I’m taking the day off from the harbor and we are headed out to see the sites.  I think we are headed to Whitstable.  I think today’s adventure will be letting someone else drive.  This means that they will have to get used driving on the right side of the car with the stick shift in the left hand.  Luckily the clutch, brake and gas pedal are in the same order.  Then there is the driving on the other side of the road and the roundabouts.  I think that I’m getting stressed out already   (Perhaps they will be better than I am and not hit the side mirrors of the car.  In all fairness to me though, it was just a little love tap and my insurance is still thoroughly intact.)

Whitstable is supposed to be a very quaint town that is known for oysters.  Apparently oysters are known for their aphrodisiac qualities.  There is some hope for Jane yet   (She’ll kill me for this later, but I know her family is reading this and know what I’m talking about!  I’m thinking she’ll have plenty of time for payback when I’m in the water. )

I’ll be calling Reg again tonight for another weather and swim check.  Post more on this later.

So I’ve become somewhat of a meteorologist and a very bad one at that.  I’ve been on the website www.metcheck.com checking wind speeds, wind direction, etc for Dover.  Ideally we are hoping for winds of 10 mph or less coming from the Northwest.  This would provide a tailwind pushing me towards France.  (Note:  We are not looking for the Southeast winds, as they would be pushing me away from France and slapping me in the head with wind chop)  I would love for winds to be in the single digits.  Today, we had winds into the 20s and there were lots of white horses as they are called here (known as white caps to us in the States).  After checking metcheck for tomorrow, I noticed that the winds were only going to break to about 9 mph for about 10 hours.  Now I hope that my swim finishes in 10 to 12 hours, but I sure don’t want to be battling strong winds on the last 2 miles into France, as this is supposed to be the most challenging part of the swim due to the strong tides and failing strength of the swimmer.  Many a swim as been called within 1 mile of France due to these conditions. 

In calling Reg, Jane and my thoughts were confirmed…no swim tomorrow.  When I asked Reg just when he thought it might happen, his response “I just don’t know, Love.  Call me again tomorrow at half 7.”   That is just what we will do then. 

Tomorrow will bring another swim in the harbor and me trying (mostly unsuccessfully) not to be a head case.  As always, I’ll keep you posted. 

Thank you for all the kinds words, jokes, etc.  I have been reading each and every one of them.  If I had more time, I would reply to each of you, but instead just know that you are all in my thoughts.  

And a special shout out to my nephew Alex who’s birthday is today.  I hope that you have great day and eat plenty of cake for me  

Well I successfully navigated up to London Gatwick and picked up Mom, Dad and Jane.  They all arrived safely on the plane and the next step was to endure my drive back to Dover.  Ah, another successful trip.  They were all pretty tired, but I made them all get their act together to head to the swimmer’s beach.  I went for a quick dip and they got a little bit acclimated to the training grounds.  The Channel swimmers weren’t there yet, as they come down on the weekends, but I did get to introduce them around to the locals that have taken me under their wings.

Reg was out fishing on Friday and managed to come in and meet us for a pint down at the Three Mackerels pub.  I of course stuck mostly to water, but since he was mentioning that Sunday or Monday looked possible, I did have myself a half pint of cider to calm my nerves.  Reg gave me the impression of a solid pilot who’s goal is to help me to get across the Channel.  It was a pleasure for all of us to meet him and his lovely wife.  I felt more at ease after meeting him as he really was concerned about my safety.  When discussing my swimming speed I mentioned that I was planning on a 14 hour swim.  He turned to me and stated “12 would be better, Love.”  I told him that if conditions were right that we might be able to arrange that.  I went on to explain that I could swim 8 miles in 3.5 hours (I was padding my Alaska time just a little bit).  He again looked at me and stated “So your not that fast but an average swimmer”  My reply “I’m no Thoroughbred, more of a Clydesdale.  Where I lack in speed, I’ve got the endurance!”    After talking abit more with Reg and his wife, we took leave to go grab some dinner.  My instructions were to call Reg at half 7 (7:30pm for those Americans) to see if we were swimming on Sunday.

Well Sunday was spent relaxing and napping; one of my favorite pasttimes.  And getting ready for the phone call to Reg.  We packed up all my swim gear and did a test drive down to Folkestone Harbor to make sure I would get lost on the day of the swim.   At 7:30pm, I called Reg and got the word that Sunday didn’t look good as a wind was coming in, but Monday looked better.  I mentioned the rain that was predicted for Monday and he laughed and said “What do you care about rain?”  He had a point.  Again the conversation ended with me getting the instructions to call at half 7 on Sunday night.  

So today after getting in for a quick swim, we are going to head to the White Cliffs and walk around.  I don’t think Mom, Dad and Jane enjoy the laying about as much as I have this past week.  My excuse is that I’ve been trying to store up my energy!

I will definitely post tonight after talking to Reg.  If the swim goes off tomorrow, it will most likely start around 3am UK time.  (I believe that it is an 8 hour time difference to PST and 6 hour difference to Central Time).  Hopefully if all the technical things work according to plan, my Dad will be calling my London friend Leroy.  Leroy will then in turn be updating the blog and passing along the well wishes that I receive back to the boat, so that they can be passed to me during the swim.  Be patient with Leroy as he will update as soon as he gets any information from the boat.  He also has some terrible spelling, but we love him anyways  

Some basic Channel information.  The Channel can be broken down into 4 major parts.   We are at least hoping to post when I enter the different shipping lanes.  Please see the order and relative distance below:

1. Shakespeare Beach to the Southwest lane = 5 nautical miles or 5400 meters
2. Southwest lane across to the Northeast lane = 5 nautical miles or 5400 meters
3. Northeast lane across to the French inshore traffic zone (ZC “buoy area”) = 5 nautical miles or 5400 meters
4. French inshore traffic zone to Cap Gris Nez = 3 nautical miles or 5555 meters

Now I know that some of the distances don’t make sense, but just think of the shipping lanes.  And don’t forget that on August 8th I posted the website where you can watch the boat cross the Channel.  You are looking to watch the Viking Princess. 

I spoke with Reg’s wife on Tuesday explaining how my crew would be arriving on Friday and we would love to have the opportunity to speak with Reg prior to the swim.  She explained that he may be out fishing, but to call Thursday night to be sure.

Well, I called back tonight and sure enough he is headed out fishing tonight and into tomorrow.  However, he did think that he would be back in town sometime around 6pm.  He wants me to call him again at 3pm and he will see if he is going to be back in time to meet.  My guess is that if the fishing is good, we won’t get to meet him tomorrow.  I did get to ask about the swim day.  It looks like it is going to be late Sunday or sometime on Monday.  I mentioned the winds and he says that they should be dying down around that time.  The weather has been beautiful, so it looks like this could be a early swim for me.  All I can say is I’m ready to go.

I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on when the swim gets scheduled.  Right now we need to all pray that I can drive up to London, pick up Jane and my parents and make it back to Dover without harming anyone.

I’ve arrived in England safely.  My aunt, uncle and cousin picked me up from the airport and promptly drove me down to Dover.  This was a blessing as my bags were huge and heavy (and thankfully they all arrived ). 

When in Dover, we dropped my bags off at the Sandown guesthouse and Martin told us all the places to go see that day as it was heritage weekend and many attractions were free.  We drove to see some of them and then it was down to the beach to meet the swimmers.  We arrived just as they were on their cooldown.  I met Barrie, Freda “The General”, Cliff, plus so many others.  The ushered us to the Hubert House to have breakfast with them, which was great as I was famished.  Here I got to meet even more people.  I think I was most in awe of Megan, the 16 year old who just successfully swam the Channel.  She was just a sweetheart.  I can only imagine the things she will accomplish in her lifetime.

After walking into town twice on Sunday, I decided on Monday that I was going to rent a car to get around.  I didn’t want to be adding 4+ miles of walking to my workouts.  Plus I’m lazy.  After getting a SIM card for the mobile and picking up the rental, I went for my first swim.  Some of the local swimmers took me under their wing.  Paul even kept me company for one of my laps of the harbor.  I just did a quick 1 hour swim.  The rest of the day was for resting and getting my bearings.  Oh wait I did drive out to the grocery store to get some food.

Tuesday morning came very early for me as I didn’t sleep well the previous night due to me fretting over my laptop battery dying and the fact that it didn’t seem to want to charge.  That and I used all of the money that I put on my pay as you go phone.  I was off to a rough techincal start.  But Martin helped me get the proper converter for the plug, I was using a transformer and it wasn’t giving my computer enough juice.  Then I quickly popped down to the corner shop to add more time to my phone.  All was right with the world again. 

I ate my breakfast and headed to the beach.  Again I met up with the local swimmers.  It is always nice to have people looking out for you.  I mistakenly thought the tide was going out and almost lost my flip flops, but the locals saved them for me.  Another godsend as the beach is all rocks and my feet hurt climbing out of the water.  They take pity on me and bring me my shoes as I literally crawl out of the water.   Then I spent the rest of my day exploring Dover castle.  I’ve attached some photos for you all below.  Perhaps me having a lot of free time isn’t such a good thing

The swimmer statue and Captain Matthew Webb in Dover Harbor - The first Channel Swimmer in August 1875

Michelle and the Captain:

Dover Harbor, The Channel and some BIG ferry boats (anyone for a game of Frogger?)

Pictures from Dover Castle – The Castle, The White Cliffs:

I see London…No wait I SEE FRANCE!!!!! (Look more on the horizon line of the sea, the higher line are the clouds)

The toenail polish “The Lifeguard Makes Me Blush”

I finally remembered to bring my camera to Nike to take a photo with everyone that helped me out with my long 8000 yard sets.  Unfortunately some of them were traveling either on business or holiday (Sorry Tom and Marco). 

But here is Brianna, Me and Jeff:

Kim R, Jane and Elizabeth asked me if I would like to have a small dinner before I left.  I was game…Hey I needed to eat.  What I didn’t expect was just how overwhelming the evening would be.

My friends new and old came out for the evening.  I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to everyone that has supported me in support of my dream.   I now know how Oscar acceptance speeches can get to be so long.  There are so many people that I would have to thank if I started to list names, so instead I want to express a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me.  If you are wondering “Does she mean me?”  The answer would be a resounding “YES YOU!!!”  From words of encouragement, to advice, to care packages, to monetary donations, to evening dinners, to sending out my blog…the list goes on and on. 

Driving home for dinner I was overwhelmed to tears with all the support.  Know that you all will buoy me during my swim.  I have a friend with whom we have come to know each other so well that we say we have a virtual image of that person in our minds.  Each of you now has a virtual image within me (an avatar if you will).   I hear your voices in my head cheering me on, offering words of encouragement, and some great jokes.   With every beat of my heart I hear a collective voice saying “GO!”   Whether you all like it or not your virtual images are going swimming, so you better suit up!

There will never be a way for me to repay all of the kindness I have received.  My only hope is that I can make you all proud and happy knowing that you all made it possible.

Pictures from the evening – It seems that strange headware was the choice gift of the evening.  And yes I’m bringing it to England, it will give my crew something to wear during the long swim.

Here are some of the photos that Elizabeth took over the weekend.

The Girls (Elizabeth, Jane, Kim and Michelle(seated))

Kim and Jane as Pilot and Crew:

Day 1 swim – I’m extremely jealous of the seal taking a break on a reef and sunning itself.  Then there are some photos of a feeding.  Check out the pretty toes!

Day 2 Swim – Sweet Picture!

The warming up process.  Pictures from Day 1 and Day 2.

Well there are only 3 days left before I start my journey across the pond.  I haven’t packed.  I still have errands to run.  And people keep asking when I’ll update my blog  

I love all the support and energy, but please bear with me as I get myself prepared for the journey.  I will definitely keep everyone informed and plan on updating the blog as often as possible while in England.  I will also post some more photos from the San Juans as Elizabeth took some amazing photos that shouldn’t be missed. 

My love to all of you and a huge thank you for all the support and kind words as I head into the final lap of my training.

Friendly note:  On August 8th, I posted a way for everyone to track the boats across the Channel.  This is probably one of the best ways to track my swim as I will definitely be letting everyone know when I get the green light from Reg, my boat pilot.  I will also be trying to have my friend Leroy and my dad update my blog real time during the swim.  However, this all depends on cell phone reception in the Channel and how busy my dad gets with helping to support me.

This weekend the girls (Kim R, Jane Barry, and Elizabeth) and I decided that we needed a little getaway.  We packed up the Blazer and headed North to the San Juan Islands.  Kim’s dad has a little place on Stuart Island which is a little slice of heaven here on earth.  It is a small island with about 50 homes, no electricity with the exception of generators.  This leads to a very relaxing and quiet weekend enjoying each others company and watching the water.  (Note: the only way to get to the island is by personal boat or by small plane.  See photo below.  I’ll swim in frigid water, but this little plane had me nervous)

To be honest, I didn’t want to train this weekend.  I was ready for the taper to start so that I could sit on the deck in a rocking chair and watch the boats drift by.  Luckily I had my friends there to keep me on track. 

On Friday night, we went out in the boat to do some crabbing, with pots I wasn’t swimming for them this time.  I took along my water thermometer to see just what I was getting myself into.  Yep it would be 52 degrees that I was getting myself into in these next two days.  YEA (or boo hiss depending on my mood). 

Gary, Kim’s dad, secured a small fishing boat that we could use during the swim.  We (OK they) tested it and found that it could hold around 1.4 miles per hour pretty easily without ruining the motor.  I think that I actually swim around 2 miles per hour, but it was nice to have the option to go slower.

Friday night dinner I was eating like there was going to be no tomorrow and in a way I was wishing there wasn’t.  I had given up control of the time of the swim to allow for the girls to decide.  This way I wouldn’t be able to really mentally prepare and I would have to be ready for anything.  The decided on time-frame was anywhere from 5-10 hours on Saturday.  Now due to the 52 degree water, I was pretty sure that 10 hours were out.  I know that I can stand the cold for a few hours, as last weekend taught me, but 10 is extreme. 

I went to bed with a bit of dread in my heart and head.  I just didn’t want to swim tomorrow or this weekend for that matter.  I knew that this is some of the hard mental times that I just had to work through.  Luckily my friends took my bad mood in stride and kept me on track.

Saturday morning we were all up to get into the water.  Oh wait I was getting in the water, they were getting in the boat.  This weekend besides training was a weekend to test the feeding apparatus.  We (OK OK Kim and Jane) had made a small wire basket to hang from a expandable boat hook.  We would have water bottles and cups tied to the basket using surgical tubing to allow for the boat and I to bounce in the waves separately. 

I slowly began the walk into the water as Kim became used to the motor.  John Bunton, the gentleman that loaned us the boat, and Gary watched from the dock.  Now getting directly into 52 degree water is difficult.  Your skin starts to prickle with pins and needles, your heart starts to race, the gasp reflex kicks in and the whole time you are fighting your mind which is telling you to “GET ME OUT OF THIS!!!!”.  In 52 degree water this urge subsists a little but it is still there.  It was even worse for me this weekend as I really didn’t want to be in the water. 

We set out through Prevost Harbor and then around Satellite Island.  Many of the moored boats had people come out and just stare as we went by.  I had quickly become the island oddity by swimming in the water, let alone with the plan to do it for hours.  

Prevost Harbor

Michelle Swimming

Gary and Pat along for the swim

All in all we spent 5 hours in the water.  The feeding apparatus was working great.  Although I needed larger cups as I couldn’t get the Shot Bloks out of the bottom that easily.  Otherwise very happy with it.  I think because I was in such a bad mood, I also made myself sick.  There was one point in the swim where I almost fed the fishes.  This would have been the first time for me.  I didn’t but I did start the gagging process which brought on the chills.  Kudos for the girls for keeping me in the water and for surviving being swamped by the wake of a cruiser.    And they did a great job of being my TV.  They didn’t point at things, which almost always causes me to stop and ask whats up.  They didn’t eat in front of me, which was very difficult as this was just a small aluminum skiff.  They kept encouraging me and kept the boat by my side, which couldn’t have been an easy task.

I think everyone got a real eyeful of what occurs to me after a cold water swim.  Now I was fully prepared for the hour of sometimes severe shivering that was going to occur.  I think it stunned some of my friends.  They looked pretty worried, but I tried to assure them that this was normal and it would pass in about an hour at which point I would turn into a raging inferno.  (Note: once being so cold my body seems to like to jump to the other extreme). 

I let the girls know that Saturday was it for me.  I wasn’t getting back in on Sunday.  They just shook their heads and said “We’ll see.”  Somehow I knew I was going to lose this battle.  Jane brought it to me though as a short swim where we just needed to test the food one more time, since I had gotten sick on Saturday.  To this I agreed, a short swim just to test the food.  I lubed up one more time and began the climb into the water.  Today we would be feeding about every 45 minutes.  One of the feedings would contain a small amount of protein powder to see how I reacted. 

We went around Satellite island again.  This time the girls were not swamped by passing waves.  And we did a couple of laps of Prevost Harbor.  All of the feedings went very well.  I think that it was more my mental attitude that caused the sickness on Saturday rather than the actual food.  We also just tried the feeding pole with the water bottle tied directly to the pole without the basket.  I think I prefer the basket.  It holds the water bottle more steady so I don’t have to be as coordinated to catch it.  The swim was a short one, just 2 hours 20 minutes.  Thank goodness.  Now my taper can begin.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing a little bit of hiking, lots of good eating, sitting on the deck watching those boats, reading books and great conversation with friends.

Swimming Notes:

• I apparently have the ability to attract seals to me while I swim.  My mom told me about them in Nehalem Bay and this weekend there was one that accompanied me on both days.  The girls told me that he stayed close, but not to close. 
• There were red jellies out in the water, but I managed to avoid them.  I’m still concerned about how that first sting is going to go down in the Channel.  Perhaps I will be lucky and avoid the buggers.
• I couldn’t have successfully completed anything thing this weekend without the help of Gary and Pat Schubel, John and Lynn Bunton, Kim R, Jane Barry, Elizabeth Kafel and the other residents of Stuart Island.  I had plenty of company on the swims as others would motor by and give a wave.  Plus Gary and Pat came out many times to check on us.  There were times when I breathed to the left and saw Gary and Pat and then breathed right and saw the girls.  It kept me going.
• Thank you to Lynn Bunton for providing some nutritional advice to not only me but my friends.  We all found that we have some interesting nutritional quirks. 
• Thank you to Pat Schubel for my first interview.  I hope that it was interesting enough for your article. 
• Thank you to the residents of Stuart Island for a wonderful pot luck dinner on Sunday.  I’m sorry that I ate all of the food and you didn’t get any.  And yes, we do consume a lot of calories   Also thank you for being my cheerleaders throughout the weekend.  I know we all caused quite a stir and I was so pleased to have the unconditional support. 
• And one final thank you again to Gary and Pat for opening your cabin.  We all had such a wonderful time.  It was the perfect weekend of training and relaxing for me.