L'Arche

L’Arche is an organisation which has always been very important for me. This a charity for people with learning disabilities from whom I have learnt what a true heart is. Some of the people there face incredible challenges with disarming simplicity and joy. It is hopefully with the same simplicity and joy that I am set for my next challenge.

The Challenge

During the last week of August 2016, as a team of 4 swimmers, we will attempt to swim across the Gibraltar Strait between Europe and Africa. It is a 12 miles swim which is part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_seven">Ocean's seven</a> challenge (equivalent to the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge).



The team: David, Simon, Daniel and myself.

David and Simon were part of our team when we crossed the channel as a relay from the UK to France a couple of years ago. Both Simon and his brother Daniel are annoyingly gifted swimmers. David is an ironman who cannot build any fat to fight the cold (not really a problem for me). The fastest swimmers will wait for the slowest swimmers as long as it does not jeopardize the crossing. We have been coached by Tim, founder of <a href="http://www.redtopswim.com/"> red top swim</a>. He is an amazing swimmer and an even better coach (who also swam across the Gibraltar Strait and the Channel). He also held the Olympic torch in London...

Organisation

The start of the swim is in Tarifa (Spain). Depending on the wind, the swell and the fog, we will be waking up at 4am for a 6am start to engage on a busy commercial route (300 vessels sailing through daily and a ferry every 30min). Our direction will be straight to Tanger, on the other side. We will be drifting sideways to the east because of the stream coming from the Atlantic Ocean meaning the swim will be between 16Km and 22Km for 4 to 6 hours. If we swim fast enough, we will reach Punta Cires on the Moroccan coastline. Almina point is the last possible land we can reach before being washed away out to sea without any hope to complete the crossing. More information available <a href="http://www.acneg.com/acneg%20crossings.html">here</a>.

No, we will not be covered in goose fat… We are only allowed speedos (not a choice here, that’s the rule), googles and swim cap. No wetsuit, it is cheating! We may still use the odd vaseline on our neck to prevent shafting injuries and off course, a lot of sun cream.

Two boats and a support crew are there to ensure our safety,organize our route through the commercial route and provide regular feeding. On the day, the crossing can be followed on the page https://www.vesselfinder.com/en centred on the Strait of Gibraltar by the boat COLUMBA (AIS nb 225954950).

We will enjoy a carefully measured cocktail every 30 min. Fruit punch with Gatorade prime, caffeine gel shot, Ovaltine for the carbs, high energy bars with Endura and flat coke for the sugar rush... stirred not shaken. This scientific mix should prevent cramps, hypothermia, hypoglycaemia and exhaustion.

If you have seen sea lions being fed, you have a pretty good idea of what the feeding process will look like. We come near the boat without being allowed to touch it, 2 at the front 2 at the back. The crew hands us bottles with a highly nutritious mixture while we roll on our back to down the content in our stomach in less than 10 seconds. All of this, while keeping the feet moving us forward and minimize the effect of the drift on our course. “No chit chat, no mucking about” as our coach instructs.



Training

There is a great advert starring Michael Phelps: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9jAD1ofm4"> under armour</a>

Training for this kind of challenge is nothing like the advert and unfortunately our bodies do not look like his. After a few hours in the sea, our bodies get cold. If this is less true for Gibraltar than for the Channel preparation, we still have to build up some body fat to help us cope with the cold. It is the only part of the training I mastered. Individual training for this kind of event is extremely boring and consists in swimming sessions going from 1K to 5-6K (sometimes a bit more). Training sessions with coach Tim can be more... interesting. If you have never tried to swim without your arms, he will make you do it. If you have never tried swimming with your legs tied, he will make you do it. If you have never tried to swim with your index pressed against your thumb, he will make you do it. Some of the swimming drill make no sense and I suspect that sometimes, the goal is for him to have a laugh at your expense... but it does improve your swimming a lot! 8 months with very little alcohol and a build up to 10-15K a week brings us here and now.

Swimming out to sea without being able to see the land is priceless and worth all the long hours of training in the swimming pool. The sense of time goes away and the body becomes extremely sensitive to its surrounding, the waves, the wind, the sun, the current... Hopefully, I will reach the other side and I will share about what it feels and what it means in a later post. 

Donation to l’Arche, encouragements, comments… Any form of support
is welcome.

Thank you for reading this and your support.