Hi Everyone,
If you are reading this is means we are on our way. I have asked Leroy to post this after we are away from the computer so Michelle doesn’t edit itJ
First, thanks to all who have continued to send such positive and uplifting messages to the blog. You may not think it was much, but it really helped keep the spirits up on this side of the pond when the weather went south this entire week. Things got a bit stressful at times, and all those good vibes really helped Michelle focused on the end goal. Martin(our B&B host) loves to tell stories about swimmers and crew getting into huge fights while waiting and I can see how that could happen!
I wanted to just give a quick description of how this all works, if you have any questions feel free to read on…if you already know the drill you save your energy for the fun updates to comeJ
We meet Reg at the harbor at 7am, load up the boat and head to one of the local beaches. Michelle will then have to jump in off the boat, swim to shore and get back out of the water…completely. A Channel Swimming (CSA) spotter will be on board with us to validate the swim, and once he feels she is completely out of the water he will sound a horn to signal the start of the swim. Once that horn goes off, NO ONE can touch Michelle until she is on French soil with absolutely no water under her…literally. If we happen to land on some rocky terrain she will have to climb over the rocks until there is no water seeping below. Once the CSA spotter is convinced that has taken place, he will again sound the horn to signal a successful crossing.
Once she lands on French soil she has 10 minutes to get back out to the boat. If she is on French soil longer then 10 minutes she has committed a crime by crossing a border illegally. But yes, we will all have our passports on the boat just in caseJ Depending on the terrain of the landing, we may be able to send a dingy in to pick her up…but if not she has to swim back out to the boat prior to us all heading back to England. Kind of a cruel trick don’t you think. But just to be on the safe side, I do have my wetsuit packed and I can go in and pick her up if she literally isn’t able to make it back to the boat(no, I’m not foolish enough to swim in that cold water without my wetsuit!!)
After we get her bundled up to begin the re-warming process, we will have about a 2 ½ – 3 hour ride back across the channel. When all is said and done this will probably be about an 18-20 hour day.
Again, thanks for all the positive energy everyone has been sending our way…please keep it coming until you get the word that she is successfully acrossJ