Last year we had a cooler than average start to the season with readings between 9.0C and 9.5C. That’s the thing about averages, to have cooler than average, somewhere along the line you get warmer than average. This weekend showed the water being warmer than average. Could this be a warm season? 😍

It meant that we were able to have a relaxed start to the season. I suspect it does mean that we’ll have a rapid ramp up as we aim to get qualifying swims done in time. Hold onto your [swimming] hats folks!

This refers to an English Channel solo. The steps for other swims are the same, what differs is the ‘normal’ volume in step 2

You may have heard me refer to 5 steps to a channel swim.

We’re now on step 4. We’ll ramp up and get the qualifying swims done, building in recovery opportunities along the way. It doesn’t stop there though. Step 5 will see different ways for achieving progressive overload.

Progressive overload helps us continuously push our current boundaries. Recovery enables us to cash in on the hard work. Both are equally important.

Continually pushing the boundaries without recovery will lead to signs of overtraining and failing to achieve that oh so important adaptation leading to improved aerobic fitness & capacity. Staying in your comfort zone, only doing ploddy ploddy swimming prevents adaptation and can lead to a decline often noticed in reduced speed.

Let’s work together to hit the sweet spot and maximise your training benefits.

Weekly Review

NB Please scroll to the bottom for a selection of the photos taken

Your pod leaders’ observations

Safety procedures

Your safety is our main priority.

As a reminder, here are some key ways that you can help us to keep you safe:

Arrive on time: Some weekends are very busy indeed and it can take a bit of time to sign you all in. Please sign-in with any member of the beach crew who has an iPad in hand. We’ll share with you your plan for the session and ask you to collect the band with the correct number on.
Numbered bands: Each band has a number and we have linked the band number we give you to your details, so that if we need to, we can quickly access your contact details, your emergency contact details and any relevant medical information. Once out of the water, please tell the a member of the beach crew your band number and we’ll check you out on the system. We’ll check you back in again later for subsequent swims and out again after this second swim. Once you are done for the day, please return your band to the board for the next session.
Safety briefing: at the beginning of each session we’ll share a safety briefing for that session. It will contain any important information that you need to know before entering the water. It is mandatory to attend. We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone who misses this important briefing. Our static safety briefing for Dover can be found here.
Start time: we enter the water at 10:00 and we ask that everyone is ready to get in promptly. So that means getting your suncream done early, and having vaseline etc done early enough in order to be in the water on time. Feeding for soloists will be on the top of the hour regardless of the time that you got into the water.
Footwear: the pebbles can be difficult to walk on at the best of times. There are also some sharp stones & rock and the possibility of broken glass and other hazards on the beach. We recommend wearing your chosen footwear into the water and taking them off and throwing them back to the beach. We’ll pop them in the trugs whilst you swim and move these trugs up and down with the tide. Give us some time and we’ll learn who’s shoes are who’s and throw them back to you whilst in the water before you finish, again minimising the risk of cuts. The best type of footwear is Croc style and specifically Crocs without holes at the front. Flip flops can be difficult to manage with cold toes. Sliders let stones in.
Personalise your footwear: Normally, at this point in the season we point out that there are a lot of black crocs and that it can be difficult to work out who’s are who’s. This year red is the new black. We have lots of red crocs. Please can you ensure that your footwear is easily identifiable as yours so that you can be quickly reunited. Whether that’s with jibitz, ribbons or a sharpie, do something to make yours unique.
Timeliness: when you sign in you agree how long you’re going to be swimming for. If you don’t come back at the time that has been agreed, we start our safety processes and look for you. What we often find is that you’re having a fabulous time and doing much better than you thought, i.e. you know you’re ok. Thing is, we don’t know that. Until we have accounted for you, we are at a heightened state of readiness and we are diverting some of our resources into looking for you. If you are having a great swim, fabulous. Come and tell us and check that it’s ok to continue and we can adjust the plan if appropriate. If you just turn up late, expect us to be grumpy as we will have been looking for a potential casualty.
Swim zone: we are blessed with a large swim zone. Outside of the swim zone other leisure uses also enjoy their sport. Please ensure you stay inside the swim zone. For those of you used to training in lakes, or doing open water races, you may be used to swimming round the outside of buoys. Here’s it’s important to stay inside. There’s no need to swim to the edge as you may find yourself pushed outside of the zone with the tide. On the land side of the zone you need to stay outside of the poles as these mark hazards.
Be prepared: be prepared for when you get out (see warming up below). Pack your bag with the layers that you’ll need first on the top. So that when you go to get changed, you have everything that you need to hand. Some people left their belongings strewn over the beach when they swam and between swims. Think about it. Your most important gear is your warm clothes. If you leave these out and it rains…… well, you can picture the problem. Make sure that everything is packed tidily and in order. Make sure that your bag is waterproof or placed in a bin bag. Make sure that you pack everything away after you’re changed too. You’d be everso disappointed if your favourite pair of goggles was broken because someone trod on them, yet quite a few were left strewn on the beach this weekend. It’s also not unusual to see people frantically searching for missing hats and goggles - which is totally unnecessary if you tidy up after yourself when you’re warm & dry.
Warm drinks: once dressed, it’s nice to have a warm drink. Some of you brought flasks of drinks with you. That’s a great idea. One of the challenges can be drinking from a small cup when the shivers start. So a cup with a lid will save you wearing more of your drink than you drink!
Talk to us: we are here to help. If you are unsure, ask. Being cold can be a whole new experience to you and knowing what is ‘normal’ cold and when to get out is something you learn over time. We are able to help you with that. We’d much prefer you ask us and help you learn safely than have to help you dress yourself when you are no longer able to do this for yourself.

Warming up

Your process to re-warm starts immediately you leave the water.

For about 30 minutes after you leave the water you will continue to cool down, this is known as the after drop. You may feel absolutely fine when you leave the water and it’s tempting to take off your swim cap (mistake number one) and chat about what an amazing swim you had (mistake number two). Your priority is to ensure that the beach crew know you are out and to get into warm layers (and into your next costume if you have another dip) as quickly as possible.

Use the golden 5 minute window when you get out and before the shivers start to get dressed
Leave your swim hat on until last and until you have a woolly hat to replace it
Wet costume off quickly
When you think about what clothes to wear, lots of loose layers is best (think Sanka from Cool Runnings). Get them on quickly and focus on covering your core first. I personally find that a few merino wool base layers (available at Mountain Warehouse; there are other providers) is a great start. Jeans and anything with buttons or zips can be tricky.
As the season progresses you’ll need less. You’ll know when that is he right time for you.

When you are dressed in your layers and have a warm drink, now is the time to compare stories and chat about what a fantastic swim you just had.

Be like Sanka, top marks for anyone who can dress this quickly too!

If you need help, please just ask. Things like zips can be tricky to handle with chilly fingers.

Swim stats

Note: Water temperature taken during the swim session in the harbour. Air temperature, wind direction & wind speed taken from the Port of Dover app.

Saturday:

Swimmers: 17
Water temperature: 11.2C
Air temperature: 8.9C
Conditions: F4 ENE. Cloudy at first, sunny later. Choppy.

Sunday:

Swimmers: 25
Water temperature: 11.5C
Air temperature: 9C
Conditions: F3 gusting F4 W. Overcast, sun later. Choppy.

Reflections……

Most swimmers did the same duration in the water regardless of swim date, with different targets for relays and soloists. There were a couple of exceptions though for those chasing very early swims or North Channel qualifying swims. Well done to Andy for your 2.5 hour swim and to Patrick for 4 hours. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never fed anyone on the first weekend before.

Well done to all swimmers on achieving your targets. There was some nervousness from new swimmers and you all did amazingly well. It was lovely to see returning swimmers chatting with new swimmers and new friendships starting to form. The Class of 2022 is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

As well as the big and obvious achievements, I’m sure there were some personal achievements too. Well done and please do shout about them - you should be rightfully proud of your big and little achievements.

We also were delighted to see returning swimmers welcoming new swimmers and working together. This is such a lovely group and the team spirit was plain to see.

Volunteers & beach crew

I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Mandi & Paul who did the lion’s share of beach crew this weekend. I was clearly physically present, but deliberately took it easy as I’m struggling with the after effects of covid-19.

I’d also like to say thank you to Keith Oiller and everyone else who stepped up and helped fellow swimmers.

We have 21 more weeks ahead and we are a large group. When we get into the peak of the season, we’ll need help with feeding too. If you have appreciated the support that you’ve received in the past, why not come along and volunteer for a session or more. It is incredibly rewarding (that’s why I’ve kept doing this since 2010). We’ll even buy your lunch if you sign-up to volunteer in advance. Whilst we’ll accept any help on the day, it is really helpful to know that we have support.

If you want to join the fun, why not pick a date and join the fun on the beach!

The adventures of Dover Dave

We have a mascot! Yay! I’d like to say a massive thank you to Amanda Bowden for creating Dover Dave.

Dover came well prepared with accessories, drinks, snacks, vaseline, dryrobe etc. He had a great time on his first weekend.

Dave is now on his summer adventures. He’s spending the week training with Andy Freeman. He’d like to experience training with a variety of swimmers and maybe experience the big day with some swimmers. If you’d like to host Dave for a week, please let us know on the beach. We’d love to see a photo diary of Dave’s summer in our Facebook Group.

Paddlefish Ponderings - The Power of the TEAM

“It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us; it is purpose that defines, purpose that binds us”

— Agent Smith

I have spent almost every weekend from the beginning of May until the end of September on the beach in Dover since 2007. Every now and then, someone asks me why I do that. The answer is simple. It is a privilege. I love to see returning swimmers come back and I love to meet new, often a little nervous, swimmers. As the season progresses and swimmers achieve their training goals and prepare for the BIG goal, so does their confidence. In a way it’s like you grow taller right in front of me. I watch you disappear off for the big day and come back a different person. What’s not to love about that.

There are a few things that make this possible:

The power of a well defined goal
Trust in the process
Athlete mindset
Stretching your comfort zone
The power of team

A well defined goal

If you have a strong and compelling ‘why’ this will keep you going on days when you’d really rather stay in bed.

Trust the process

When training you’re not just training your muscles, you’re also learning the very process that you’ll adopt on the big day. Furthermore, when you’ve put the training in, a phrase that I find useful in training or on the big day is ‘Trust the training’. I like to remind myself that with good quality training comes fitness and with fitness comes the ability to push through if and when the going gets tough.

Adopting an athlete mindset

I’ll cover this another time, but for now, I’ve observed that those who adopt the mindset of an athlete enjoy more success than those who adopt the mindset of a participant. Among other things, an athlete does what it takes and makes some sacrifices whereas a participant likes to be comfortable and balance a number of priorities.

Stretching your comfort zone

When you undertake anything new and significant you inevitably have to venture out of your comfort zone. It’s the only way that something that you previously found difficult becomes normal (and it will become normal!). By doing this, your comfort zone grows and much of what you need to do on the big day becomes normal before you even put a toe in the water.

The power of a team

‘Solo’ is an interesting term. Whilst you may be the only person in the water, it is far from a solo event. The same is true of a relay, there may be only one person in the water at a time, it is a team that gets you across.

In a way we are like small children. We watch all that is going on around us. We listen to the stories that others tell. All of this helps us understand the art of the possible. Even if it seems like something that we can’t currently believe could be true for us. If I were to ask a new swimmer to do something that was outside of their comfort zone and outside of their perceived limits of what is possible, there is a chance that their own limiting beliefs would hold them back. By being in a team of like minded people, suddenly we find ourselves achieving things that we didn’t know that we could. We see that happen week after week.

Being in a team brings accountability. When you train on your own it is easy to miss ‘just this one’ training session as no one would notice. ‘Just one’ training session can become a few or a pattern and suddenly you’re not doing the training you need to do. Being in a team means that someone will notice that you’re not there. Someone will care that you’re not not on track.

When I was swim guiding on a training camp in Croatia, I also saw the power of a team when one swimmer was struggling and shared that struggle with me and the team at a feed. The team rallied round and helped them through the rest of the session. At least one of the team was battling their own demons at the time and helping someone else helped them to put their own demons to one side. At the same time, another person recognised that if they got out early that it might start a domino effect of others getting out. They chose to stay in to help others with their goals, and by doing so achieved their own goal. All swimmers achieved their goals that day. You can imagine what the outcomes would have been for any one of these swimmers had they been training on their own.

Let’s harness the power of the team this season. Be prepared to share your demons. Be prepared to help others. Be prepared for other to help you. Together we are stronger.

Reminders

Remember to book your sessions online. By far the easiest way is through the app. This QR will take you to the app where you can book directly and see what you have already booked. You can cancel and reschedule.

Bookings can be made up to 48 hours ahead and be cancelled or rescheduled up to 48 hours ahead also. The system doesn’t arrange automatic refunds, so if you would like a refund, please check out our refund policy and get in touch if you would like a refund.

Those of you with training subscriptions, enter your email address and click in the discount code box and your automatic voucher should appear. Let me know if you have any trouble with this.

Those of you who are members, please remember to cancel your membership when you no longer want it. You can do that within a membership period and still have all the benefits of it, this will prevent it from auto renewing next year. You can do this within your account, by following the link in the confirmation email when you took out your membership, or by asking me to do it for you.

If you are doing an English Channel swim this year please make sure your paperwork is in asap, Tanya who runs the CS&PF office asked that we remind you as there is quite a bit of paperwork outstanding and the deadline has now passed (your qualifying swims can come later). I suspect the same is also true for the CSA.

Keith Oiller is the Swimmer Liaison officer for the CSA and can often be found on the beach during training. If you are a CSA swimmer or are thinking of booking a CSA swim, Keith would be delighted to chat with you.

Looking ahead

Next Week

Just like everything else in life, there will be:

Known knowns
Known unknowns
and Unknown unknowns

Known knowns

You’ll be swimming and double dipping
The tide goes in and out

Known unknowns

There’ll be weather, it might be good or bad and we’ll adapt the plan accordingly
You won’t find out how long is planned until you sign in
Will the ice cream van be there?
Someone is bound to get Mandi minutes (this week we had a couple of people who forgot to return their bands).

Unknown unknowns

Well now that would be telling, wouldn’t it! I suspect there’ll be some things that we know that you don’t and I suspect there’ll be some things that we’ll all find out on the day. I wonder what week 2 has in store for us all?!

On Tour

Back in 2017, we were forced to train away from Dover on a Saturday due to piling work going on in the harbour. It turned out to be very beneficial with swimmers experiencing a variety of conditions. Dover harbour fantastic as it provides a degree of shelter from the conditions meaning that we can continue training in 99% of conditions. However, it does mean that there are some conditions that you don’t often experience in Dover. In particular long, even swells.

So, in 2022 we will be On Tour on on Saturday a month (these dates can be found on the Dates & Altered Sessions page of our website):

Saturday 14th May
Saturday 18th June
Saturday 16th July
Saturday 20th August
Saturday 17th September

The location will either be Hythe or Ramsgate, depending on the weather forecast. Hythe will be our preferred location. The final decision will be made on the Thursday evening before this swim.

Intensity week

Back by popular demand, we have our mid-season intensity week. If you’re looking for a fun environment to get a solid block of training in, why not come along and join in. We’ll be blending some long swims with some creative ways of training at a variety of intensity levels.

Night swims

We’re offering two night swim opportunities this season.

Late start on Friday 20th May: this is an opportunity for a short swim (maximum 1 hour) late on a Friday evening. Training on the Saturday remains as normal.
Early start on Saturday 11th June: this is an opportunity for a long swim (maximum of 6 hours) swimming from the dark into daylight

On both of these swims you’ll need to wear two green adventure lights.

As we are not able to assess new swimmers in the dark, we do not accept new (to us) swimmers on these swims. If you want to join us for one of these night swims, you’ll need to join us before as well.

On these swims, during the hours of darkness, we will have additional safety measures in place with a restricted swim zone. This will be explained during the mandatory briefing.

Spotlight in the shop

We talked to quite a few people about earplugs this week. The difference they make to your perception of the cold is significant.

Earplugs

from £5.00

Like the choice of goggles, the style of earplugs that suits a swimmer is a personal choice. We sell three different styles:

Shaped

🏊Comfort & Safety: Earplugs are made of soft silicone material, environmentally friendly and non-toxic. It's waterproof and very comfortable. Soft and durable, easy to wear.
🏊‍Professional Design: The ergonomic earplugs are shaped to fit comfortably inside the ear and lie flat on the outer ear, making them more comfortable than others. This ensures the safety of the ear and is a perfect object to protect the swimmer's ears.
🏊‍Easy to carry: The earplugs come with a reusable plastic storage box, which you can hold one pair of earplugs, keeping earplugs clean, healthy, organized and portable.
These come in a variety of colours.

Soft silicone flexible putty earplugs

Helps prevent swimmers' ears. Waterproof & Sound Blocking. The Rubber Ear Plugs are slightly sticky so they can stay in the ears really well. Also, easy to get out from the ears.
Say Goodbye to Ear Infections - Especially designed for those who love swimming and have ear tubes. Take this ear plugs while swimming or bathing to prevent water from getting in your ears.
Get Away From the Noise - The noise cancelling ear plugs can help you reducing the noise during sleep, study and work. Protect your ears directly without causing discomfort.
For Sensitive Ears - The moldable ear plugs are non-allergenic and made of super soft silicone can be easily molded to fit right inside the outer ear area. Also mold easily to different size of ears. Fits for baby, toddlers, kids and adults.
Come in white and blue, 3 sets of earplugs per box (6 earplugs in total)

Rocket shaped

Washable plugs made of soft and durable Kraton material.
Dual material ensures easy insertion & maximum comfort.

With a handle built in for easy insertion and extraction, these Moldex earplugs are incredibly easy to wear. They are reusable earplugs, made from a soft material to ensure comfort during long-term wear. These earplugs come with a pocket pack for storage, and are washable with mild soap and warm water.

Style:

Just like googles, earplugs come in all sorts of different styles and it’s a personal choice as to what to choose. I have invested in custom made earplugs, but for years i used simple, off the shelf earplugs. My spares remain simple, off the shelf ones.

We sell three styles, all available online for posting to you, for collection from the beach or you can take a look at buy them at the beach.

Woolly hats

from £30.00

Lovingly made by Wonky Woolies in Scotland to our unique design. They are made with Cashmillion acrylic yarn

100% acrylic - machine washable

Style:

To bobble or not to bobble? That is the question!

We have some other new products that you might like. Our new beanie hat (exactly the same as the bobble hat but without the bobble), proved extremely popular and I’ve placed another order for these. They are ideal for wearing under the hood of a hoodie or DryRobe. They can also be worn in your car without squashing up against the roof.

Badges

Swim Badges

£5.00

We have a range of badges to celebrate your training and swim day successes. Which ones have you earned?

NB - our night swim badge is very special - it includes glow in the dark thread!!

Type:

Finally, we have some new badges (you’ve gotta love a badge!). We have the Class of 22 badge and a very special one for that special group who have trained with us for 5 or more years - we’re calling you DCT legends.