Event

Cross Solent Swim

Location

Ryde on the Isle of Wight to Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour

Date

30th May 2011

The Challenge

3.6miles; Wetsuit optional

Red Top Swimmers

Ian Morton

Organisers

Isle of Wight Samaritans

Website

http://www.swimthesolent.com/

Report

Ian Morton - June 2011

Four swimmers, four kayaks, three RIBs versus one USS aircraft carrier, a three mile gap and a Force 6. Despite a 24-hour delay due to higher winds, the Turning the Tide Cross Solent Swim and Fundraising Fete at Stokes Bay went ahead on the 30th May with me reping hard for the Red Tops.

The event was organized by Anna Wardley as part of her aim to raise £50,000 for three charities by undertaking a number of extreme swims. This crossing being a mere pool breadth to her 2009 Channel, 2010 Gibraltar straights, her double Windemere and, at 12 degrees celsius, tropical compared to the Finnish ice swimming championships. Needless to say she was in a light swim suit and cap, styled and finished for the sun, whilst the two strapping fellas (and me) were head to toe in rubber.

Living in Gosport and having worked for Clipper International, Anna had the edge required when is came to the swim logistics. The Solent is a busy shipping channel, criss-crossed by not only 3 ferries every half hour but regular container ships and tankers…not to mention a hovercraft and the visiting USS George Bush. At 1,100ft this is the bad boy of the US fleet and so big they have a special internal gang police force to keep the 6,000 personnel on board in check. This zero tolerance approach extended to the waters around the boat with a 250m shoot to kill exclusion zone set up.

With a series of low pressure systems sucking the wind through the channel at speed, notorious tides swirling around and the prospect of picking a fight with the US navy seals in ones speedos it was all about getting the timing and start right.

The Sunday start was called off as it was blowing too hard SSW. The water was rolling, fizzing and visibility low, which gave me chance to help Anna with the remaining pieces of organization. This involved chasing down home made cakes, coconut shy stands, life jackets and a kayaker ready for the swim and beach fete post swim.

We all met at 0745 at Haslar Marina for a debriefing. I felt like the sorcerer’s apprentice having been given all manner of powders to mix into a magic potion to make me go faster for longer; so when did porridge, bananas and tap water stop working? With this expensive sugar potion mixed, bottled and labeled, then given to my Kayaker Chris, we splashed out in our jolly boats to Ryde Sands.

Anna got greased up and headed off first with Bunker, Heart FMs breakfast show presenter in Portsmouth. Will and I (the supposed faster swimmers) waited half and hour and gave chase, the idea being to concertina at the main shipping channel. The wind was SSW and pushing us hard, Chris was a legend and kept me moving in the right direction. I think either my ‘stealth’ slim shoulders (and high elbow, Peter) didn’t show up on the USS radar, or my cap rendered me deaf, as I never noticed any tracer bullets strafing the water. We all beached at Stokes bay at pretty much the same time and I clocked a surprising 1 hour 20 mins which I was chuffed with.

We were welcomed on shore by the Worshipful Mayor and Mayoress of Gosport, which is always pleasant. Best of all, and due to both the land and water crews’ hard work the Fundraising Fete at Stokes Bay raised over £500 for the Samaritans, Toe in the Water and Sail Africa.