My Swim Route - Slightly longer than anticipated!!!!!!

I did it!

Hi I made it ! Landed north of Calais after an epic 19.46 hours of swimming . My shoulder packed in at hour 2.5 and addef a lot of time and pain to the swim! My chart of the swim looks like a double s shape! The journey was definatly the hardest thing I have ever done and I was helped by an amazing pilot and crew and my support crew without all of whom I wouldn't have made it! They also all white lied brilliantly to keep me going and told me I had an hour to go and it was just around the bend etc just enough to motivate me further ! I kept thinking this mile I have to swim is a bloody long way! I was followed for a long time by a seagull who kept turning up at my darkest moments! Sitting bobbing on the water a foot from my head! There were a lot of scary moments and I lost the plot several times at one point I was so cold I thought I was at school which scared me then I had a warm drink and poured some on my hands and down my front whic seamed to work and the next thing I knew the water started to warm up and I knew France was nearly there and I had to work hard for it ! It was at that point I decided the only way I was getting out was if they pulled me out or I reached the end. Which I did and boy did the sand feel good on my toes! I will write the swim up properly when I can . Thankyou to everyone who has sent me such wonderful messages and once again thank you to the people on the boat who made the swim happen! Dave Whyte and Joan Colin therese Brian Paula laura and abi also Thankyou to Evelyn and David for everything they have done xxx

The big swim

The journey has just begun. Frances has set off from shakesaphere beach at four o clock,
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Off in the morning

Heading to France 3.30am in the morning!!!!!
 
Laura, Abi and Paula will be on the boat feeding me and by the sounds of it singing me motivatinal swimming songs! Yikes!!
I am anticipating it will take at least 14 hours but I am looking forward to swimming into the sunrise!!!!
 
Thankyou everyone for all your support, messages and sponsorship it really means alot to me
Love to you all
Frances xx
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Fw: Live tracking

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-----Original Message-----
From: francesanderson@btinternet.com

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:39:33
To: Blog<go@blogger.com>
Subject: Live tracking


You can track my progress live on the shipping which is
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=folkstone
My boat is ocean breeze
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Live tracking

You can track my progress live on the shipping which is
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=folkstone
My boat is ocean breeze
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Waiting!

One day to go ! If the weather is right I go tonight ! I will be meeting the pilot at 2.30 am who then takes me around to Shakespeare beach. I swim to shore and clear the water then after they sound the horn I start my swim! Yikes! I am starting to feel a little nervous now! We could see France from the top of the cliffs last night and I stood watching the ships working out where the shipping lanes went and thinking from up here it doesn't look too far knowing that it looks and feels so different from on the boat or in the sea! My pilot thinks I will take 14 hours! Hope so as we have booked a table in a restaurant for tomorrow night and the puddings look good! So today I will do a very short swim. And brief my crew Paula laura and Abi . Shep arrives tonight and my parents tomorrow for the finish! Then its rest for the. Remainder of the day and waiting for the swim to be confirmed tonight !
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Dover bound

I arrived in Dover this afternoon with Paula and met up with Abi and laura who are also crewing for me. Dave and Joan the pilots for the boat came over to talk through the swim and the weather is now looking better for the weekend so the swim has been changed to starting out at 3 am on Saterday morning weather permitting! There have been some swimmers out today who have had hard work to land as the tides were very strong. Anyhow for now its rest and prepare and eat pasta!!
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At last an update and only 10 days till my tide!!!

OK so I have proved that i am completely useless at updating this blog!!! In my defence I have been spending most of my time in the water or at work which in reality are more important than the blog ! Anyhow I will now attempt to keep it up to date in the run up to the swim and have managed to work out how to post to the blog from my mobile so my crew can post from the boat as I swim....well that's the plan anyhow!!!
Ten days to go before my swim tide 25th to 31st July and it suddenly feels like its all happening really quickly. It doesn't feel like that long ago that I was having to cancel last years attempt and reschedule to a date a year on which is now suddenly a reality and racing towards me! The good news is that I am ready or at least as ready as I am every going to be. My shoulders are now strong I have had hours of physio over the year and lots of exercises to do to strengthen up but it has all paid off. Cold water training has been going well in the lake at Druridge Bay Country Park Lake and the North Sea. I am now busy collecting sponsorship for charity - North of England Children's Cancer Research Fund. People have been so very generous. The plan is to head to Dover on the 23rd and then wait for my swim!
All the children at the schools I work in have been asking questions which have made me giggle and it makes a change from the Will you be wearing grease question which is nearly always the second question asked!!!! These are from Year 6:

Which Channel will you be on?
Are you wearing full body Armor?
Are you wearing Floaters?
Will you have a tank?
How long will it take?
Are there fish in the water?
How do you do a pee?
How are you going to breathe?
What if an evil dolphin comes to get you?
What about evil sharks?
Will you be embarrassed with everyone on the boat looking at you?
How cold will it be?
What if you freeze to death?
Who said you are allowed in the water?
What if you fall asleep?
Will you have goggles?
What if a big boat knocks you out and slices you in half?
What do you get when you finish?

Anyway - off to do shoulder exercises and then bed as I am up early for a kite flying day at school tomorrow with 250 children all flying kites all getting in tangles I expect but all good fun!!!!