that can make a huge difference to your swim. This is particularly important where there are currents involved or heavy weather conditions that can develop during the event. It is critical that the swimmer and support crew agree on a clear plan in advance. This gives the swimmer confidence so that they can focus on swimming. It’s a good idea to discuss various scenarios that could occur during the event and have a plan for each – this gives your support crew some flexibility if conditions change en route.
WITH THE ADVENT OF GPS, IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO SWIM STRAIGHT COURSES DESPITE CURRENT, SWELL OR WIND
You will need to take account of currents or swell pushing you around. For this, try and follow an exact straight course to your destination using GPS. This isn’t the same thing as pointing straight towards your target, as doing so will mean currents pull you downstream and you’ll end up having to swim directly into the current towards the end of the event. Instead, your support crew should adjust the exact direction in which you are swimming and point you slightly into the current until you are holding a straight course using GPS. The map photo over the page shows a GPS track taken during the 19.7km Rotnest Channel swim using this strategy. An alternative strategy is to try and predict how currents or swell will develop. For instance, if there is normally a south-to-north current late in your event then geting yourself some distance south can be advantageous when this kicks in. However, this is risky! There is just such a prevailing current during the last few
kilometres of the Rotnest Channel swim – however, in the last few years, the current has changed direction and run north to south, leaving many swimmers badly positioned and adding a punishing hour or two onto their finishing times. With the advent of GPS tracking, it is now possible to swim
straight-line courses despite current, swell or wind. This is by far the best strategy for your support crew to navigate, unless you have specialist local knowledge that you are very confident in.
NAVIGATING THE CHANNEL
The route across the Channel must be navigated by trained professionals
The English Channel crossing is one of the hardest swims to navigate and you are required to use professional pilots to guide you across. Two years ago, I sat down with seven other keen open water swimmers in Perth, Australia, and decided to take on the ultimate open water challenge – solo crossings of the English Channel. As I write this article, we are all now less than two months away from our respective atempts at crossing La Manche, as it is known in France. The English Channel swim is a fascinating exercise in navigation due to the extremely strong tides that sweep through the stretch of sea between Dover and Calais. While the swimmer will atempt to swim in a near-straight course, the tides pull them to the east and west in turn, creating a Z-shaped course. The tides are so strong that this is unavoidable.
A successful crossing needs to be timed carefully against the tides, and this job falls to the professional boat skippers (known as pilots) who are qualified to guide you across from Dover to Cap Gris Nez – the target landing point and shortest distance across the strait.
During the summer months, when water temperatures are in the 15-18°C range, there are typically eight neap tidal windows, each lasting five to seven days, when the tidal flow is at its weakest. Nevertheless, the tides in the Channel are some of the strongest in the world at any time in the lunar month and the navigational skills of a professional pilot are paramount in any swimmer’s bid for a successful crossing. The Channel Swimming Association (CSA) and the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CS&PF) has qualified around 15 registered pilots who will book you in a tidal window and escort you safely across the Channel for around £2,500. In each window, a pilot will book three or four swimmers in a priority order, with the first swimmer geting first opportunity to swim. To secure first or second spots in a window, it was necessary for us to book with our pilots two years in advance!
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