Buoyancy Aid

At 6.30am, I was the first into the Lido this morning. Probably because it was very windy, and it was raining.

Loads of wimpy wetsuit people joined me later. It was a luxurious 15.7 degrees. Surely no need for a wetsuit!

There's nothing quite like slipping gently into an undisturbed swimming pool. Picture that empty indoor pool before opening time or after closing time, and that silky-smooth, cut-with-a-knife, glimmering water, and don't you just want to slip in?

Actually, there is something better - hobbling down a steep pebbly beach into the cold sea. Seriously! Okay, the getting in bit is challenging, but once you're there, the swimming is amazing. What I like most, is the saltiness. The water is so buoyant. Treading water (which I don't do, honestly), is so easy. Effortless. When I'm swimming, my body practically floats on top of the water, not in it. It's like lying on a surf board and paddling with my arms. I can just picture Surf's Up's Big Z telling me "long and slow ...".

And last Saturday, when I was swimming with Orlaith in Dover Harbour, I was swimming long and slow with my super-saltiness buoyancy aid, and really enjoying it. We swam for an hour in 11.7 degrees. Check out the photo. Look at how delighted Orlaith and I are. Okay, Orlaith couldn't stop shaking when she drank her post-swim tea and offered me a biscuit (broken with the shakes), but it was great milestone. We'll be swimming hourly shifts across the Channel, and on Saturday we completed our first practice (almost like the real thing) shift. No wonder we're smiling!