Ros to tackle the Channel
Former paralympic swimmer Ros Hardiman has been waiting to tackle the English Channel all this summer. After 2 previous crossings as part of a relay team, she wanted to take on the challenge solo. Her training programme has included a number of long-distance swims, such as the length of Lake Windemere, and regular training in Dover harbour, while she waited for her chance to go.
After long months of frustration, she finally went at about 4:30 on Weds afternoon 8 October - the photos show her cheerleaders (Tracy Gardiner and Sharon Philip) ashore, and a dark smudge in the water on the port bow of her support boat – which is Ros! The garbled update over the mobile on Thursday night was that after 25 hours swimming, in which she had given it her all, they had to stop and bring her out of the water within a mile of the French coast - so close, but just beyond her reach. Ros is now recovering at home, and we wait to find out the best way she would like to celebrate her achievement (apart from trying again next year).
She was originally given a potential date for her attempt in mid-August, but the weather conditions and the ‘queue’ of swimmers ahead of her meant that her slot was put back. We then had high hopes that she might be off to France starting sometime on 27th, but that again came and went without the magic phonecall.
By early September Ros was starting to climb the walls, but with the weather continuing bad in the Channel she had to wait still longer. All the while she was working full time and going to Dover nearly every weekend, for her regular sea training session.
September was supposed to be the last chance, being the end of the crossing season, so Ros was getting more wound up as the days passed - not helped by being given the “go” on Friday 12th only to have it postponed by the time she’d got to Dover. More potential dates followed, during the week of 22nd, and a call to Dover over the weekend as she had been advised to get down there, as Mr Micawber said “In the expectation of something turning up”! Unfortunately, all that “turned up” was bad weather in the channel, so she was home again by Monday, and hoping for the call later that week.
There was another close call at the end of September, as she was provisionally given a slot on the night of Saturday 27th, but the management reconsidered the tidal conditions and decided that she would be better going at lower tide which was next due on 8/9 October. Another week to wait, but it was worth it, as the confirmation came through about her appointment at 4pm to leave the harbour and go ashore on a nearby beach as the official start of her crossing.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Well! Did Ros make it? It is 09.45 on 9 October and I am biting my nails!!!! I’ve got the bubbly in the fridge.