Lucky Eights

After a month of foul weather for the previous tides, the Channel gods are smiling on me. The weather looks good for this week. I met with Chris, my pilot this morning and he thought Thursday would be good or later if there was better weather coming. Chris called back this afternoon and at this point we are set for an early Wednesday morning start (approx 4 am in the UK, 1 pm in Sydney and 11 pm Tuesday in the US). 

The date on Wednesday is August 8th. This must be an omen because my first channel swim (when I got scrambled on the rocks) was August 8 2008. My second swim (and first attempt at the double) was on August 8-9 2010. 

Fingers crossed and touch wood.

Countdown to the Channel... One week to go

The tide for my double channel swim begins in one week, from 8-16 August. You can follow my progress during the swim here. My crew will be sending out updates, photos and video during my swim. They will be published to on my blog, twitter and facebook.

Follow the swim on twitter: twitter.com/doridesign

Track my boat (Seafarer II) on the AIS website: www.shipais.com

Training (and eating) camp on Lake Huron, Michigan.

Fundraising for Team Fox

I am proud to be a part of Team Fox Australia to raise money for Parkinson's Research knowing that the money I raise will speed the discovery of life-changing treatments and, ultimately a cure for people with Parkinson's Disease. I swim in honor of my mother who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago.

I have raised $10,000 for Team Fox with my previous two channel swims. Team Fox Australia was created in 2011 as part of the collaboration between The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and the Shake It Up Australia Foundation. This means that funds raised through Team Fox Australia stay in Australia. I am happy to help this wonderful charity in two countries.

Please visit either Team Fox page below if you would like to make a donation.

Donate to Team Fox USA

Donate to Team Fox Australia

Double English Channel attempt 8-16 August

I am a few weeks away from my second attempt at a double-crossing of the English Channel. Training has been going great and my shoulder is behaving. Hopefully the weather will be better in Dover by the time I get there.

Updates via twitter will be posted here.

Video from the Channel

Footage from the first leg of my 2-way channel attempt by Dave Mak.

Twittering across the channel

I'm not much of a twitter-er, but I have to admit that it was great to keep everyone updated while I swim. Two years ago we only had a mobile with a dead battery. My crew made calls to Tony back in London, who then updated my blog. This time we had smart phones with GPS and cameras. We'll be twittering video on the next swim.

Here are the twitter updates that Dave sent out while I was swimming. It's nice to have this record of what was happening while I was swimming. 

9:54 AM Aug 7th

Swim will start approx 10 pm BST tonight. Swimmer and crew are napping before the long haul to France & back

4:12 PM Aug 7th

Dori is in her swim costume and her crew are on the Seafarer II

6:58 PM Aug 7th

Tough swimming at night in lumpy waters.

7:20 PM Aug 7th

Dori is a trooper. Current location.

7:44 PM Aug 7th

Into the SW shipping lane.

8:52 PM Aug 7th

just finished a feeding. she's keeping it down. needs to be warmer

9:43 PM Aug 7th

Just had her feeding in the separation zone about 10 minutes ago.

9:48 PM Aug 7th

gps fail...

9:50 PM Aug 7th

Where are we?

10:17 PM Aug 7th

Halfway point. In the northeast shipping lane. She ask for vitamin I on next feed.

August 7, 2010 10:33:28 PM EDT

Meteor shower and moon slivers in the night sky as Dori swims.

August 7, 2010 11:15:35 PM EDT

16.5C water temp and 15C air temps. @mattcoarr asked. Watching the moon reappear.

August 7, 2010 11:31:51 PM EDT

Sky is getting brighter!

August 7, 2010 11:34:59 PM EDT

Seas getting heavier. Was calmer for a few hours at least.

August 8, 2010 12:02:45 AM EDT

first picture!

August 8, 2010 12:16:03 AM EDT

our expert and supremely helpful CSPF observers. Many thanks for the advice!

August 8, 2010 12:42:03 AM EDT

Shoulder hurts. Tired. Not fun...

August 8, 2010 1:02:40 AM EDT

had to maneuver around this bouy. She's getting coke and vu with her medicine next.

August 8, 2010 2:02:09 AM EDT

French coast near, choppy / lumpy seas. Swallowed some water.

August 8, 2010 2:49:07 AM EDT

Last feeding of Percy pigglets and jelly belly's was a success! Chases of diluted gu (plain) wasn't as enthusiastically consumed.

August 8, 2010 2:50:45 AM EDT

Jane reports a water temp of a balmy 17.8C

August 8, 2010 2:54:02 AM EDT

epic wind day, if you were sailing a sailboat...

August 8, 2010 3:53:52 AM EDT

10:38:30 to France!

August 8, 2010 4:22:35 AM EDT

swimming back to Dover after a two donuts break, eaten in the water after clearing the lobster pots near store.

August 8, 2010 4:23:49 AM EDT

she says this is harder than Watson bay!

August 8, 2010 6:56:04 AM EDT

After about 13 hrs Dori shoulder just was better. We all decided it was best to save for future swims. We are all proud of yet amazing swim!

August 8, 2010 7:07:13 AM EDT

Dori is deeply touched by everyone's comments and encouragement. Thank you! Sorry for the typos courtesy of @makattack

August 9, 2010 5:23:31 PM EDT

Thank you to my ace crew, Dave and Tony, pilot Chris and his crew and observers Jane and Gary. It was a great experience. I will be back!

Fundraising awesomeness

I am happy to let everyone know that I've raised $3310 to date for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Thank you everyone for donating, forwarding my fundraising efforts to your friends and sending messages of support. Good onya!!!

Swimmers Who Lunch

I am still waiting for the official word from my pilot on my swim date. I talked with him on Sunday morning and he thought that Thursday was had the best tides and weather. 

In the meantime, I've been in taper mode since arriving in Dover a week ago. A typical day of a channel swimmer (or me at least) waiting to swim looks like this: eat a big English breakfast, go for a swim, have lunch, walk around town, take a nap and go for dinner. As it gets closer to my swim date the swims get shorter and the chats get longer. We are swimmers who lunch.

Dover is a special place. Channel swimmers come from around the world to swim to the not-so-distant French shore. On a clear day you can see the white cliffs on the other side of the channel. It has been great hanging out and swimming with friends Laura, Vasanti, Sam and Cliff, whom I met my last visit to Dover. This tide seems to be the Aussie tide. I've met more channel swimmers in Dover than I did in Oz. 

Can you spot the Brit?

Vasanti  and Dori after a swim

Showing off our muscles and a few guts: Dori, Jeff, Laura, Sam and Ted 

Hamden High School alumni Dori and Cindy Walsh

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!

Countdown to Dover

Hard to believe that in 30 days I will be back in Dover for another English Channel swim (knock on wood). This time I will be attempting a double crossing of the English Channel by swimming from England to France and back to England.

White Cliffs, Dover England

After taking some time off from training after my channel swim in August 2008, I struggled to find motivation to keep training. I didn't swim for a month after I got out of the water in France. It was a few more months before I was able to make it through a whole workout. Amazing how I could swim 10 hours one day, but not be able to swim for an hour in workout the next.

By the time I moved to Sydney last July, I was ready for a new challenge. I decided to take on the challenge of a double channel swim to give myself something to work towards and help ease into a new life down under. Maybe 'ease' isn't the right word to describe training for the Channel, but it definitely keeps me busy.

Training has had it's ups and downs the past year, but I feel really strong and ready to go. I am looking forward to seeing the other channel swimmers on the beach in Dover, drinking a pint at the White Horse and enjoying the Northern Hemisphere summer.

Ain't nothin' better than your own backyard

Since moving to Sydney 10 months ago, I've been able to enjoy some of the greatest swimming spots, all in my own backyard. Living a block from Bondi Beach means I only have to walk a few minutes to swim laps across the world famous beach while backpackers on holiday bake to a bright red in the sun. I break up my laps to dive and play with fish that I have only seen in aquariums.


Bondi Beach

Now that it has turned to winter, I have been spending more time at the Bondi Icebergs club. This 50 meter ocean pool has a great view. While swimming laps I can look over the edge and watch the surfers catch waves. Laps get increasingly challenging with the high tide as the waves crash over the sides of the pool. I have on more than one occasion ended up in the next lane.


Sunday races at Bondi Icebergs

Still winter...

The mountains said I could find you here
They whispered the snow and the leaves in my ear
I traced my finger along your trails
Your body was the map, I was lost in it

--"Your Rocky Spine," Great Lake Swimmers

American Falls, Niagara, NY

Pay no attention to the giant feline

Mt. Mansfield, VT

Gondola at Stowe, VT

Apres Ski, Stowe

Winter in Michigan

My heart's in the ice house come hill or come valley
Like a long ago Sunday when I walked through the alley
On a cold winter's morning to a church house
just to shovel some snow

--John Prine,Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrows)

The Mighty Mac and Lakes Huron and Michigan

Riding the chairlift

Favorite run

St. Louis Blues

"I hate to see that evening sun go down
I hate to see that evening sun go down
'Cause, my baby, he's gone left this town

Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way"

--St. Louis Blues, W.C. Handy

Photos from Albuquerque, New Mexico, St. Louis, Missouri and Ocequeoc, Michigan.

!Ay, Caramba!

So many sombreros, so little time.

Old Towne Albuquerque

St. Louis Arch

Downtown St. Louis from the top of the Arch

Christmas presents

Making snow angels

Lake Huron, northern Michigan

Get Your Kicks

Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

--Bobby Troup, "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66"

Snow outside Barstow, CA

Cafe on Route 66, Winslow, Arizona

Route 66, Winslow, Arizona

Grand Canyon, South Rim

Grand Canyon in Winter

Snowman, Grand Canyon

Twin Arrows, Arizona

Petrified Forest, Arizona