Weather Outlook Very Negative for Second Attempt

Sunday I poured over the weather charts with Allison Streeter, Queen of the Channel, with 43 swims to her credit and now a Pilot for swimmers. “Its been the worst summer for swims in all 28 years that I have been associated with Channel swimming,” she said to me while looking at the weather charts for this week, and added, “I wont be taking any solos, the winds don’t look like they will be less than 10 to 15 knots (11-17 mph) – might take a relay but not a solo.” [Relay swimmers do an hour a piece and then swim again as their number comes up. Most teams are of six swimmers and so two 1-hour swims are all most relay members need do.] Furthermore, the remnants of Hurricane Hannah will hit England on Wednesday and be here in Dover late in the day. Wednesday was to be - is to be - my day.

Add to that, my bothersome left shoulder took a turn for the worst yesterday. It was rough in the harbor with short steep waves – just like it had been all week - making swimming rather tough and presenting conditions that were they to exist in the Channel most solo swims would not start. I came off a wave and, just as I expected, my troublesome left arm was hit by a very large wave which whipped it back and almost rolled me. The pain was intense and I had to side stroke back to the beach.

Sunday it was relatively calm in the harbor so out I went but ended an hour later as my entire arm was painful and very stiff with more than the usual numbness in the hand and forearm. During the practice I had difficulty in stroke recovery and tried several different methods - varying my roll and muscle recruitment. None helped the condition, as it progressively became stiffer and more painful. So, at 55 minutes I came out, knowing that I just had my last swim between now and the hoped-for possibility of an early start on the Channel this Wednesday. The shoulder must be rested. The cold is no longer a problem. It’s about 63-64 F and I can mostly ignore it – although on exit I shiver for about an hour.

Now of course with the weather forecast deteriorating again and the shoulder not behaving I am a little pessimistic. Of course I will be disappointed if I don’t get a shot at it, but if I do get off the beach I fear what the shoulder will do and that I might not be able to better my last effort of getting just over halfway in 7 hours and 40 minutes. Worst case, I will always know that I have twice previously swum the Channel, and that I was the third-oldest at 49 years to have done so, and now I am the holder of a new record – at 71 the oldest to have tried!

Staying for the next neap in mid-September is not an option as business responsibilities, meetings, and lectures finally call me home by next Saturday.

There will be another update in a day or two.

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