Guest Blog: Helen Smith
Welcome to the next in our series of Guest Blogs. This time the amazing Helen Smith. The relay that Helen talks about is an incredible achievement. I may have done a lot of relays, but I’ve never done a 2 person relay, I always said that I’d rather do a solo!! It’s no small achievement! She also doesn’t mention her incredible cold water CV - multiple ice miles - brrrr!! An impressive swimmer with a growing open water CV. Find out more and what comes next……
New Beginnings………
Hayley and Helen
By way of introduction, my name is Helen. For those who know me, you will also know that I generally come as a pair! So, for clarity, any reference to ‘I’ will generally mean ‘we’ – me and my sister, Hayley.
The only open water swimming I (there’s your first one……) had done had been in lakes and local rivers. Having completed various long-distance events, albeit only up to about 17k, I (there’s your second one…. you get the picture….) decided in early 2016 to book a two person English Channel Relay. The tide booked was mid-September 2017 with a new pilot Simon Ellis on his boat Sea Farer II.
Having taken the leap to book the swim itself, there was then the issue of where to train. The obvious choice was in Dover Harbour with the ‘infamous’ Dover Channel Training Group.
The season started on Saturday 7 May. I joined online as a red hat. Red hats are usually for solo Channel Swimmers and yellow hats are for relays. However, I couldn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t train as a soloist – it’s all good stuff! I met Hayley at a motorway services on the way to Dover for a coffee and some toast and then set off to Dover in convoy.
Dover in 2016
No matter which way you come into Dover by car, you will come over the brow of a hill and you are met with a fabulous view of the sea or the port. As time went by, this view became a pavlovian trigger for my sea sickness… but that’s another story!
Driving into Dover that first Saturday, I became increasingly nervous!
What will the people be like?
Will it be busy?
Am I good enough to mix with these marathon swimmers?
What if I can’t do it?
What if they look at me and think that I can’t do it?
What if no-one speaks to me?
What if they laugh because I’m only doing a relay?
Are there sea monsters?
At the time these were all valid worries for me. And, as it turns out, completely unfounded!
What will the people be like? – They couldn’t have been more welcoming! I was introduced to the beach crew and my details were checked (Emma was away for the first weekend). I was given my swim number on the back of my hand and was told what I would be doing for the day. I the found a space on the beach and started sorting through my stuff.
Emma runs a tight ship, and so do the beach crew in her absence, and I didn’t want to be late for my first briefing at 0845. People walking by said ‘Hi’ and introduced themselves. The briefing was clear – quick weather report, an explanation of the swim zone and where we could and could not go, and an instruction to have fun. Oh, and no bobbing!
Will it be busy? – yes but not uncomfortably so! It was really great to see people who had obviously been coming to Dover for a number of years still turning up to train together along with a whole bunch of new and aspiring Channel swimmers. New swimmers and old mingled, conversations flowed, and advice was given unconditionally. Some of that advice was absolutely invaluable in the months (and years) to come.
Am I good enough to mix with these marathon swimmers? – undoubtedly yes! If you have decided to train to swim the English Channel, then you are good enough. The guys at DCT are there to help you reach maximum potential at the right time. They have years of experience!
What if I cant do it? – you can! The only limitation is what is in your head (advice from the beach). The beach crew, led by Emma, are there to help you and if that means a bit of tough love, then that is what they will do. They are experienced enough to quickly figure out what persuasion methods work for each individual and they will apply those if and when necessary.
What if they look at me and think that I can’t do it? – this really was a big fear of mine. I don’t look like a typical swimmer. I don’t have that lovely Phelps like triangular shape. I didn’t even have that shape when I swam competitively in my youth. I’ve always been, let’s say, larger than life!
Walking onto the beach for the first time I realised how ridiculous that worry had been. There are swimmers of every shape and size on the beach, literally, all stripping off under dry robes (other makes are available) or towels to put their swimming costume on without a care in the world. Then, just standing there while a relative stranger (the first time anyway) rubs Vaseline on areas that may chafe. Up close and personal is an understatement. Finally, when they are all changed and greased up, they stride down the beach proud of who they are and what they have achieved, or what they are about to achieve.
No one paid me any attention at all. After all, I was one of them, wasn’t I? Who cares what I look like!
What if no one speaks to me? – All I can say is having completed the swim that morning, instead of getting dressed and getting back in the car to drive the two hours+ home, I sat on the beach for ages chatting and laughing, eating cake and drinking hot chocolate with my new found friends… my new found swim family.
What if they laugh because I’m only doing a relay? – I really did think that there would be a ‘them and us’ attitude with regard to the different swims and hat colours. But there really wasn’t! Relay swimmers are made to feel just as welcome and as important as solo swimmers. It’s all relative and it is never ‘just a relay’. Whatever you are doing is awesome and everyone on the beach knows that.
Are there sea monsters? – Possibly? I didn’t see any though! The water is quite murky so even if there were sea monsters you wouldn’t see them coming. There are jelly fish and the advice on the beach is to get stung – the fear of the sting is worse than the reality, and there is a friendly seal that pops up every now and then. No monsters though, probably.
My first swim at Dover was 45 minutes, out for one hour and then back in for another 50 minutes. My first ever double dip! It was amazing! Despite my fears, I wasn’t sick, I did the time that I was given, and I didn’t get hypothermia! I didn’t bob, although I may have stopped at the wall to make sure someone else was ok and to talk about their feelings for a minute.
I can honestly say that going to Dover for that first weekend was the best decision ever. The training is tailored to meet your needs and relative to the swim that you have planned. The people I have met are simply amazing and I have made some lifelong friends.
I completed the two person relay (…final ‘I’…), Hayley has since gone on to complete a solo English Channel swim and I have a solo Loch Ness swim booked. DCT has been a huge part of our lives for the past 4 years, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Long may it continue!
Helen (and Hayley)
