Photos from the Channel Swim




























































































































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Keep on Keeping on.

"Do you think you'll write a book about your swim?" My Mum was quick to clarify her question: "I know not many would read it, but I probably would." More than a little put out, I hit back: "I think we'll be too busy making the film, to be honest, Mum, so the book will have to wait." So much is already in place. I have a working title for the film: some sort of clever play on 'Jaws', and with our Sea Dogs name, I'm trying to choose between 'Claws' and 'Paws'. Deciding who should play Graham was easy; I just need to track down Chewbacca, and see if he can do his strange roar/cry with a soft Edinburgh lilt. I think we have most of the key elements of a good film. We've had set-backs: there was a time when Graham and I were both in and out of A and E; I discovered that hitting the side of a car whilst travelling fast on a bike is not ideal for the shoulder, and definitely not ideal for the bike itself, and Graham'...
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Embrace the cold.

Picture the scene: it’s minus 2 degrees and pitch dark; there’s a hefty wind chill factor blowing across Brighton beach from the north; the only others awake as we cycle down to the sea are wrapped up in huge coats, scraping ice off their windscreen; the pebbles on the beach are frozen together; and we are about to strip down to our speedos and get in another sea swim before school starts for us both. Why? It’s the question most commonly asked of us, and the question we have probably most commonly asked ourselves. The quick answer is that we’re training for our Channel swim. A huge chunk of those who fail in the Channel do so because the cold takes them down, so we’re hoping our regular winter sea swims will stand us in good stead. But, the question remains: why? It can feel utterly horrendous, as if your skin is burning and freezing all at once. Some of our early swims left us shaking and shivering on the beach, fumbling with zips on coats and desperately trying to pull glove...
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It's all in the mind.

In any sort of endurance event, we all know that - at a certain point - 'it is all in the mind'; the moment when your limbs or lungs are already hurting, you have been contemplating stopping for ages, and something 'in the mind' keeps you going, keeps you from stopping. Determination, willpower, drive, grit - it's all in the mind. In long-distance swimming, more so - I think - than other long-distance events, the battle within those 'top two inches' is not just about keeping going; it's also about managing both the boredom and the strange wanderings of the mind to ensure that the stroke remains efficient and effective. We must add to the 'determination and drive' a strange cocktail of random, confused and bizarre musings which are also 'all in the mind' when swimming for a long time. Consider this section of internal monologue from our recent 2-hour qualifying swim in the sea off Brighton beach: "Ok, off we go. Two hours. Two h...
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