Blog
update
Monday July 25th to Tuesday July 26th
My training journey to the English Channel
Saturday July 2nd
4 weeks now to the swim window of July 29 to August 3rd. I am the 2nd swimmer of 4 that my skipper Mike Oram will try to get across accompanied by his boat Gallivant.
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Swam for 6 hours (17-18 kilometers) Saturday morning at Balmoral from 6am to noon with 3 other members of my Vladswim crew, Katya Noble, Flic Harrison and Jaimee Rogers, who are also training for the English Channel this year. Nasty day with lashing rain and water temperature around 16 degrees. It felt mentally good to have cooler water that is similar to the water temeperature of the English Channel channel and happy to put that behind me as from here the swims will be shorter as I move towards a mid-July taper.
Monday July 3rd to Saturday July 9th
4 morning sessions of 5 kilometres each under coach Vlad Mravec between both the 15-16 degree Redleaf Pool in the harbour and the heated Victoria Park pool.
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On Friday I had the opportunity to swim with America swimming legend Laura Burtch-Zovickian who generally swims out of the Dolphin Club in San Francisco and who swam the English Channel back in 1994 in a cracking time of 11 hours 45 minutes.
Monday July 10th to Saturday July 16th
4 sessions of 4-5 kilometres this week at a variety of locations. Bit messy as was travelling and had to muddle through but Friday was back at Victoria Park with Coaches Vlad and Jai and the rest of the Vladswim gang. Saturday was a solid 4 hour 12 km swim at Balmoral with Katya Noble, Nicole Brown, Jaimee Rogers and Flic Harrison, who went on to complete her 6 hour English Channel qualifying swim which must be done in sub 16 degree water. Katya, Jaimee and Flic will all be swimming the English Channel this year, later in the season after my attempt.
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The Northern Hemisphere summer marathon swimming season is now in full swing! On that front my good friend and swim buddy Andrew Keay has just become the oldest man ever to swim the freezing 13.5 degree North Channel from Scotland to Ireland which he accomplished in around 13 hours. Huge Congrats Andrew. (Photo at left)
Next Vladswimmer up is Eva Buzo looking to swim 70km Lake Geneva from end to end. Go Eva!
Monday July 18th to Saturday July 23th
Very excited to be "finally" leaving for the UK on Tues and the English Channel! Tracker now locked in https://track.rs/ross-englishchannel Last big Saturday swim with Katya Noble and Jaimee Rogers. Lumpy day and got a bit knocked around in the big swell over the Coogee bombie but 3 hours in heavy conditions good for the psyche. I have confirmed old friends Tom O'Byrne and Trish Wadley as my boat support for the big day whenever that is exactly ... but looming.
Fantastic to hang with a great group of Australian Indigenous Education Program (AIEF) high-school students last Thursday morning at Redleaf beach and talk swimming, rugby, dreams etc. My fundraiser for the AIEF now over $85,000. (Photo at left)
Good news is that the feared cold water of the channel appears to have subsided with the recent UK heat wave, with the water temp up to a balmy 17/18 degrees versus the 16 degrees I was working to. Now just hoping for the best day weather wise, still and flat ... but little chance of that.
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Been trying to get my feeding right in the practice swims before departure. Nutrition is key as if there is no petrol in the tank the car doesn't run! I take liquid meals every 30 mins and rotate through 5 different liquid feeds (Milo and water, Staminade, Tailwind, Flat Gingerbeer and warm Chicken Soup) that will get thrown out from the accompanying boat Gallivant, by my support Tom on a retractable dog leash. Stomach acid seems to build up as I go deeper into a swim and I am having trouble keeping everything down so have introduced the Chicken Soup and am hoping it has a soothing effect on my gut.
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On the European front my friend Eva Buzo swam 70km down Lake Geneva last week and was in the water over 25 hours. Hard to fathom! They have now named the lake after her "Lake GenEVA"! Boom boom. Huge congratulations Eva.
Monday July 25th to Tuesday July 26th
Final squad session Monday at Victoria Park under Jai Di Tommaso. Quite a small group as there has been a big Vladswim delegation, including Vlad, up in North Queensland doing the around Great Keppel Island 20km swim which is hosted and organised by the larger than life Latvian Olympian Val Kalmikovs. Congratulations to Val for a big fun event. I have got to know Val as he, like my brother and me, pilots swimmers on the Derwent River in Hobart for the 33km Derwent Big Swim. He brings such positive energy and good humour to swimming and we are lucky to have him living in Australia.
Over in Dover my main training partner and good friend Jon Wall fulfilled a lifelong dream of swimming the English Channel in just over 13 hours last week. Looking forward to catching Jon for dinner there this Wednesday evening. He like me was inspired in the 70's by Des Renford (see left, that's the closest I got to the great man at the Des Renford Leisure Centre Maroubra, I think!), whose son Michael Renford is still active around the Sydney marathon swimming scene. Great effort Jon (Photo at left).
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Flying out at 3pm Tuesday after a lazy swim at Victoria Park in the morning.
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After a week of no action due to snarly weather on the channel there are swimmers out today attempting crossings and after talking to Captain Mike Oram looks like conditions may be ok for a swim on Friday or Saturday. WooHoo!
Thursday 28th July and Friday July 29th - Dover arrival and Swim Day
Arrived in Dover yesterday and hooked up with my old friend and boat support Tom O'Byrne. Quick swim in Dover Harbour and then off to dinner with Jon and Bec Wall at the small seaside town of Deal to hear all about last weeks successful crossing.
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During dinner the text came through that conditions looked ok for a 9am swim on Friday 29th so into overdrive and now getting everything ready for the big day. Feeling a sense of nervous excitement!
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Thank you for all your support both of me and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. Its greatly appreciated.
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The moment is HERE! I'll be swimming soon so will sign off. I'm hoping my daughter Alex will add some updates as I hopefully progress towards France.
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THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT. WE ARE OVER $105,000 NOW. THANK YOU.
29th July - the day has arrived !!!
Alex here (Ross's daughter) - Ross is about to get on the boat and prep for the swim. So far the water conditions are looking smooth but the wind forecast may make it choppy later on.
OFF HE GOES
After 14 hours and 56 minutes hours, Ross has finished just below the Cap Gris-Nez Lighthouse 25 kms south of Calais, France.
31st July - post swim reflections
It was a very long day but I got there with all your fantastic support. It was quite choppy and windy through the shipping channel section and I sheltered from the North Easterly wind by swimming on the starboard side of the boat. My first target was 7 hours of elapsed swimming as that was approximately half way in my mind. Then the 10 hour mark and then I reset for what looked like it was going to be another 4 -5 hours. I focused on the fact that the first hours were in the past and gone and this was a new 5 hour swim like a longer Saturday training hit-out covering 10 feed stops at 30 minute intervals which i could comfortably handle..
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I only brushed one stinging jellyfish so that was good. I had my normal trouble coping with the volume of liquid feeds, some of which are stacked with various fast reacting energy kickers that don't sit well in my stomach, so these feeds are balanced with chicken soup, ginger beer and milo and water. I have perfected the fine art of swimming and vomiting.
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The last 3 hours were in the dark and I was instructed by the skipper to stay very close to the boat, which was good in theory but when you have terrible night vision, it was not easy. Finally the boat crew pulled the inflatable zodiac down into the water and I knew that I must be close to land. After 300 metres more I scrambled up onto some barnacle encrusted rocks to clear the water as per the English Channel marathon swimming rules. I was on dry land at Cap Gris-Nez, France. Notwithstanding all the new cuts to my hands, knees and feet from the rocks, I was a happy man having fulfilled this long dream to swim the English Channel.
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The 2 hour trip back under motor to Dover was focussed on starting recovery, getting warm sipping water and dozing off. Then to bed at 3am here.
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Today was a quiet affair handing out with my boat crew Tom O'Byrne and Trish Wadley, who did a wonderful job. Big English breakfast this morning and then lunch looking out over Dover Harbour to France in the distance and an afternoon snooze. It still feels surreal that I've done it.
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Once again than you all for your AMAZING support for me, the swim and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
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If you would like more colour on my journey I spoke to Indira Naidoo on ABC today from Dover.
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https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/aussie-swims-the-english-chanel/13997342
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