One of the greatest causes of failure in channel attempts
is insufficient
funding. Most swimmers do not realize the high cost of an extended stay
in England and if there are weather setbacks, one can be wiped out
financially
before getting a chance to swim.
"Seamos Amigos y Seamos Justos" had gotten contributions
from Banco
Popular, Tourism Company, Parks and Recreation Department, Schaeffer
Beer,
World Airlines and others, while I was given help personally by the
Panasonic
Corp., the Abbot Pharmaceutical Corp. and the Speedo Swimwear Corp.
Even
so we were hard-pressed to make ends meet, due to the delays caused by
the hurricane.
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5:30 p.m. Second swimmer, second round: Krista
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Tim is sleeping below with Harry. Krista relieved him
on time. The
sea has picked up to about Force 3 1/2 again, and her pace is a little
bit off. Tim didn't say much when he came out. In fact, nobody seems to
be talking or doing much of anything. Earlier in the day, the
excitement
of the adventure kept them all animated, but now, after an hour in the
freezing sea, the knowledge that they have to do it again (at least
once
more) has sobered them to the fact that making history and setting
records
isn't an easy task. Their mood now is one of self-centeredness, each is
lost in his or her own thoughts, no longer standing at the boat's
railing,
calling encouragement to the swimmer in the water. Instead, they are
resting
and wrapped in warm clothing, lying down wherever they can find room.
The
air is cold and the wind is brisk.
Most relay swims are done by national teams of selected
swimmers, usually
their six fastest. Occasionally, a club team will try the challenge.
Most
club teams are from England, since they don't have to incur the
expenses
that foreign relays do. They just wait for good weather and then drive
down to Dover and compete. The average time for a relay crossing is
about
10 hours. The relay record is 7 hours, 17 minutes, set by a national
team
from England in 1981.
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6:30 p.m. Third swimmer, second round: Jason
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Jason looks cold. He is putting on his goggles and
sitting by the
ladder. Krista still has two minutes left of her second turn. She's
swimming
well: this time the current was slack, so she is swimming almost
directly
towards France. There goes Jason now, stiff-legged, down the ladder.
Reggie
has stopped the boat and Ray is helping Krista onto the deck. The sun
is
very low now, near the horizon. Not much daylight left. Jason is
starting
to swim now.
During my St. Thomas to Puerto Rico swim, I swam through the
night inside
my anti-shark cage. None of the rest of my family had ever swam in the
ocean at night. I had set the relay order so that if we caught the
currents
right, I might be the only one required to swim in the dark. Sharks in
the English Channel usually are not a problem-the water is too cold.
-
We're about 500 yards from the three-mile buoy, off the
French coast.
It was on our right side and I went to get the camera to photograph
Jason
as he swam by. In the few minutes it took me to go below, get the
camera
and return to the railing, the buoy had moved to our left side! Reggie
is shouting that we're caught in a very strong southern, offshore
current.
We're going to miss Cap Griz Nez! We will have to swim with the current
parallel to France, for several hours before it changes again and
allows
us to make any forward progress once again. This translates into second
swims for me, Harry Jr. and Caroll, and third swims for Tim, Krista,
and
possibly Jason-all at night. It's almost dark now: it will turn into
night
while I'm swimming next. (Page 8)
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