Monday 27 August 2012
and then
A knackered but happy Wayne back at home.
Once he's recovered sufficiently to be able to string a coherent sentence together, we'll be posting his recollections about The Swim, along with some photies.
Sunday 26 August 2012
He Did It!!!!!!!!!!!!
At 23:33 (approximately) Wayne touched down just outside of Ballycastle, Ireland - making him the first person ever to have swum this section of treacherous water. Well done Wayne - you deserve a big pint and a warm steak and Guinness pie. You are an inspiration to so many!
500 metres to go
They are about 20
minutes on the outside from landing!!!!
Paul just commented
that this was definitely his last stint as 'Handler' - this stuff is just too
stressful!
Looking for a landing spot...
The second boat has
gone off to look for a suitable landing spot and is guiding them
in!!!!
They are aiming to
land at Port Campbell, just west of Ballycastle. I have checked for this on the
map but can't find it, but will keep you posted!
Night swimming
With all the drama of the last 2 hours I have completely missed the point that Wayne will be swimming in the dark now. This is a notoriously low time for swimmers, as they lose the sun on their backs and it is quite common for a bit of a depression to kick in.
In terms of logistics, the crew will have passed Wayne a glow stick to his swimming trunks as well as to the side of the boat. Wayne will focus on these glow sticks in order to position himself in the water, as there is nothing else to use in order to find your bearings.
Wayne was very keen to do as little as possible swimming in the dark... Hopefully we can finish this soon then!
In terms of logistics, the crew will have passed Wayne a glow stick to his swimming trunks as well as to the side of the boat. Wayne will focus on these glow sticks in order to position himself in the water, as there is nothing else to use in order to find your bearings.
Wayne was very keen to do as little as possible swimming in the dark... Hopefully we can finish this soon then!
Hour 12
Some good news at
last...
They are almost due
north of Ballycastle right now and the conditions have improved dramatically.
When I last spoke to them it was mayhem on the boat as they were experiencing
big winds, strong currents and struggling to keep steering in a way that helped
Wayne in his swim - as opposed to I guess steering over
him?!
From the latest
update from the boat all seems to have calmed down, the tide has slackened
dramatically and they seem to be 'picking' where they would like to land - the
discussions were along the lines of 'Shall we go straight into Ballycastle, or
just to the right of the beach?'
They estimate less
than an hour's swim - but bear in mind folks, he has been in the water for 11
and a half hours already!
Watch this space -
the boys have proven that they could be chucking a few surprises our way before
we get to celebrate...
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