The White Cliffs of Dover

Saint Margaret's Cliffs

Ferries going back and forth to Calais

Dover Castle

To pass time while we wait to swim, Liz, Marcy and I and our crews did a little "cross training" today and hiked the trail north along the coast to Saint Margaret's Cliffs. We saw a castle, white cliffs....and white caps in the Channel.

Still training in the Harbor....

and hoping for the weather to allow our cross-channel swims....

It's a bit breezy at Dover Harbor today....

Dover Docks at Dawn

Everyone was crestfallen when the swims were called off again early this morning. We had met at 1:30am and although the wind had died to nothing when the harbor gates opened, a gale began to blow from the east, putting a fatal end to any swim attempts for the next few days.

Alison Streeter "Queen of the Channel"

Alison Streeter, who has swum the English Channel more times than any other person, is known as "Queen of the Channel". She now has her Captain's license and crews for swims. Here she is waiting to assist Marcy MacDonald with her 3-way swim.

Sea Satin

Lance Oram, my escort pilot, will show me the way across the Channel in his boat, Sea Satin. Hopefully, if the weather clears, that is....

Waiting to see if we swim....

Four swimmers and their crews met at Dover docks at 3:30pm Sunday afternoon. After waiting around for final weather reports, we all went out into the Channel for a "look see". The wind was up and the swells were huge....no swim this afternoon. We agreed to meet again at 1:30am to see if the wind and seas would allow us to swim the Channel.

It looks like 4pm start this afternoon!

It looks like a 4pm start this afternoon! Since I'm not a morning person, that's a Godsend!!! Marcy will be starting her 3-way then, too. The sun is coming out and the wind has died down....hoping it stays like that 'till we're all done!!!

I'll get back to you after the swim....

A bit windy again, today

Right now the wind is blowing at 21 knots. I know I can swim in that, but would really prefer not to this time! Monday and Tuesday look better, but a lot can change by then. This is only the second day of the tide - too soon to panic and take a bad day. Mid-tide is coming up....perhaps I will get to swim during the middle of the neap when the tides are the weakest. It would be fun to see how that is after my spring tide swims....

"Fabulous Fifties"

Cliff Golding, Sally Minty-Gravett (newly-minted 50, just had her birthday!), Dee (from Jersey and swimming the Channel this tide), me.

Cliff Golding & Laura Lopez-Bonilla

Laura Lopez-Bonilla & Liz Fry

Liz Fry getting ready to swim

Marcy MacDonald

"Double Crossers" at the Victoria Guest House

Two-way English Channel Swimmers:
Me, 8th woman and oldest person to swim the English Channel both ways without stopping, 2004
Nora Toledano, Mexico City, 6th woman to swim the English Channel both ways without stopping, 1994
Marcy MacDonald, 7th woman to swim the English Channel both ways without stopping, 2001 & 2004

Channel Swimmers

Liz Fry, from Connecticut, attempting a 2-way English Channel swim
Me, here for another one-way English Channel swim
Marcy MacDonald, attempting a 3-way English Channel swim
Raquel Marquez from Mexico City, attempting to swim the English Channel backstroke.

We're all staying at the Victoria Guest House, waiting for the weather to cooperate so we can swim!

Marcy MacDonald

Marcy MacDonald, from Connecticut, is here in Dover to attempt to become the fourth person in history to swim the English Channel 3-ways without stopping.

Too windy to swim just yet....

Today, I walked to Dover Harbor....the wind was blowing so hard I really had to hold onto my hat!

No Thursday swim....seven foot waves in the Channel today and not much better tomorrow. I'll be checking in with my escort pilot tomorrow evening about a swim this Friday. Not that I'm afraid of a little wind, just would prefer a light breeze....

Raquel Marquez

Here in Dover, I've been hanging out with channel swimmers from all over the world. Raquel Marquez is from Mexico City and will be swimming the Channel backstroke. She is an amazing swimmer and her backstroke is faster than many people's freestyle!

Waiting to see if I swim tomorrow....

I'm resting and staying off my feet today, as there is a chance I could swim as early as tomorrow. Right now, the wind is gusting at 21 knots, but the weather here can turn on a dime. At least the sun is shining....

It's a bit windy today....

It's a bit windy today. I went for a swim in Dover Harbor and it was like a washing machine on turbo cycle....realistic training conditions for an English Channel swim.

It looks like I may swim as early as Thursday. Stay tuned....

My Instructions for the Channel Swim

I have been assigned some lofty goals by my friend Chantal, aka Laura:

"Good luck on the swim, kick some ass, beat up some sharks, and destroy all the men's records!"

Aim high, finish strong!!!

Wind and Rain in Dover

It's "a bit damp" out today (pouring rain, thunder and lightning), and it doesn't look as if any swims will go off in the next few days....perhaps I will be able to wait for my neap tide this time! The earliest I should swim would be Friday or Saturday if things clear up. So far, summer has not arrived in this part of the world.

I've arrived in Dover!

I arrived at the Victoria Guest House in Dover yesterday afternoon, exhausted and dehydrated from a 25-hour door to door commute from San Diego. Of course, the first thing I did was walk down to the harbor to greet channel swimming friends. This morning, I had a nice swim in the wind and chop, practicing for the Channel. The sea temp has been hovering around 60-61F, but that was no problem at all. My swim dates start Saturday, but I could go before that....stay tuned for details!

It's Time to Dial it In....

Today I did my last long swim before the Channel. It was a warm, sunny day and the sea temperature was a tropical 68F. Carol, Jim, Corrie, and John joined me for 2 - 4 miles each of my 10-mile Cove swim here in La Jolla. Heather swam 6 miles and Brian swam the whole thing with me. We started out at a mellow warm-up pace, but by the second mile we were picking it up and were able to sustain a strong effort level throughout the swim. Even so, a good time was had by all. Since waves were breaking at the Shores, we got to enjoy body surfing sessions each time we swam across.

My swim dates start in less than three weeks. My job now is to concentrate on speed, rest and not getting injured.

La Jolla High School Distinguished Alumni Award

As a graduate of La Jolla High School class of 1973, I was recognized as a "Distinguished Alumni" at the 85th Anniversary Celebration last weekend. I was in very good company, with a movie star, an astronaut, scientists and professional athletes!

Time to Start the Long Swims

Today was a glorious day for a Cove swim. Heather, Brian and I were joined by Jim Bayles from Connecticut and Scott Lautman and Dan Robinson from Seattle. The ocean temperature was 60F and we had smooth seas. The sun was out and it warmed the surface of the water for us. We could have swum all day....

Tomorrow, I'm going to go for a 10-miler. It just doesn't get any easier - seems a shame to waste good swimming conditions like this!

Spring Training Begins

We've had a mild winter here in La Jolla. The sea temperature never went below 56F and only for a few days now and then. Mostly, the water temperature at La Jolla Cove has been hovering around 57F and has just risen to 60F. Long swims will start early this year.

From late March through early July I'll be doing extreme mileage, mostly in the ocean. To keep speed and strength, I'll be swimming three Masters workouts a week at the JCC. Heather, now in training for her own English Channel swim in 2009, and Brian have been great company both at Masters workouts and in the ocean throughout the winter. Now, the fun begins....

American Channel Queen Marcy MacDonald visits us at La Jolla Cove!

Pictured here are Channel Swimmers Scott Lautman, Marcy MacDonald, me, Jim Bayles and Bob West. Sea temp has risen to 65F. We went for quite a long sightseeing swim and then to lunch!

Queen of The Channel Swims at La Jolla Cove

Alison Streeter, Queen of The Channel, and her mum visited us in La Jolla this weekend.

Alison has swum the English Channel more times than any other person in history - 43 crossings and counting! She has several two-way swims to her credit and is the only woman and one of only three people to have swum the English Channel three-ways.

Her mum, Freda Streeter, volunteers her time during the summers, coaching and encouraging channel aspirants in Dover, England. She is fondly known as "The General" and has helped many swimmers realize their dream to swim the English Channel.

Saturday morning's training session

Scott Richards, Freda Streeter, Jim Bayles, Queen Alison Streeter, Cyrise Sanders, Heather Wolfenden, me and Bob West. It was a beautiful, sunny day in La Jolla and we had a glorious swim at the Cove. Sea temp 60-61F.

Sharing Channel Swim Stories

Queen Alison and her mum, Freda

Alison, Bob and Freda

Sunday Morning's Swim Session at the Cove

Jim Bayles, Alison Streeter, Freda Streeter, Bob West, Marc Lewis and puppy Athena. Sea temp hovering around 60F.

2 X 3 = 6 Miles!

Inspired by the La Jolla Rough Water Swim last weekend, I decided to use the 3-mile Gatorman course for my training swim today. Two laps from the Cove to Scripps Pier and back would give me a 6-mile swim. Starting out slow and easy, I settled into a pace I could sustain for the long haul - "channel pace". My first 3-mile lap was 1 hour and 15 minutes. I took a 5 minute break on the beach for a feed and a chat with the lifeguard and was off again for another lap to the pier and back. I was feeling pretty good for that second 3 miles - I finished that lap in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Goal achieved - consistent "channel pace" throughout my swim!

12 Miles (my longest swim for this year)

It's done. Now I can come "down the ladder" for the rest of this year. Yesterday, with the company of training partners Heather and Ruthy (each doing 10K) I made it through that 12-mile swim. Tired from work and workouts, I really wanted to put it off a week and do the swim when I had more energy. That didn't work out with the Labor Day weekend coming up, so I decided to do some mental conditioning. To swim the channel, you must train yourself to continue swimming even when you are feeling desperate and miserable. My swim yesterday gave me some excellent practice doing that. From the first stroke, I could tell it would be a fight just to finish - never mind quality. A BIG thank you to Heather and Ruthy for swimming alongside me with your positive vibes!

I'm okay today - went to the noon Masters session at the JCC just to "stretch it out" and ended up swimming a good workout. Go figure?!?!

For the rest of this year, my long swims will be 8 - 10 miles at the most!

Carol, Anne and Sal

Carol Sing and I celebrated Sally Minty-Gravett's successful Catalina Channel swim (9 hours 51 minutes!) with her at dinner in the village of La Jolla. Cheers to Sally and may the festivities continue!

10 Miles!!!

The pain in my lats and shoulders has subsided enough for me to sit down at my computer and write about yesterday's 10 mile swim. With the help of training partners Carol, Heather, Gavin and Ruthy, each accompanying me for a lap or two across our bay, I crossed the 10-mile hurdle. The sun was out and the sea temperature hovered in the low 70's. We all agreed it was hard to call this "training". The first two laps went by easily; the ocean was smooth as glass. During the third lap, the wind began to pick up and miles 7 - 10 were done in the usual afternoon wind chop with a swell building. Those last two laps really hurt - we were swimming straight into the wind and swell each time we made our way back to the Cove from the Shores. As they say..."Train for the worst and hope for the best."

Next long training swim is August 27th - 12 miles....stay tuned.

Finally - 8 Miles!

On Sunday, July 9th, I had nothing to do but that 8 mile swim. So - I got up early, mixed my feeds and got down to the Cove as close to 10:00am as I could. Starting out easy, I made my way to the lifeguard tower at the Shores and back 4 times. It was a snap - a real breakthrough for me after struggling with the endurance swims all spring. Now - the plan....10 miles on August 5th and 12 miles on the 27th - then the training for next year's English Channel swim will begin.

Monaco!!!

In June, I was invited to visit Monaco for a swim from Cap Martin in France to the Musee d'Oceanographique in Monaco, a distance of 6,000 meters. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the ocean was blue and clear and warm. I finished in an hour and twenty minutes and was enjoying myself the whole way. Finally, I got good conditions on a swim!

Swimming by the Casino at Monte Carlo

Swimming in to the Finish!

Swim Finished at the Musee d'Oceanographique

The Reception at the Musee d'Oceanographique

Walter Cronkite at the Hotel de Paris!

8 Miles - well, not quite....

On Saturday, Gavin, Brian and I did a quick 2 miles. The sun was out and the ocean temperature had risen to 67F, so it was a fun lap from the Cove to the Shores and back for us.

Sunday was another warm, sunny day, with quite a bit of wind from the southwest. I had planned to swim 8 miles, but only had 6 in me and that's all I did. Heather joined me for the first 2 miles - then I limped through miles 3 - 5 by myself. Mile 6 wasn't so bad, as I had settled into my swim by then, but was just too tired to finish - so I didn't. Next time...