Shore to Shore

So near yet so far - valiant TNT swimmers beaten by the elements

The brave TNT 'shore-to-shore we can' Channel swimmers were just four miles from the French coast when appalling conditions forced the abandonment of the swim late this afternoon (13th September).

TNT's Magnificent Seven of Daniel Vines, Owen Maybank, Simon Bradbury, Heather Mather, Jon Straw, Julian Crabtree and Steve Foster had already swum 29 miles when English Channel Swimming officials refused to take them any further as atrocious weather rendered the bid both futile and dangerous.

Daniel was first into the water at approximately 2.30am in the pitch dark and the team are battling through what is described as 'choppy' seas. It's a mixture of exhilaration and exhaustion as each team member takes their turn to do hour-long stints in the water.
    

Start Time : 02:31
Abandoned : 15.21 hours
Time in Water : 12 hours 50 minutes

Out in the English Channel today…..

2.30 - 3.30 Daniel leads off in the pitch dark. He has to jump off the boat swim to shore and then set off - trouble is and as daft as it sounds - it's so dark it's almost impossible to find the shoreline! It's a bit of an ordeal to get the swim started and there's a long way to go.

Once in Daniel produces a good strong stroke rate and makes good progress.

Back on board we're all suffering from sea sickness with Heather particularly poorly. We knew it might be bad but hadn't really banked on this level of sickness.

3.30 - 4.30 Owen takes over complete with glow sticks in his googles and swimming trunks. Once again he is swimming strongly and making a good stroke rate. Conditions aren't too bad but there's a strong wind and the seas is a bit 'lively'.

Daniel feeling the cold once back on board and takes refuge in a sleeping bag covered in coats. We can't allow any of us to catch hypothermia for obvious reasons.

4.30 - 5.30 Simon is in the water and goes off like a rocket. Owen reports his swim as 'a brilliant feeling' but it's a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration once he's back on board. He said he was running on adrenalin for first 45 minutes and the last 15 minutes were tough. Owen says visibility was minimal out there and the boat was just a blur and it's difficult to hear any team orders being shouted from the deck.

Poor Heather and Julian are suffering from almost constant sea sickness, hardly the best preparation before their stints which are fast approaching.

5.30-6.30 Simon literally falls onto the deck after missing his footing as he comes out of the water. He's produced a great hour but like those who have gone before, says the last 15 minutes seem like an eternity. He is very fatigued.

Heather is a proper heroine - the poor girl is actually being physically sick into a bucket as she's putting her goggles on before diving in. This is real grit and typifies the 'never say die' attitude that courses through the team.

Simon is really feeling the cold and makes for the sleeping bag. People are literally shivering for the best part of the first hour after getting out of the water.

6.30 - 7.30 Now it's Jon's turn. Everyone is doing their bit but Heather has been fantastic - she's been so ill before going into the water but she's done her hour - what a terrific effort by the girl! Jon's doing a freestyle stroke of whatever he chooses - but whatever it is it's effective.

We're all suffering on board, although Owen seems to be the one least affected by the choppy waves. It's easier to lie down on deck rather than stand because the winds are getting stronger.

7.30 - 8.30 Jon's back in and he's really feeling the freezing conditions once you come out of the water. The irony is that we reckon the water is about 17 degrees which isn't too bad all things considered. We've trained in water as cold as 12 degrees but the Channel currents are stronger that those we've experienced in the build up to today. The wind is just making us all so cold and people are wrapped up in up to seven coats…and a sleeping bag.

Julian's in the water - it's a massive relief for him to actually get in the water because he's been vomiting almost since the moment we set sail. He's the most experienced of all of us at this level of swimming and he's never been seasick before - what a time to start for the poor guy.

What a transformation - Julian hits the water and goes like a powerhouse!

8.30 - 9.30 Julian out and Steve, the last member of the team is in. 60 minutes from now and we'll all have had the shared experience of an hour in the Channel. Everything we've worked for is coming together right here, right now. It's so so cold on deck and the winds are really gusting - you can't really stand up on deck - the wind is so strong.

Steve's looking steady in the water - he's desperate to give a good account of himself and the spirit among the team is high. The weather is set to worsen as we make our way towards the French coastline and the sea is a bit lumpy. We're almost a third of the way there and Dan is getting ready for his second stint.

9.30 - 10.30 We must have been slightly out with our calculations because by the time Daniel had completed his second hour we'd gone through the half way point - what a great miscalculation!

We've cleared the halfway marker and it's sent the morale of the team soaring. The white cliffs of Dover are becoming hazy - despite the sunny and clear conditions - and the landmarks on the French coastline are becoming increasingly clearer.

10.30 - 11.30 Owen's put in another great leg but the conditions on board are getting worse. The sunshine is deceptive because the boat is taking a real battering. There's lots of water on deck and there's no chance of staying dry and warming up once we get out of the water.

This is hard going, worse than we'd imagined and quite frankly - it's frightening. Everybody is being sick because of the amount of salt water swallowed and that's before you even take into account sitting on this little boat being tossed all over the shop in these swirling turbulent waters!

It says something that we'd all rather be in the water than sat on top of it!

The waves are up to four feet high which is making life very very difficult but we're doing it and we're going to keep doing it until we get to Cap Griz Nez beach at Calais.

We haven't come all this way to fail.

11.30 - 12.30pm Owen emerges - exhausted but what a big big effort. Simon's going in.

Conditions on the boat are continuing to deteriorate and people are violently…and I mean, violently, ill.

Simon's much better off in the water than on the boat - it's becoming a living hell - and that is not over dramatising the situation. We knew when we signed up it wasn't going to be easy but nobody could have envisaged this. We've got to try and keep up our energy levels, but how do you do that when our bodies are unable to keep anything inside?

We thought mental strength and resolve would be the big issue but this is all down to physical well being and we're all feeling really bad.

Heather is next up after Simon and she is literally shaking like a leaf but she is going back in - truly this woman is a legend - words really don't do her justice. We're now 10 hours in and if we can just get to grips with feeling like death warmed up we can do this thing…but that's easier said than done.

12.30 – 1.30pm

Two inches of water on the boat – the whole place is utterly sodden – it would be funny if it wasn’t so horrific! Heather is just finishing off her second swim of the day – she has put in an absolutely brilliant effort, she’s been so poorly but she is truly amazing!

The on-board food supplies are coming up faster than they are going down so there should be plenty left once we get to the other side – and get to the other side we will!

We’re just six miles away from French shores and we’re going to make it. At this rate everyone will have had two stints in the water and it will probably fall to Daniel to go in a third time and bring the team home onto French soil.

If that comes to pass it’ll be rather fitting given that he was the poor beggar who had to go in to the black waters in the dead of night at 2.31am today.

2.30pm - 3.30pm

Julian is released from his hell on board and he's going like a veritable torpedo. The French coast is so tantalisingly close but here come the 'hard yards' we've got to be mindful of the cross currents that have been the downfall of many Channel attempts that have tried and failed.

We've said all along that failure is not in our vocabulary - the 'f' word is banned and is not about to get an airing now. Julian's making great progress.
Amid all the optimism the weather has taken a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse - please please please don't let it conspire against us now!

DISASTER  - The Channel Pilot and the Channel Swimming Association official observer are advising us to stop saying the weather is too bad and the swim is becoming too dangerous! Decision time - what can we do?

The answer is we can do nothing! The officials and experts have forced the abandonment of the swim because of the atrocious conditions. We are advised it is both futile and dangerous to try and make the final four miles to the French coast.

We're all devastated at the news but, in all fairness, not surprised. The weather is appalling and had been getting worse and worse with every passing hour - it been akin to white water rafting for the past three or four hours.

We've already covered 29 miles because of the need to go with the currents and the flows and avoid the shipping lanes. How cruel can life be, only two hours ago we were nailed on certainties to make it and now this…

Failure is still not a word that features in our diction. We were denied by a formidable foe - Mother Nature. We have nothing to reproach ourselves for, we gave it our very best shot and we were doing it but the decision was taken out of our hands. On reflection, no one can dispute it - we could have let our hearts rule our heads but that could have been a fatal miscalculation.

Even now, with emotions so very raw, we know we have every right to be proud of our achievements today. It was the most valiant of attempts and we can only hope that those who have been kind enough to pledge money and make donations, will honour their commitment to us and, more importantly, the children who benefit from the support of TNT and the Wooden Spoon.

It's the only consolation as we head back to Folkestone weather beaten but not defeated.

TRACK THE SWIM

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If you to support the brave swimmers in their bid to reach their charity goal please donate online at www.justgiving.com/shoretoshore

The TNT 'shore-to-shore we can' swimming team (L-R) Simon Bradbury, Owen Maybank, Daniel Vines, Heather Mather, Steve Foster, Jon Straw, Charles Cartier.