Stopped long ago daily swimming in the English Channel Eric, I did love open swimming doing a mile or more daily after July weather permitting, the yearly event was Plaidy beach to Looe Island with brother Harvey giving him a ten-minute start and arriving ten minutes early on Island beach trying to fend off the aggressive female warden saying I won't walk any further on the beach just waiting for my brother to arrive. It's a nature reserve.
The longest swim is Looe to Polperro about 4.5 miles in two hours five minutes being my best time than 2 hours 35mins for RNLI four days later with a wet suit shortie 1989 then again 2005 in 2 Hours 17 mins after I returned from the annual rally at Ugthorp Park 17 years later maintaining 59 strokes a minute from start to finish Harvey's wife Ann was in the safety boat timing me. About 7,500 strokes.
My last swim in 2010 on sister Mary's birthday 9th September was a three-mile swim from Down Derry to Looe 2 hours 25mins worst swim I've ever done an N.W. wind blew up but being offshore leaving the sea reasonably calm but producing white horses, taking on so much water I felt I was peeing continuously, nearly throwing in the towel several times. But the feeling of satisfaction walking up Looe beach alongside the Banjo Pier is something I will remember when I'm dying.
The reason I did it in the first place was for sister Mary as she could swim and play in the sea all day without feeling the cold. I was jealous. The Channel was always there but the time & money required to do it was prohibitive.
September is one of the warmest sea temperature months of the year and 1981 was the last year that the day multiplying the month equalled the year in the last century. She lived in Polperro, I didn't make it that year and she died in 1984 but the dream lived on for her.
Now it's taking me 25 mins to swim 300 meters in a 23-degree Celcius 10-meter heated pool. No longer a pretty sight.
bananaman