The first few days in Dover

After an 8-hour flight, 9-hour layover in Singapore and another 12-hour flight, I arrived in London on Sunday. I spend a day in London shopping, going to the National Gallery, running errands and having dinner with Tony (my crew).

On Tuesday I took the high speed train to Dover. I am staying at the Victoria Guest House with Bill and Audrey. I am in the same room I had in 2008.

Dover from my bedroom window.

Every morning I go down to the beach to swim to swim for 1-2 hours to loosen up and keep in shape.

Laura and Dori on Dover Beach.

Dover Beach at low tide.

Dover pebbles.

Looking through the harbour walls with a ferry and France in the background.

Interestingly, I came all the way to England and met Aussies from Sydney. We've been training in the harbour and chatting at the walls.

Dave (my crew), me and Aussies Steve and Jeff.

Dover weather forecast

I met with Chris, my pilot on Tuesday. The weather is looking good. There's a high pressure system coming in. We could go this weekend, but will wait until mid week if the weather is going to get better.

Weather forecast through 1st August

Early long distance workouts

Questions from a 9-year old

A few days ago I received a message from my old swimming friend Kris. We swam together in age group meets in Connecticut. Kris' 9-year old son, Ethan has taken an interest in my swim and has a few questions about channel swimming.

Ethan wants to know:

1) How much weight do you expect to lose on your swim?
I don't know exactly how much weight I will loose. My guess is a 3-5 pounds. To have enough energy to keep swimming for such a long time, I will need to get 500-800 calories an hour.

2) What stroke are you swimming?
I will swim freestyle.

3) How do you swim at night? Do you get tired?
A double channel crossing will take at least 24 hours so I will have to swim at night. When I did my solo swim in 2008, I started at 3:30 p.m. and finished at 2:30 a.m. in France. It was very dark and I could not see the French shore until I was a few hundred yards away. All I could see was my boat and the lights from the ferries and the lighthouse at Cap Gris Nez France.

I attach glow sticks to the back of my suit and goggle straps so my crew can see me in the dark. I swim next to my escort boat. I rely on the boat to guide me because I can't see anything in the dark.

Swimming at night during my 2008 English Channel swim

I do get tired and my arms get sore, but I keep swimming until the next time my crew feeds me. Then I can have a short rest before swimming again.

4) Are you scared about sharks?
I am not worried about sharks in the English Channel. I think the water is probably too cold for them.

When I first moved to Australia a year ago, I was nervous about swimming in the ocean because of sharks. The only shark I have seen was a Port Jackson shark which is considered harmless to humans. I knew that it was a harmless shark so I stopped to watch it for a while.

5) How and what do you eat?
To keep swimming for such a long time I need to eat a lot. But it is hard to stop to eat in the water so I mostly have high calorie drinks. I mix a carbohydrate powder into juice or tea. Having warm drinks helps to keep me warm. I also eat nutrition bars or bananas. Sometimes my crew rewards me with a candy bar.

I am not allowed to get out of the water or touch the boat during my swim or I will be disqualified. My crew throws me a water bottle tied to a rope. For other snacks, they hold a basket tied to a pole over the side so I can reach in and get the food.

Feeding time during the South Head Roughwater 10K, Sydney 

Thank you for your questions, Ethan. Good luck in your open water swim and triathlon! And here's a photo of your mom and I in 1986.

Maastricht 1986

Erietta's Top Ten Questions about Channel Swimming

My friend Erietta (pictured at right with her Hotel William meet raffle winnings) wanted to do a video interview with me about my channel swim. I politely declined, but agreed to answer her questions on my blog.

Questions I want to see answered in Dori's blog.

1. Who pays?
Although I have won money in marathon swims, it is not a lucrative hobby. In the past I have paid for my swims. Hiring a boat, pilot and crew to escort you is the biggest expense in this sport as well as travel costs if you like to swim in far away locations. I am lucky to have Bondi Icebergs Club help support my double channel swim.

2. Why are you swimming the channel exactly?
I like to have to challenges and set a goal and work towards it. When I swam the Channel in 2008, I was surprised when I reached France. It was pitch black and I couldn't see the shore until I was a few hundred yards out. I could have kept swimming if I had to. When I started thinking about my next big swim, I decided to go back to the Channel to see how far I really could go.

3. How long have you been swimming?
I learned to swim at the YMCA when I was little, maybe 5 years old. I loved to play in the pool. I didn't start swimming competitively until I was 11. I thought that swimming wouldn't be fun if I had to do it. When I was competing in college, it was a lot of pressure. I didn't swim for 11 years afterwards. When I started swimming with Masters I realised that swimming was fun again.

4. How long will it take to swim from England to France AND BACK?
I will probably be swimming for 24 hours, at least. A lot depends on the tides and weather conditions.

5. What will you eat on your swim?
I mostly drink my nutrition during my swim. My crew is in charge of feeding me. They mix carbohydrate powder and Gu into things like peppermint tea or gatorade. During my Lake George marathon swim my crew gave me flat coke with a vanilla Gu. That tasted so good. I also eat other things like bananas. The salt water kills my taste buds so most things have no taste after a while. Hopefully I will be able to keep my feedings down this time.

6. How many Ks do you swim a day?
I swim between 4-15 Ks a day. Some mornings I can get in 6-7Ks before work. I do my long swims on weekends, usually 4-5 hours.

7. Will you wear a wet suit?
No, just a regular cossie. Wetsuits are not permitted according to "Channel rules:"
No swimmer in a standard attempt to swim the Channel shall be permitted to use or wear any device or swimsuit that may aid his/her speed, buoyancy, heat retention or endurance (such as wetsuit, webbed gloves, paddles, fins, etc).  The swimmer is permitted to grease the body before a swim, use goggles and one hat.  Nose clips and earplugs are permitted. -- Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation


8. What will motivate you on your swim? Or will you just zone out?
I find the first hour or so is the hardest because my mind is racing. After a while my body and mind get used to the rhythm of swimming. Sometimes I do zone out and time goes weird. Sometimes I feel like the mind is totally clear and focused. Sometimes I sing the same song over and over. I watch the crew on the boat for entertainment.

9. What do you eat while training? Don't lie. I am sitting opposite you. Chocolate and carbs.
I pretty much each anything I want. This morning I had two bowls of pasta for breakfast and I was still hungry. Full cream milk, cheese, ice cream and whipped cream are also good for adding extra insulation.

10. Is peeing while you swim and getting that warm feeling the best thing that will happen to you on your epic challenge?
I hope that successfully swimming all the way back to Dover and receiving a hero's welcome would be the best thing, this would be a close second. And not puking too much.

oh, one more... 11. do you have a coach?
I don't have a English Channel coach. I train with two teams and those coaches have been very supportive and helpful during my training. Angelo Basalo and Gai Campbell at Cranbrook Eastern Edge and Kevin Porter at North Sydney Masters have helped me improve my fitness over the past year. I also have a few friends back home who are experienced Channel swimmers and are a great source of inspiration and advice. The Channel swimming community is a great bunch of like minded nutters.

Sponsored by Bondi Icebergs

I am proud to announce that Bondi Icebergs Club will help support me in my double English Channel swim.

I have been training at Icebergs a lot the past few months. Because the pool is not heated, the water temperature is a few degrees cooler than the ocean. The pool is an ideal 16C and provides a good alternative to swimming in the ocean when the swell and chop are too rough.

I am a first year member of the Winter Swimming Club. I have never been a sprinter, but over the past few months I have noticed that my sprinting has improved. I can now maintain a 6-beat kick (okay, maybe 4-beat) for an entire 50m.

Hopefully the cold water training and sprinting will help me breeze through those last few miles.

Thank you Icebergs!