Channel swimmers from around the world arrived last week in Northern Ireland, from England to Australia, from Germany to Kazakhstan. Their collective swim window to cross the North Channel started last Friday.

Anticipation, nervousness, worry among the swimmers and their support crews were clearly present. But so was also genuine excitement. They all had personal dreams to achieve. They were all driven by a motivating sense of adventure – and to prove themselves across, arguably, the most difficult channel in the world.

They had trained and prepared, physically and mentally. They were ready for distance, the cold, and rough water. They came with their support teams and patiently waited for “the call’ from the infinity Channel Swimming & Piloting Services administrators.

The swimmers and their teams constantly looked at weather apps and continued with their taper, knowing they could swim as early as Friday.

Thursday night came, but they were informed via email that no crossings would be attempted starting on Friday.

So Friday came and went. They were weathered out of attemping a crossing of the North Channel. They could not swim on Friday, disappointing them all for sure, but there were many more days of possibility. And, usually swimmers rarely go on their first day of their windows.

So they remained patient and anxious.

But Saturday also came and went. That decision made complete sense as a storm was blowing through the area. A swim was clearly out of the question.

Sunday also came and went due to similar conditions. They understand that there would be no swimming over the weekend. But a new week would began. Monday was a new day, another opportunity, another chance to challenge themselves against the cold water, cold weather, tough tides, strong currents, and relentless winds.

Similarly, Monday came and went.

So did Tuesday.

Sadly, Wednesday was the same. The conditions were not looking good and perhaps – as a result of the weather and conditions – they would have to return to the North Channel, not only incurring additional costs, but also delaying their dreams and changing their work, family, and training schedules.

infinity pilots Pádraig Mallon and Jacqueline McClelland review the live weather data and predictions three times a day and kept everyone well informed. Daily, they reviewed the possibilities of starting at three separate points, including beginning the crossings from Scotland and swimming to Northern Ireland.

Nothing looked good. The risks would too high and the weather window of 15-20 hours of swimmable weather was out of the question.

But there was a slight chance on Thursday. There was a fortunate break in the weather and the swimmers quickly jumped into action, readying their drinks and swim gear, with an email that came about 7 pm on Wednesday night.

Together with Andreas Waschburger (38, Germany, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @andreaswaschburger), Brenda Norman (44, Australia, MSF bio here) piloted by Jack Boyle, Jonathan Wall (53, Australia, MSF bio here) piloted by David Hughes, and Anel Sytdykova (46, Kazakhstan, MSF bio here, @sytdykova_anel) piloted by Jerry McGrady, gathered at the Bangor Marina with their support crews at 2 am on Thursday morning.

Mallon and McClelland greeted everyone with broad smiles in the quiet darkness, wearing only short-sleeve shirts while everyone else was bundled up in parkas and cold-weather gear.

Their enthusiasm was infectious and provided the perfect early-morning balance to the overwhelming nervousness that hung over the groups surrounding the four swimmers.

From Bangor Marina, the four escort boats motored over to The Gobbins, the famed cliff walls in Northern Ireland. Shortly after 3 am, the four swimmers separately jumped into the water and swam in the direction of the high-powered torches that were fixed against the sheer cliffs of The Gobbins.

In the calm darkness, their collective sense of purpose in the 14.6°C water was clear.

Off they went. Four swimmers from completely different backgrounds, of different ages and with different upbringings, but with a common purpose: to walk out on the shores of Scotland.

Waschburger shot off, like he was racing a 10 km race. Norman, Wall, and Sytdykova started as a much more reasonable pace, knowing they had a long way to go. Both Norman and Sytdykova were on their third attempts and knew well what the North Channel could throw at them.

But after four hours of darkness, sunlight started to pierce the darkness and lightness brightened the moods of everyone, both on the boats and in the water. Waschburger continued his long, powerful strokes between 60-62 strokes per minute with a relentless kick as the others steadily progressed against the subtle movement of the water.

Currents and tides continued in their favor and the winds remained very light. There were no surprises and no massive swells of water that came unexpectedly from either the north or south.

While the water was not still, it also remained perfectly swimmable with only a soft weathering of the surface water. Bright blue skies broke out and the day remained incredibly beautiful with scenic views of the welcoming Scottish shoreline in the horizon.

On and on they swam when Mallon and the flotilla decided upon the finish point of the beach at Klllantringan Bay in Scotland. The tides continued to cooperate and the winds never increased to the point of unswimmability. Waschburger landed after 8 hours 11 minutes. Norman on her third attempt landed after 10 hours 22 minutes. 53-year-old Wall was next in 15 hours 19 minutes, followed by the Kazakhstan pioneer Sytdykova in 16 hours 21 minutes.

Sytdykova said later, “The swim was great. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

It was a good day.

Later, the swimmers had the opportunity to sign their names on the walls of Pier 36 in Donaghadee after meeting the world-renowned Donaghadee Chunky Dunkers.

Memories of the North Channel on September 4th

I have heard a lot of the North Channel, but Mallon and McClelland picked what turned out to be the perfect day for a crossing.

• The water remained warm by the standards of the North Channel, never dropping below 14.6°C.
• Winds were constantly at the swimmers’ backs and water turbulence was at a minimum.
• Tidal forces were perfectly chosen and never presented a major hindrance, as is more often the case.
• The four infinity boat pilots were constantly in communications with each other, sharing information to benefit all.
• The summer sun came out, opening up to a bright blue sky with picturesque clouds. The warming of the sun undoubtedly was welcomed by the swimmers and crew.
• The clear skies made the broad expanse of the Scottish coastline clear as can be, an inviting, inspirational goal for the swimmers and crew.
• There were more dolphins present than jellyfish.  Andreas only received one minor sting and Brenda only received 3 stings during her swim, although she caught several stings on the way back to the boat.

It will be a rare occurrence when (of if ever again) those types of conditions are replicated because:

• I was expecting the water to drop to 10-12°C at least at some point, especially over the 312 meter-deep 3.5 km wide Beaufort’s Dyke.
• Head winds often hinder the swimmers.
• Heavy surface chop often challenge the swimmers for hours.
• Rainy or overcast weather is frequently the conditions where the swimmers find themselves during daylight hours.
• Strong tidal forces to work against the swimmers, at least for some portion of their crossings.
• Many jellyfish to appear, especially outnumbering the dolphins.

But those things never occurred on September 4th.  

The Night After

An evening photo with Waschburger’s team (Andreas Waschburger, Jasmin Waschburger, Jan Wolfgarten, Thomas Brami, Dr. Frank Krämer, Lara Boehne Rouven Pagliarini,  Steven Munatones, and Ben Eck show how calm and inviting the North Channel can be…at times.

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