonight see what he says about possibility of going teusday, wind not looking good mind you Fingers toes crossed.
Jon
10k a day? in a 25m? Christ how did you stay awake! I'm a pretty good swimmer but I would not even consider this.
Good luck and respect.
Its only 25*400's, once you've done 10 it kind of gets a bit hipnotic also trying to do a negative split always helped. Even did some 400's fly if I was feeling mean, that or add in a long sleave t-shirt add a bit of drag and replicate really knackered swimming for the last few hours.
On another note just saw T2 liquid terminator in Die Hard 2 (did'nt last long though)
400 fly non stop is hard for anyone, even doing an extended glide. Sounds like you are prepared then!
when are and where are you leaving? may wave you off if not working.
Best of luck too.
bonne chance :d
For those not following twitter. Spoke to pilot again now looking at (Bear always welcome a wave off)wednesday 9am from dover marina if the weather has cleared from tuesday, if not then 3pm wednesday will be perfect although it will mean swimming through the night. But should definatley mean going wednesday at some point. Off to finish tub of Ben & Jerry's half baked now.
llama
I wont tell you about the 800m fly laps in the local lake then.
Early on I was thinking of going for the fly crossing record 14h 34 but thought best get accross first.
If you aren't following his twitter, he set off just after midnight and going well by the sound of it.
I however am late getting ready for work, slightly different challenge...
http://twitter.com/#!/search/jonswims2france
Silly bugger has been swimming since Midnight.
About 6 miles off France............ 😯
Go on Jon!
Looks like he's struggling....
GO ON JON!
Just out the water into the boat 🙁
valiant effort, well done Jon.
It's not a failure - it's good practice for the next one!
Even the best cross channel swimmers don't make it every time.
Good effort and good luck for the next attempt.
Yes, a superb effort nonethless. I'm sure you're crack it next time, Jon.
What an experience that must have been.
I'm sure lessons have been learned, should you ever be nuts enough to try again.
Well in fella
And sleep........................... 🙂
Excellent effort, good warm up for the next one.
Hi everyone
As most of you will know I attempted my channel crossing 7th October at 12.30. I was making excellent progress making the English shipping lane in 2h 30 mins and the French shipping lane at 5h 30 mins which is about 6 miles off the French coast.
However, at my 4 hour feed I was violently sick and from there on unable to keep down any energy drinks given to me. From 6h30 into my swim I was unable to battle the tides and was dragged down the coast line never getting any nearer. Up to this point I was on for a sub 10 hour swim which would have been amazing, but not to be.
The decsion was taken to pull me out after 9 hours as it would have been 6 hours before the tide turned and then another 4 hours to reach French soil. I was not in a fit state to last that long in 15c water, and also turning my swim into 20 hours
However I tried to put on weight I only managed 4.5kg in 5 months all of which strangly came off during my 9 hr swim.
Thanks for watching my twitter, hope it provided some entertainment over your collective breakfasts.
I will be doing a relay next year I think and then go for another solo in 2012, and get a slot in August this time, with a bit more training next time.
Unlucky Johnny, but at least you gave it your best. Good luck for the future attempts.
Well done and good luck next time.
good effort (you still got waaaay further than most people!!)
Good luck if you attempt it again, I'm sure it'll be easier in a slightly warmer august!
well done mate, valiant effort
Aim for Mid Sept next year. The water will be a few degrees warmer, and more than likely smoother. Plus you did it during some big tides, surely neaps would be best with less tidal range and a few knots less to swim against.
Good effort though, more than most on here could ever acheive. My 1 mile sea swims after work used to tire me out , cannot contemplate 20 odd miles.
Well done fella, bit of bad luck with being sick/illness. Doesn't matter how well you train (and sounds like you more than prepared) if you get ill or an injury on the day when your doing something that hard thats unfortunately the end of things.
Hope things go better on the next attempt.