Brockwell quartet team up for successful cross-channel swim
Not everyone gets the chance to take part in a cross-channel swim. And not everyone makes it to the other side.
But four intrepid Brockwell Swimmers club members reached French shores after taming the demanding open waters of the Dover Strait.
In doing so, they raised money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), aboard the good ship Gallivant, skippered by Mike Oram.
Bad weather scuppered a planned attempt in July, but the crew, who meet at Brockwell Lido, in Brockwell Park, remained on standby finally got the call to go ahead on Thursday. Their team of four, swimming in one-hour relays, was only two of seven to make it to the finish.
Starting out at 6am, the quartet of Billie Wilcox Brooke, 38, Mike Daniels, 45, Patrick Palmer 57, and Tim Sutton, 62, reached the coast of France in a highly-respectable 13 hours, 55 minutes.
Missing out on the adventure was the fifth member of the team, Charles Johnson-Ferguson, who was unable to join due to work.
The water was a little choppy but a mild 19C and the only unnerving element was possibly brushing through non-stinging jellyfish as night fell near Sangatte.
Club Chairman Tim Sutton said: “One of the toughest parts of a Channel Swim is the qualifying swim. You have to do this before you even get on the boat. You need to swim for one-and-a-half hours in 16C or less in open water, then out for an hour before getting in again for another hour.
“I did mine down in South Africa back in February for a Jersey to France swim I completed with another Brockwell Swimmers relay team back in June.
“The toughest part of the day was getting the shakes after the first swim, but luckily these calmed down the more swims I did. I remained surprisingly unfazed by the non-stinging jelly fish. We made sure we took sea-sickness pills before the start.
“It’s not a cheap thing to do and each team member had to put in £900 to pay for the boat and paper-work. The club is already looking for another challenge for next year, so watch this space.”
A good amount of money has already been raised but the goal is to raise at least £5,000 for the RNLI. If anyone is able to help, they can find the fund raising page at gofund.me/743e3194.
Pictured top From left: Tim Sutton, Patrick Palmer, Mike Daniels and Billie Wilcox Brooke. (Picture: Brockwell Swimmers)
