Testing the waters....

Three months to go till we swim the channel for LAFF and this is where the serious training is meant to begin. No more leisurely trips to the gym, bike rides to work or swimming in heated indoor pools. The fear has sufficiently begun to hit and the salt water, waves and the cold temperatures of the English Channel have begun to pull. So, training schedules are being written up, eating habits analysed and the first group sea swim is in the diary and come rain or shine we’ll be giving it a go. No location I’m afraid – the spectacle is to remain with the team only!!!

On that note, our team, as unlikely as it may seem to those of you that know us well, rocks! Let me introduce you to this canny bunch:

Sarah Oakes aka Curly.
Andrew Wheater aka Barry
Hannah Barrett aka Brain Train
Thomas Parr aka Baldrick
Louise Shepheard-Walwyn aka Shep
Emma Shepheard-Walwyn aka Little Shep
Alice Shepheard-Walwyn aka Big Shep

We’ll introduce you in full after we have donned our very orange “Channel Swimming Association” swimming caps for a team photo, with the obligatory llama backdrop.

Make sure that you watch this space to hear about our trials, tribulations and discoveries over the next few months; I can safely say now that there’ll be a few. The most recent was realisation that the goose fat, which we always thought was meant to help keep the heat in, does nothing of the sort. Its sole purpose in the channel swim is in fact to prevent jellyfish stings. Jelly Fish!!! I must confess now that I have an innate fear of the creatures.

This is going to be a feat to be proud of. All are tackling fears of jellyfish, the cold and the sea - and some of us are still learning the front crawl!

Stay in touch and watch our progress as we head towards our goal, raising money for LAFF. For those that would like to support this mini adventure please visit our just giving site www.justgiving.com/latinamericanfoundationforthefuturechannelswim

Signing off….

“Are You Having a LAFF??” – The swim team that could well take the longest time on record to cross the English Channel.