The Dovercoaster is in full operation it seems, with only small windows of hope through the last tide and many people left waiting. A frustrating time for swimmers and pilots alike. Paddlefish Ponderings talks about that this weeks. If you’re facing an unwelcome ride, I hope it helps you.

Despite this though, we are still able to celebrate training and big day successes. I know we’re called ‘Dover Channel Training’ but your accomplishments are far wider than that small (on a global sense) stretch of water between England and France.

Your pod leaders’ observations

We like to count. We count all sorts of things…

• How many swimmers do we have?

• How many feeds will we need?

• Have we seen everyone at the feed?

• Do we have the right number of crocs left?

• Are all the bands back that were expected?

• How many successes have there been this week?

• How many swimmers on this next tide?

• What week number are we on?

We count as part of our safety processes and when a number isn’t right it is a worrying moment. Luckily, by this point in the season you’re all pretty good at giving numbers in. Occasionally we see someone sneak out, deciding to get out earlier than plan but do so under the radar. Thing is, whilst you can sneak out of the water, we do still need to count you out. That would be double trouble to get out early and to cause worry to the beach crew for being unaccounted for! That said, generally we see you or you make yourself known at the top of the beach. Thank you for that.

So please continue to help making our counting easy and enjoyable. We appreciate all that you do to be in on time, feed on time and give in your numbers when you get out. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

Shout outs (training)

There is a risk that showing only these big training swims that we think that it’s only these moments that are important. That’s not true. In a cyclical plan, all weeks are important. Recovery is an important part of training. Well done if you’ve managed to avoid the temptation to only chase the big numbers and instead do the recovery weeks. Whilst not mentioned here, these are indeed important weekends. So are those where you fight personal battles on short or long weekends - well done!

Finally, for those dipping their toes back in after a while and for swims in future years, welcome back. It’s good to see you again.

This week I’d like to call out:

• Vladimir Smidt for his 7 & 6 weekend

• Amelia Beaver for turning a 3 hour swim into a 6 hour swim!

• Sophie Smith, Martin Grey and Andrew Elliman for 6 & 4 weekends

• Dominic Bunce for 6 hours

• Geoff Gardener for 4 hours

• Paul Cross & Helen Powell for dusting off dovercoaster disappointments and getting back in the water - regroup and replan

Channel swimmer on the beach!

Swims to call out this week:

• Jane Melita Bell for her Windermere solo on 16th August in a time of 9 hours 45 minutes

• Katherine Chapman for her North Channel solo on 19th August in a time of 10 hours 59 minutes

• Beth Marriott Murphy for her Windermere solo on 20th August in a time of 6 hours 52 minutes

• Amy Mellor for her Jersey to France solo on 20th August in a time of 7 hours 33 minutes

• Orca Belt including 2021 DCTer Steve Whitmore for their Channel Relay on 20th August in a time of 14 hours 35 minutes

• Melanie Holland for her 3rd English Channel solo on 20th August in a time of 14 hours 11 minutes in pretty brutal conditions.

• Brenda Swearingin for her English Channel solo on 21st August in a time of 13 hours 3 minutes

• Joshua Stratford for his English Channel solo on 21st August in a time of 13 hours 37 minutes

Well done to all swims this week, wherever you trained. We enjoyed tracking you. 😊

Apologies if I missed anyone - there are a lot of swims going on all over the world!

If your swim didn’t go as planned, remember we’re here if you want to talk it through. Some things are out of our control as swimmers and sometimes there are small things that can be learned for next time. Take the lessons, leave the self-criticism.

Weekend Stats

Note: Water temperature taken during the swim session in the harbour. The lowest recorded reading is shown here. Air temperature, wind direction & wind speed taken from the Port of Dover app.

Saturday:

Swimmers:   26
Water temperature:   18.1C
Air temperature: 18.0C
Conditions:   Mostly flat, short spell of swell. On and off light right. F2 ENE. Not as forecast!

Sunday:

Swimmers:   25
Water temperature:   18.1C
Air temperature: 19.6C
Conditions:   Sunny to start. Variable wind direction. At the time of recording it was F3, gusting F4 WSW. Swell at times. Mostly cloudy with a bit of light rain. Pretty much a bit of everything and not as forecast!

Volunteers & beach crew

Thank you to the pod leaders and to our volunteers. Thanks to everyone who rolled up their trouser legs (on in the case of this picture, donned a swimsuit) and helped.

Reminders

Remember to book your sessions online. Bookings close 24 hours before the session, it would be a massive help if you booked by Thursday morning.

The system doesn’t arrange automatic refunds, so please message me if you cancel ahead of these deadlines and I’ll arrange a refund.

You don’t need to sign into the website to book a session - just pop your email address in to the booking system and it will remember you. Remember to click into the discount code box if you are a subscriber and it will auto complete your discount code. If you are a pay as you go swimmer and are also a member, remember to use your discount code to get your membership price.

End of season get together

I have put in the application for permission to hold an end of season BBQ but I haven’t had any reply to date. We have an alternative idea - let’s get together with a picnic! Bring your own packed lunch (that makes it more Covid friendly) and let’s still enjoy each other’s company one last time before the season ends. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate all the successes you’ve had.

To give it another little twist, how about each pod creates their own theme? Which pod will win? Not in a pod, then either join the fun of one of the existing pods or club together with other pay as you go swimmers and create your own theme.

Those of you who came to our intensity week will have experienced some fun games along the way - it could be fun to do something like that too after lunch has settled.

Paddlefish Ponderings: Riding the Dovercoaster

If dealing with the last 18 months of uncertainty with COVID-19 wasn’t enough, now the Dovercoaster is revving up and taking riders on a journey of uncertainty.

I’ve been there. Some people handle it well. Some find it tough. My first experience was tough, really tough (but it had a happy ending). Since then I’ve learned to be a lot more relaxed and just go with the flow.

I know, you’ve had an image of how this will work out in your mind. Maybe it’s something like this….. You’ll go in your tide on the very day you expect. All your chosen crew are available. You have time-off work and no other distractions. You’ll start nice and early and have a spectacular sunrise with a sea state that would be worthy of an oil painting. You’ll finish in daylight to applause from French well wishers.

It might indeed be like that.

It might not.

What if your entire tide is blown out and you are then facing significant unknowns? You’ll be put to the back of the queue on future tides. How will you handle time-off with work? What about crew - will they still be available?

What if your pilot says ‘We’ve had a good run of weather and everyone on this tide has got away, would you like to swim early?’. Are you ready to answer that question?

Here are a few tips to help you manage this time of uncertainty….

• Be prepared to swim before or after your tide. If you’re asked to swim before, chances are you’re looking at great weather. I’ve swum a month early before and also a month late. A month early was a lot more comfortable than a month late.

• Manage your expectations. Riding the Dovercoaster takes away from most us the ability to make plans and stick to them. It's natural to want to make plans, and have things to look forward but, for now only, it's better to focus on things that are closer in time. You might want to make plans for what comes after your event and it’s great to have some ideas, but remember your priorities and if these other plans need to change, it really doesn’t matter.

• Manage your work flexibility. If you can help your boss understand the need for flexibility you may well find support. I know that this is more challenging in some professions, but have the conversation rather than assume it’s not possible.

• Know the availability of your crew. Do you know which of your preferred crew also have flexibility? Do you have back up plans in case you go early or late. Take the stress out of this eventuality and know the answer to these questions up front. Be prepared to go without some of your crew. One or two good people are all you really need.

• Have your bag packed. This is an easy one to tick off the list. You don’t need much for a swim and much of it can be ready in advance. Have your kit bag ready. You’ll probably have a box for all your feeding gubbins. With the exception of mixing your feeds and any treats that you want to take, this can also be ready. Put your passport somewhere within this so that you can’t forget it.

• Keep us informed. We are also flexible when it comes to training. We’re used to people going early or late. Our training plans allow for this. Keep telling us your latest news and we’ll adapt as necessary.

• Live in the moment. You can’t change what has been and the future is not here yet. Worrying about either is not helpful and is an energy drain. Take one decision at a time and make your decision on the information available to you at that time. There are no bad decisions if you do it that way. Yes, there are sometimes bad outcomes, but that doesn’t mean it was a bad decision if you made it based on the information available to you at that time. Try to focus on just the day ahead of you rather than fixating on longer-term plans. Living purely in the moment is a skill that Tibetan monks, and people who meditate, practice because it helps them feel happy - you can just as easily do it as well!

• Think about social media. Think about how you handle the hype of friends and family via social media. Some find it helpful. Some find it adds stress. Yes, your followers are desperate to know the latest update and if that’s helpful for you, then take them on the journey. If it’s less helpful, silence the social media and / or have someone else in your team provide updates. Anyone who truly cares about your outcome would understand the importance of you managing your state.

• Eat well & sleep well. These are things that you can control. Look after yourself physically so that you are primed and ready to go.

• Trust the training. You’ve done the training, a change in dates within the season doesn’t change that. Keep ticking over. Keep the muscle memory alive.

• Find a routine. When we feel that we can’t control anything, it’s useful to have routines that we can control. It doesn’t have to be big things, there are always little things that you can control - what time you set your alarm, whether you make notes in your journal, what time you go training or do yoga / pilates etc. Little things that you can control help you feel more in control.

• Talk, talk, talk. It’s OK not to be OK with this. Whether over online messages, the phone or in person - tell your family & friends how you’re feeling. Talk it through. They may find ways to help. Be cautious with social media as you may be bombarded with helpful tips - the thing that helped someone else deal with this. That’s them and not you. You may find yourself facing conflicting advice which just adds to stress. Join the weekly community call and chat with likeminded people. The community call is free to all members. If you’re in a training pod, talk to your pod leader at the weekend or chat to your fellow pod members via the WhatsApp group.

• Be compassionate to yourself. It’s OK to be frustrated, nervous, upset *add your own choice of emotion here. It’s OK. Be kind to yourself. Take time for you.

• Keep the faith. This time will pass. You aren’t the first person to face this and you won’t be the last. You’ll look back and realise that this was all part of your unique journey. Part of your story. The best is yet to come!

Photos

A few photos from the weekend….

Spotlight in the shop

Foggies are amazing little things. They are anti-fog wipes and useful for your googles & sunglasses. If you look after them, they are so much more than single use too. Wrap them back into their foil wrapper or pop them into an air tight container and you’ll get lots of use out of them.

Whilst it says 6 individual wipes in a pack, the manufacturer was having issues with packaging when I last ordered, so we have packs of 7 for the price of 6 in a plastic bag rather than cardboard box.

An extra bargain!