Lake Simcoe 2011

It has come to my attention that my Lake Simcoe swim has not been recognized internationally. I swam it June 25-27, 2011 as a training swim for the English Channel. I swam from Centennial Beach Barrie, to the Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia, a distance of 35.1 km. It was a Solo Swims of Ontario ratified swim. The Swim Master report is available on request. Below is my first hand account of the swim. Pictures are below the English Channel ones.

People ask me what I think about when I do a marathon swim. The short answer is everything and a lot of nothing. Here’s the long answer…

July 26, 2011 5 a.m. I’m standing here on Centennial Beach looking down this huge and very long bay; you can’t even see the main part of the lake. I’m aiming for Kitchener beach in Orillia, 35 kilometers away. I’m a bit scared but mostly excited. In marathon swimmers, there’s this deep desire to swim every body of water we see, sort of like the open road to a motorcyclist. I have this now. I want to make this lake mine. We have worked hard to assemble this team and the equipment and this is my opportunity. I’m also relieved that I’m finally getting in the water after 5 days of enforced rest. My body is craving this, too. 

I walk in up to my ankles and say “this water is cold”.  I step out again until we are fully ready for the plunge. When everyone is ready, I wade in quickly. I can tell right away that it is around 56 degrees Fahrenheit, but I’m here now, this is my big chance, so I just do it. No point in wading in slowly, I plunge in. It takes my breath away, a bad sign that confirms my water temperature estimate.

I look for the exact orientation of the boats and I swim with them as fast as I dare without totally tiring myself out. I’m in survival mode. I have to save some energy for the rest of the lake but I have to stay warm here to get out of this bay. I know this water is cold because the wind has turned over this end of the bay. The question is how far this cold patch extends and whether I will get through it.

First feeding. Seems like less than an hour, which is what we agreed on. They must be worried about the water temperature. I ask the crew if they can navigate me to some warmer water if they know of any.  Food is nice and hot. I down it quick and get back to work.

In the second 45 minutes, I’m feeling my fingers start to cramp up into the claw hand posture in my right hand. First my pinkie won’t stay with the rest, and then my thumb starts to feel weak. Soon I start to feel that maybe the water is getting a little bit warmer and I get some hope. I try to focus on the end of Kempenfelt Bay as a goal. I can’t quit until I at least get that far. Deb and I have the swim divided into thirds in my mind. The end of Kempenfelt Bay and Eight Mile Point demarcate the thirds which are roughly 13.5, 12.5 and 9 km in length.

I notice that my swim suit is flapping around my chest and shoulders. The cold water is coming in my suit and all the way down my front on every stroke. The lanolin/Vaseline mixture must have made the fabric disintegrate. It is really annoying and probably causing drag and probably making me colder.  I’m still too cold to do anything about it. The water feels like ice water. It feels like ice water in my veins.

Second feeding. Food is nice and warm with a milky flavour. Good. Lots of calories. Back to work.  I have to pick up my pace a bit. Am I imagining feeling warmer or is it because I picked up my pace? Trying to zone out and not think about how cold it is. Trying to ignore the shivering. The air must still be cold. Good thing its daylight. This would be so much worse at night.

Third feeding. I ask the temperature because I think it has improved a bit and I’m ready to hear the facts. I can see its going to take at least 3 more hours to get out of Kempenfelt Bay and I’d like to get my brain around how to tackle this. I’m also wondering if my internal thermometer is accurate. My coach, Thie, tells me it is “closing in on 60”. I know she’s trying to sugar coat it but this is good news for me because it confirms that it is warming up. I decide it is time to pin the extra flap of swim suit on my chest. They put a second swim cap on me. My fingers are too cramped up to do it myself. This is a good idea. I think the Solo Swims rules allow it but the English Channel rules don’t. I wonder if they had a big pow-wow about this and whose idea it was and smile to myself.

I notice my fingers are starting to thaw. On one of my training swims, I remember my fingers thawed when the water went from 60 to 61 deg F. This means I was on the verge of hypothermia and am now warming up from there. Maybe I can do this after all.

Fourth feeding. I ask for Gaviscon for my stomach. Whatever they gave me last time didn’t sit too well and I want to get on top of this before I throw up. My suit is still loose. I ask Thie to tie a string around the straps at the back. That helps a bit more but there is still too much drag.  I estimate it’s been about 3 hours and the water temp is finally feeling “doable”. Too bad it’s cloudy. Time to try to zone out.

Fifth feeding.  Another tasty Thie concoction. She’s a master in the Zodiac kitchen. The thermometer is clearly visible swinging under the boat in the clear water. I can’t resist and take a peek. 62 deg Fahrenheit, 16.5 deg C. Confirms all my observations. I know the buoy in the main body of the lake is currently 18 deg C or 64 deg F, and the day will be warm and sunny, so warmer water is coming. I can do this.

Thie is swimming with me. I don’t know why they think I need a pacer. I don’t ask, I know they have the big picture. Thie is so enthusiastic about this swim. I think she’d swim it for me if she had trained and it was allowed. Geez this bay is long. I can’t even see the end of it. I remember it taking forever when Bob Weir swam from Washago to Barrie, but he was tired and not moving too fast at this point. There are some beautiful estates over there but I can’t really focus on them or I’ll get out of line. My head is really starting to ache and this nausea won’t go away. I wonder if I’m getting a migraine. It kind of hurts behind my left eye, too. Maybe the goggles or the 2 swim caps are too tight. I think of a swimmer who asked me to pull her out of Lake Ontario after 5 hours with a migraine. I better ask for Ibuprofen and Gaviscon next feeding.

Seventh feeding. My swim suit is really driving me nuts. It’s a good time to put on my spare because it’s finally warm and there are no pacers in the water to see me totally naked.  I rip my extra swim cap off, go with the dark goggles and my head immediately feels better. My body feels better, too, snug in the new suit.

I see David is here to pace me. He’s wearing a wetsuit. Good for him. I wouldn’t want him to get too cold this early in the game. I’m kind of surprised they put him in this cold water, I guess he’s eager. He did tell me he swims 2 km workouts in Kempenfelt Bay all summer.  Maybe I’m slowing down because I’m not in survival mode any more. The water is probably up to 64 and the air is getting warmer but it’s still cloudy.

 I can finally start to see the main part of the lake but I know that the way Big Bay Point is oriented, it will seem like forever before we pass it. I have to buckle down, push out the end of my stroke, try to roll, just keep swimming, and stop looking at Big Bay Point. Two feedings later, I think I can safely say the point is behind us. I tell them “I think we are finally out of this wretched bay.” 

That last feeding didn’t sit very well with me. I’m feeling nauseated again.  There’s a lot of boat traffic in this bay and some of them are going really fast. There’s a marina up ahead about ½ mile. The water tastes full of gas and oil. I have to really work to keep up a good pace because I feel lousy.

Oh no, we’re stopping for a feeding right in front of the marina. I hope we don’t get run over. I’m becoming aware of having trouble taking a deep breath and ask for tea next feed to loosen my lungs. I’m trying to focus on my stroke but I really have to slow down. I can’t keep this pace up with my trouble breathing.  Now I’m getting chilly and start shivering when I slow down.  This is not good. I’m so glad my husband is here. I trust he will take good care of me.

Thie is pacing me and going way too fast for me. Sorry, I have to be able to breathe. One stroke at a time. I can see the bottom, the water is warm here near shore.  I count strokes per property. Between 30 and 40. That is my usual count per property so that means I am moving at an OK clip. The bottom is going by so slowly, however. I ask Shaun how far to Eight Mile Point and he says 9 km. I do the math, 9km to Orillia beyond the point, makes 18 km. We’re only about halfway. This is devastating news. I would really like to quit. But I put my head down, keep swimming, and think about this. Do I really want to do the English Channel? If I don’t finish this training swim I know I will arrive in England in a very negative state of mind and probably quit part way across.  Yes, I really, really want to do the channel. So I have to finish this challenge in front of me. I have to put thoughts of quitting out of my mind and reach for Eight Mile Point. I know I can make it that far.

I see that we finally have rounded the small point and are in a new bay. The water is cleaner here. I can finally breathe again. Maybe I will make Eight Mile Point after all. I think about how hard this is at 54. Then I wonder if I’m the oldest SSO sanctioned person to swim this lake. Shaun looks it up for me.  Bryan Finlay was 56 when he swam from this same route from Barrie to Orillia breaststroke. Drat!

Lorne's 24 foot sailboat, the Trial n Error Too, swings by to drop off David to swim with me. I wave to Lorne and Elizabeth. It’s good to see their encouraging faces. David is only in his swim trunks. That’s encouraging. I fondly reminisce about all the 5 km races at St. Mary’s quarry where one year Dave would beat me by 10 seconds and the next year I would touch him out. I notice the wind is behind us and we are surfing. The sun is out. We’re in such a comfortable pace; I tell Dave he’s my best buddy.  I know I’m going faster than what I was doing before. I’m almost enjoying this. I’m really a “sun on my back kind of gal”. I tell the crew it’s too nice out to quit, maybe after dark. I zone out into a pleasant place.

Shaun is swimming with me now. He definitely wins the most beautiful stroke award. His swimming is so smooth it inspires me to stretch out my stroke and try to keep up. Unfortunately, this is too much effort for my distended stomach after the last feed and I throw up half of it. So I slow down for a bit and I try to pick it up a few minutes later. I think about how I trained him to be a Swim Master and this is his first official swim. I am proud of how well he is doing. I am also happy to see my friend Debbie in the Zodiac. Her husband, brother and son are crew on this swim. They brought their large power boat through several locks into Lake Simcoe in order to accompany me.

Second Swim Master Colleen is pacing me. I’ve been looking at the sun to estimate the time. It’s still pretty high in the sky, that’s good, lots of time. My neck is a bit sore from focusing on Eight Mile Point. I know Colleen will keep me going straight so I just look at her and try to zone out. I notice she’s breathing on her left. I thought she only breathed on her right. Maybe she learned it during the winter. Surfing is not so much fun anymore. My left shoulder is feeling the strain of catching the odd wave the wrong way. I also have to pivot on the left arm to stay on course in the waves. I can see the main part of Carthew Bay. I will complete the second third of this swim.

As we approach Eight Mile Point, the water gets warmer near shore. I want to stop and bask in it. As I defrost a bit, the aches and pain and fatigue start to hit me. I want to just rest. Then I remember that when I return to my office, I want to be able to tell my suicidal patients that I didn’t quit when the going got tough. What skills would I ask them to use? My Emotion Mind is saying “I’m tired and soooooo sick of being cold”. Reasonable mind says, “My shoulders are in surprisingly good shape, my legs are OK, my breathing is good and I still have some energy left”. Emotion Mind pipes in again and says, “If I keep going I will really, really hurt tomorrow.” Reasonable mind says, “So what excuse will I give for quitting? There is no good excuse.” Wise Mind (an integration of Emotion and Reasonable Minds) finally says, “I can finish this swim.” OK, I’ve made my Wise Mind decision. Eventually I get tired of this crap in my head; it’s time for my SwimP3 music.

Once we round the point, the water gets a bit cooler and I shiver. Thie is making funny faces at me swimming under me. Shaun tells me the next point is halfway to the finish, so 4.5 km to the point and 4.5 km to the finish. Looking at the sun, I see that maybe I can make this point before sunset. I am now on a mission to get into the final bay by sunset, before the air cools because I know it will be warmer in there. They put my best buddy in and he takes me through until almost sunset. There is this annoying chop hitting me in the face. I tell the crew. They laugh, but later I see they’ve ignored the power of the wind and forgotten flotilla physics. The Zodiac has drifted downwind and taken me a bit off course and they’re asking me to swim back towards shore. I am annoyed.

We’re almost at the 4.5 km left to go point when the sun sets and we have to fart with clear goggles and glow sticks. This chills me a bit and I restart with gusto. Colleen is putting on her swim cap, but I tell her I’m fine for now. She looks relieved. I think she remembers I love swimming in the dark beside a Zodiac. I reminisce about how I enjoyed my 1¼ hour leg in the 50^th anniversary of Marilyn Bell’s swim SSO relay across Lake Ontario. I drew straws for second position, taking over from Vicki Keith in the pitch black, one Zodiac on either side, still in the warm Niagara current.

It is a bit warmer around the point; just enough to counterbalance the cooling air. I’m not a “cool breeze on my back kind of gal”. My son says to me, “It’s yours Mom”. At first this is encouraging. Then it stuns me that he’s said something so profound. I’m so proud of him and happy he could be here to share this moment. Then I keep repeating this to myself, “It’s mine”. The water is really shallow but I trust my son to keep me on course and not drift. He did a masterful job in high winds last year on the Gloucester Pool swim.

They ask me if I want to swim 1 km less, landing at the former Huronia Regional Centre for developmentally delayed children, which is still within the town limits of Orillia. Evidently I’ve done the distance of the channel.  So I would achieve all my goals with an alternate place and people will get home sooner tonight. They all have to work tomorrow and I worry about how they’ll get home so late. Not a tough decision for me. Although I know I could go the extra kilometer if I had to.

I think about Kim Middleton’s swim from Barrie to the town docks of Orillia that I Swim Mastered. She still had 8 or 9 km left at this point. I’m glad I opted against that plan. I wish I swam as fast as she did, in 17 or 18 hours and probably 5 km further.

Colleen is shining the flashlight in the water in front of me. I think of the two dozen swimmers I’ve done this for as Swim Master. Then I remember that Colleen is one of my inspirations for deciding to swim the channel. She swam so amazingly fast and strong last year almost all the way across Lake Ontario and could have completed the swim if she hadn’t have been foiled by high wind. At her age! I have to tell her this now before I forget again. I hope I get invited on her record breaking swim next year.

I’m focusing on the 2 glow sticks and navigational light on my side of the Zodiac. I try to make sure I’m perfectly aligned at all times so they don’t start to think I’m losing it and get worried. I round the corner into the final bay. There is some small annoying chop in my face but it doesn’t matter because “it’s mine”. My left shoulder is hurting but it still works. When I hear there are only 600m left, I turn off my MP3 and count strokes. I can’t really see where I’m going but I’m not stopping to look. It looks like beach.

Finally I can see the bottom. I could try to walk but I think I’ll be dizzy, so I swim until my fingers touch the sand. What a sweet feeling! Everyone is cheering. I remember to practice channel rules, walk out “until there is no seawater beyond”. I raise my arms in victory. Doug sets off flare fireworks! Total time is 18 hours 45 minutes. As per the channel, they make me swim to the boat. I am ecstatic and relieved. I am not looking forward to the shivering I know is coming. I am so grateful to our whole team on the swim, on the ground and in training. Thank you!

Swim Catalina 2013

To learn more about my next swim, go to my new blog site, www.swimcatalina2013.blogspot.ca

June 16, 2012
I conquered Key West!
I swam the 12.5 miles (20.1 km) around the island as part of a US Masters race in a time of 8h 15min.
I'm the oldest female in the last 5 years of online records, not sure about the 12 years before that. I will definitely get the medal for my age group.
They promised it would be a tide assisted race, but the tides were opposite from predicted. It was a tide and wind in your face race. Only the 10th mile was tide assisted and the last 2 were with the wind. The water was 87-88 deg F and the air 80-90. The cloud cover gave us a break from the sun, which kept this northern girl from getting seriously sun burnt. My body held up well despite the large amount of sprinting to keep from going backwards when the tidal current was strong. My hot water nutrition plan also worked out well.
Next swim? I will think about it for a few months. Definitely not a hot water swim.

I am pleasantly surprised to discover that my 2011 English Channel swim was features in the Daily News of Open Water Swimming on June 4, 2012  http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2012/06/marilyn-korzekwa-wakes-up-to-achieve.html 
and http://openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Marilyn_Korzekwa
The article was then picked up by open water pedia.
http://openwaterswimming.com/marilyn-korzekwa-wakes-up-to-achieve-her-dreams/

Van Audenaerde Endurance Cup

The Channel Swimming Association finally met and ratified all the swims for the year, including mine. It seems they also awarded me the Endurance award of the year. What a pleasant surprise! Here is what the president of CSA, Mike Read, said about why I got the award.
"The greatest feat of endurance encompasses everything, age, length of swim, weather conditions..........the person who battled on against all odds in spite of what was thrown at them.  The time taken is clearly one aspect, but 20 hours on a flat calm day would not in our view beat 16 hours in a Force 4.  And you had 12 hours in F4 and occasionally F5 and you had 13 hours of a head wind. In our view you had the hardest swim of the year."

Post EC swim Update

A month later and sometimes I still can't believe I did it.
People have been asking me to compare Lake Ontario to the English channel. The short answer is that Lake Ontario was harder physically but the channel was harder mentally.
I forgot to mention in the last blog that I saw about a half dozen purple jellyfish about 2 metres down. "Fortunately" because of the high winds, they went deep. There were also about a dozen brown ones on the surface but they were easier to spot and dodge, although sometimes they hid out in the seaweed of the same colour.
I've added a video clip from the afternoon when the winds were starting to settle down but they're probably still over 20 knots. Hope you don't get sea sick watching it.
I just got my chart of the English channel with my route highlighted from my pilot, Kevin Sherman. I photographed it for the blog. The pilot drew in arrows representing the tide. The tide makes everyone's swim route into a series of curves. The wind from the SSW to SW (blowing from the bottom left corner) added some extra curvature to my route! The straight line distance from Samphire Hoe Beach to where I finished in Calais is over 41 kilometers. Official time was 16 hours and 40 minutes.
Kevin enclosed a note, "Well done on your crossing. What a route! Not a short swim but a good one. Your support team done you proud."
Yes, I have been back to swimming in Lake Ontario. The weather the first 3 weeks of September has been too beautiful for me to resist!
Thanks again to all my cheerleaders and supporters.
Its not too late to donate!
Marilyn

Video of English Channel

Marilyn's story

Thank you to everyone who supported my swim! I heard there were over 300 visitors to our blogsite yesterday!
I still can't believe I swam the English channel. I did not think I would make it until the last 500m. I was rapidly getting very cold after the sun set at 8:11, hence the rapid pace at the end in a desperate attempt to stay warm.
The hardest part of the swim? Every minute! From the beginning I struggled to stay warm with the water temperature between 16 and 17 degrees C and the air a cool 16 at night and the wind howling across my back all day. The over 3 metres waves broadsiding me for several hours were no picnic, either. They were even more annoying a 1 1/2m when they got choppy. If you heard it was a beautiful calm night, that only lasted 3 hours and the waves were over a meter most of the rest of the swim.
What kept me going? Thinking of all the people who wished me well. Knowing I paid a lot of money and inconvenienced a lot of people and this was my only shot at this this year. I did not want to come back next year. Finally, I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to quit. Even the "pilot" (captain) wouldn't oblige by saying that Beaufort Force 6 winds (24-26 knots between 3 and 5 pm) are not an automatic end to the swim if the swimmer is still making forward progress on the GPS. Sure, swimming on the border of hypothermia ("voluntary tolerance limit") the whole swim was very uncomfortable but I knew my body and the symptoms and I knew I could continue indefinitely at this temperature if I could keep the feedings down.  This was another issue, the waves and swallowing sea water resulted in part of every feed coming up and constant nausea. At one point I could barely lift my right arm (the one being broadsided) but it turned out this was a wall and the pain went away in an hour. Both not good enough reasons to quit. My crew kept me going  by creatively coming up with positive information to keep me in the game, such as "only 6 miles to a calm harbour" (well that never happened, we got blown past it.) They also put the names of many of my supporters and quotes I had collected on the white board for me to read.
How am I feeling today? Every muscle in my body aches, including ones in my chest wall and back I never knew existed. My right wrist is very sore and pretty useless. Amazingly I can lift my hands over my head (gingerly). My throat is swollen. Everything still tastes like salt water. Finally, I am tired! However, I could probably swim again in 2 days if I taped my wrist.
I would like to thank everyone in my boat crew who carried belief in my success for me when I had lost it. They missed a nights sleep, several of them threw up on the boat despite seasickness medication and they worked tirelessly for me on the rolling boat. Thank you to my land crew for blogging and driving us and all our gear home (several trips between Dover and Folkestone after midnight). A special thanks to pilots Kevin Sherman and Fred Mardle for getting me to Calais expertly. Kevin got his damaged boat to Dover at midnight after a 15 hour swim and turned right around to be there for me at 3 am. Fred offered his boat and expertise at the last minute after being out on a 5 hour swim himself the day before.
Last but not least, if you are inspired by my story, it is not too late to donate to the Good Shepherd. http://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca/News/events.htm
Marilyn

Live to the finish!

She's almost there!  Less than 500 meters to the finish (or for us older people less than one third of a mile).  Finishing is now not in doubt and I can faintly hear the band warming up with the Canadian National Anthem.  Many people have been dropping by the trailer for updates and they are all excited to here the news of her success.  As we sit by the phone waiting for the text advising us that she has touched French soil it gives me time to reflect on what a great accomplishment this is and what an amazing inspiration Marilyn has been to all of us, not the least of which has been my wife who has re-kindled her love of swimming in recent years, due in part to Marilyn's influence.  Although there have been many times I have felt like a swimming widower I realize that the time she spends in the water will benefit both of us in the long run as it will extend her life providing me companionship (and maybe someone to change my diaper if required).

Thanks Marilyn for including us in this wonderful event and for continuing to support Deb and others with their dreams and goals.  It has been an amazing experience and I look forward to being at the finish line for your next big swim.

And that's it folks!  Marilyn is on French soil (or beach or maybe even rock we are not certain yet).  Official time is 16 hours and 28 minutes.  An incredible accomplishment!  Marilyn Korzekwa is now the oldest Canadian Woman to swim the English Channel.

Congratulations Marilyn and thank you.  Now her son and I are off to attend the official flag raising ceremony at the park in Marilyn's honour and I think I hear the engravers putting her name on the plaque as we speak.

Thanks everyone for tuning in.  It has been a pleasure bringing you the events as they unfolded today.  The next posting will be from Marilyn tomorrow morning.  For now this is Steve Bang signing off.  Good bye!

Move over Ferries here I come!

It's 8:30 in Dover and in typical Marilyn style it seems she will be finishing the crossing in a unique way.  With less than a mile to go and still making progress Marilyn no-my-name's-not-Bell Korzekwa has drifted into the ferry crossing lane apparently deciding she would rather finish at the ferry terminal than on a beach.  Perhaps she is looking forward to a warm ferry ride home rather than the 2.5 hour return trip on Masterpiece shivering in the small un-heated cabin.  Not to worry though as the crew is diverting her to the nearest French beach.  With the sun setting this may not provide much warmth however it will be somewhat safer.

There are many boat traffic issues one must consider when crossing the channel not the least of which are the endless line of car, truck and people ferries that run 24 hours per day.  Despite the Chunnel option many people travelling between the 2 countries still prefer the ferry.  Marilyn is now clear of the other major boat traffic which are the more than 500 ocean going cargo vessels that pass through the channel each day.  The channel is actually set up like a highway with boats going east required to stick to one area and boats travelling west to another.  The interesting part is that the boats pass on the right side of the channel.  I guess the French finally won one over the English who, for some reason, prefer to drive on the left.

I have just been informed that the cell phone on the boat is running low on battery.  Hopefully they can charge it on board so we can bring you the final moments of  Marilyn's heroic accomplishment.  Stay tuned while we address these technical difficulties.

T Minus 2 miles and counting!

That's right folks, it's 7:30 and Man-Mountain Marilyn (should be woman-mountain but it sounds better the other way) has less than 2 miles to go.  The sun continues to shine on her and she should touch French soil before it sets over the atlantic.  One of the advantages of swimming the English Channel is that on a clear day you can see the finish line from the time you enter the water in Dover (unless it is dark of course).  The end is definitely in sight now for Marilyn as the white cliffs of Calais will be towering over her and her support crew.  She has been in the water for a little over 15 hours and should finish in under 17 hours which is much better than her test swim crossing of Lake Simcoe (about 19 hours).  All the long hours of training and personal sacrifice has paid off in spades and another milestone is about to be achieved.  What an amazing accomplishment and only Marilyn knows what will be next (Double crossing of the channel maybe or how about Cuba to Key West Florida?).  We will have to wait for Marilyn to decide but my money says she won't stop here.

I'll be back soon for the count-down to success so keep your eyes glued to your computer screen, just now I have to run and help the park management find a copy of Oh Canada to play at the flag raising.  They seem to think that God Save the Queen will do so I need to set them straight.  Same Queen different anthem!

Calais is in sight!

Bonjour mon ami from Dover.  Sorry Marilyn I would write this in French but mon Froncais et tres movais so I think I will stick to English.  It is 6:37 P.M. and the iron lady has less than 2.5 miles to go!  The waves are still high however the wind is blowing from the east which is towards France.  If the French had any couth they would have a welcoming party on shore with a band and a bottle of their best bubbly.  Unfortunately the French are not fans of channel crossing and have recently taken to boarding crew boats to inspect for passports.  Just last week a swim was terminated because one of the crew did not have a passport.  Apparently the boarding party pulled the swimmer and forced the captain to drive to the nearest French port and the offending crew member was subjected to immigration proceedings.  No problems on the Masterpiece so far and all crew have their passports.

Over the last few years the French have banned channel swimmers from starting in France and swimming to England.  This was the preferred route as there are many beaches on the English shore to land on around Dover and Folkestone and only a few small stretches of sand on the French side.  The French have done themselves a real disservice by not supporting channel crossings as mentioned before it is a thriving industry in Kent (Dover area) resulting in a significant influx of tourists and their money in August and September.  I guess things are the same in Europe as they are in Canada with respect to the French staring a blind eye at opportunity.

The crew has promised me more frequent updates so don't touch that dial.  More exciting news from the English Channel is on the way!

4 Miles to go!

Bonjour from Dover.  Its 5:00 P.M. and Marilyn (A.K.A. Never-Quit-Korzekwa) is still going strong.  Stroke rate is 62 which is about the same as when she started.  Thie has finished her second pacing session.  Waves have been as high as 3 meters but are now dissipating and expected to continue to reduce throughout the evening.  The white cliffs of France are looming ever closer and an inside source tells me that Marilyn is now insisting that only French be spoken at her feedings since she is now in French waters.

Meanwhile back at the trailer park Marilyn and family are staying at preparations are under-way to celebrate her success.  The park has a tradition of raising the home country flag upon hearing of a successful crossing by a guest of the park.  I shouldn't be telling you this but I just saw the park owner with a Canadian flag in his hand and shortly they plan to tape a large "congratulations" poster on the side of Marilyn's trailer.  Nothing will be done of course until we get the word however it never hurts to be prepared.

Channel crossing is as major industry in Dover and Folkestone and almost every day in August there are several attempts.  Yesterday Captain Fred had a fellow from Seattle Washington give it a try and only make it 5 miles as he became too cold to continue.  Considering how cold the water in the pacific is it is hard to believe he would have trouble with 64 degrees however Fred told us me that this guy only trained in pools.  My wife and I are staying in a Guest house in Dover that also plays host to many successful swimmers including the record setter (6 hours and 53 minutes).  Most of these places have a wall of fame with plaques honouring those swimmers who are successful and it is interesting to see the number of swimmers and their times.  They haven't quite started making up Marilyn's plaque yet however it should be any time now!

Don't go away we'll be back soon with more updates.

Update from Dover 4:15 P.M.

We are back and Marilyn is still making progress.  The waves have increased and the wind is up a bit.  The sun is still out and there is no rain in sight.  Last update from the crew indicated the boat was about 5 miles from France.  Pacers going in every second hour to encourage Marilyn to keep up her speed.  I just checked the radar and the last update was from around 10:00 A.M. so long out of date.  Stay tuned as Marilyn enters the home stretch as Marilyn continues her quest to be the oldest Canadian female to swim the channel (did I say oldest? Ooops sorry I meant most mature).  More details to follow.

Ship name update

Ooops :)  My Bad.  The ship is called Masterpiece.  I just pulled it up on the site and they look to be almost half way to France!  Sorry about the confusion but hey it was 4:00 A.M.  I was lucky to find my way to the harbour!  Further updates to come.

Swim Update

Good Morning from Dover!  Marilyn is in the water and going strong.  The weather is sunny with light winds and  southern England is experiencing a heat wave (high of 24 today).  Looks like a great day for swimming.  Marilyn is about 6.5 miles out and the first pacer (Debbie) is about to enter the water.  Feedings are going well and Marilyn passed on the first pacer because she didn't need it and to save them getting too cold.  As you have probably figured out by now Marilyn is not doing this posting (hard to Blog and swim at the same time).  My name is Steve and I am the husband of pacer Deb and will be keeping you updated on Marilyn's progress throughout the day.  Here are some details about the beginning of the swim:

Captain Kevin asked us to be at the Harbour at 2:45 in hopes of leaving at 3:00.  During a crossing yesterday the water pump on his engine blew and he limped back to Dover harbour.  He arranged for a different boat for Marilyn however he was still going to be the pilot and his son, Adam, would be the official observer.  When we got to the harbour around 2:45 Kevin was not to be found.  Remembering back to the trial swim on August 15th when he was late we didn't worry figuring he would show up in a few minutes.  After a half hour Marilyn tried phoning him with no luck and we did a walk-about the harbour where we found Captain Fred who, as it turned out, was the owner of our new boat (Magnificent).  He was told by Kevin to be at the harbour at 2:00 which he had been and the boat was ready to go.  We tried calling Kevin a few more times on his cell and at home and finally received word that he would be along by shortly (I think Marilyn woke him up).  We loaded the boat with gear and were waiting for him when he showed up a bit glassy eyed and somewhat apologetic.  The boat left the dock at 4:00 and after having a long talk with Captain Fred I am confident they are in good hands (Fred is driving and actually taught Kevin everything he knows, except how to be late).  High tide was around 4:00 so Marilyn was able to leave while the tide was going out.  She entered the water at the official starting point at 4:24 A.M. on Sunday August 21st.

If you are interested in tracking her progress on radar the boat is called Magnificent and this one is not operating in a stealth mode.  More progress postings to come.  P.S.  Water temperature is around 64 F.

Confirming start time

Finally talked to the pilot, Kevin, who is still out there in the channel limping back with a damaged motor. He has a new boat lined up for me but the start time is pushed back an hour to 3 a.m. Don't know the name of the boat or whether it has an ais tracker.
Going for my final nap.
The weather out there is gorgeous. The calmest its been all week. Three guys from our caravan park succeeded today: Ian from Australia, Roger from South Africa and Alistair from Scotland.
Marilyn
PS the last blog was sent by Steve, who will be your blogging crew from now on.

Preparing for the big swim!

It's 2:45 Dover time and we are making wraps and preparing the supplies for the boat.  Husband and son have arrived safely and had a good night sleep.  It is currently raining lightly.  The forecast for August 21 is a low of 17 and a high of 21 with some rain and some sun.  We are awaiting a call from Captain Kevin who is currently out with another swimmer.  According to the captain you will not be able to track the progress of the boat on radar as he will be in stealth mode which is a nice way of saying he doesn't own the thingy he needs to allow tracking.  Will be going down for a sleep shortly and will provide an update once we hear from the captain.  Talk soon.

August 20

Well, all my crew are here and they've taken charge. I'm heading off for a nap.
Weather forecast is "changeable". Temperature overnight will be much warmer at 17 and but only a high of 21and cloudy in the day. Winds are a little higher than predicted but still under 10 knots and seas are "slight".
So far so good.
My pilot is out with Ian from Australia, so we won't hear from him until this evening.
Marilyn

August19

We had a really good look at the weather today: tides, winds, temperature, storms. Saturday at 9 pm Ontario time still looks like the best "window". Now we just have to hope the predictions hold.
Marilyn