You might think that, because of all the dangers associated with Channel swimming, we will be accompanied by all manner of hi-tech state-of-the-art support vessels. You might think that there will be a plethora of lifeguards and medics watching closely, ready to leap into action at the merest hint of someone in trouble. And you might think that we’ll be able to rest on a comfortable bed after our relay legs. But no. You’d be wrong. We will be accompanied for the best part of two days by Reg and his fishing boat.
Now don’t get me wrong. Reg’s family has been escorting swimmers across the Channel for 40 years, and he has a reputation for escorting record breakers (like the fastest male swimmer, the fastest butterfly swimmer and the fastest backstroke swimmer – goodness knows why he’s escorting us). But, it’s a fishing boat (or a fishing ‘trawler’ as he describes it on his web site). We will have the luxury of a cabin below deck (where we can groan in private as the fishing boat does what fishing boats do in choppy water), a kettle, a microwave, and a ‘separate’ flushing toilet (which we won’t use because we’ll be emptying the contents of our stomachs over the sides of the fishing boat a zillion times during the swim). But it’s a fishing boat! And fishing boats smell of … fish.
Reg’s boat is called the Viking Princess. You’ll be able to track its progress on the Internet (Viking Princess). So you’ll be able to see where we are, how cold the sea is, how fast the wind is, how high the waves are, and how fast we’re swimming (ie how slow the boat is going).
The next time you see television adverts of glorious sea and river cruises, think of us in our little fishing boat, and please encourage and help us in our efforts to raise funds to kick-start a sports scholarship programme at Rosemead by …
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