Sarah Liles

I thought I’d write up a few notes about my swim ‘up north’…..

A bit before the swim
The North Channel seemed an unimaginable beast and to be honest, this swim had made me feel very scared and nervous for some time….. my usual flapping and worrying about stuff wasn’t helpful, but I find it difficult to change me 🤷‍♀️ ! Training generally went well (who knows if it’s ever enough?!), I missed a couple of planned key swims in July with some weird illness, it wasn’t the end of the world but felt like a big deal at the time. I’m a worrier and often imagine things to be worse than they are. Thanks to Dave for being sensible and reminding me of the solutions!!

The Infinity Channel Swimming team are first class, if you’re thinking of giving the swim a go, I’d thoroughly recommend you book through them. From the first point of contact, and all the way through, Jacqueline, Padraig and the team have been supportive, helpful and extremely kind. The process is much the same as it is for the EC, you book a slot for your tide, do the qualifier etc and swim!

When Harry and I arrived at Donaghadee, Jacqueline and Padraig from Infinity arranged to meet us at Pier 36 to talk about the swim and go through any questions. They remained in regular contact with us to discuss weather, possible tides etc. We also met and chatted with Alessandra (also swimming the NC) and Tracy Clark (legend).

Harry and I stayed for three nights in the fabulous Pier 36 in Donaghadee. This is a channel swimming pub with fabulous rooms and even better food! There’s a very relaxed vibe and swimmers have written their names proudly on the wall, it’s great to see…

There’s a wonderful group of swimmers called The Chunky Dunkers, based in Donaghadee, who meet at roughly high tide every day of the year for a swim in the harbour. They’re so friendly and welcoming, if you’re ever there and fancy a swim, look them up and I’m sure you’d be welcome. I was generously presented with a fab hat which was much appreciated. My NC swim started at Robbys Place which is in Donaghadee. The chunky dunkers were kind enough to be there for the start of the swim, guiding me to the rocky start and taking some great pictures of the swim start….. thank you so much for your kindness, generosity and support! I had some fab relaxed swims with the Dunkers before the big day and also swam with fellow NC swimmers, Alessandra and Callum who I met there. It was brilliant that the 3 of us swam on the same day and we all made it to Scotland!

The boat gets boarded at Bangor marina which is about 20 mins drive away from Donaghadee. For convenience we spent 2 nights in Bangor, the night before the swim and the night after, in a lovely apartment which was walking distance to the marina but with so much stuff to take, it was easier to drive (and free to park)!

Between Pier 36 and the apartment, we spent 1 night at a very luxurious hotel, and banked 10 hours sleep! Perfect for just before the swim! Food was delicious as well!!

 

We spent the few days before the swim having a look round Northern Ireland, during touristy things….. I prefer to be doing stuff rather than sitting around constantly checking the weather and any updates!! We went to Belfast, the Giants Causeway and Lough Neagh…. We also did exceptionally well at keeping our calorie intake up and of course Harry sampled a few pints of Guinness!! I had a moment of panic on the day before my swim when I tripped up a step and fell over, please let my shoulders be ok…..🙏, phew just a grazed knee but a bit of a fright 🙄!!

We flew from Southampton to Belfast City airport which is the right side of Belfast for Donaghadee and Bangor. There’s also an international airport in Belfast, but it’s a decent drive away…….if you’re flying from the UK, I’d definitely recommend the City airport! Lucky choice for us to be honest!

The day of the swim
I was very nervous to the point that I may have had a few tears of worry when we got to the marina….. the self doubt can be tough at times….. I had to tell myself to remember and trust the training, hours and hours of swimming had been done and of course that qualifier….. 🥶 Also I reminded myself of all the words of encouragement and support from family and friends….just see this as another swim and remember this is what I do…..

We met up with the Infinity team at Bangor Marina and Jacqueline was there with a wonderful hug. She introduced us to our team for the day who were absolutely brilliant, I could not have asked for a more welcoming, supportive team. They put me at ease. We also saw Tracy and had more hugs. Everyone was rooting for me…..

We loaded the boat up with all the kit (enough feed for days, enough food for a small country and of course spares of everything!). It’s not long before we were off….. speeding along from Bangor Marina to Robbys Point, Donaghadee! It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and I said a quiet thank you to the weather gods. We admired the view and the sunrise as we sped along…..and the water was pretty calm, yippee!!

Right, it’s time to get ready….. jeez already?? It’s happening!! Off with clothes, on with suncream and Ocean Lube! I hadn’t anticipated needing the suncream but I’m glad I had it with me (‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’…… take everything, just in case!). Within what seemed like seconds, we were at the start and the wonderful Chunky Dunkers were pointed out to me. See the red shorts, swim over there, get out on to the rock and that’s the start. The kindness of everyone has blown me away, for people to be there guiding me in the start so early in the morning, I was so grateful. I jumped off the boat, there was no easing in down a ladder and no faffing around (some of you would have been very proud of me at this moment 🤣!!). As soon as I touched the water, my nerves disappeared and the water felt ace (the water is where I’m happy and the stress just disappears). A couple of breaststroke strokes, get my breath and off I went. I try and take my time at this point to settle into my swim, there’s no rush at all before the start, right…..?! So, the challenge is on now, clamber up on to the rocks (always sounds easier than it is, please don’t slip!!) clear the water and then turn and raise my arms, boat sounds the hooter and that’s it, it’s time to gracefully get back into the water…. I did my best but in the end it was easier to sort of flop down and try and swim over the rocks rather than scramble over them!! No scrapes, great stuff!

I swam back to the boat and settled in at the side, all I had to do then was stay there and turn my arms……. The first hour whizzed by. My plan was to get the first 2 hours done, feeding after each hour, and then get into a routine of feeds at every 45 minutes. We train to feed after 2 hours and then every hour, but the 45 mins worked in the EC so that’s what I planned to do. It worked well…. So, first feed was out of the way, I’d seen a few jellies but nothing too significant…… not long after that first feed, I felt what can only be described as a sharp shock across both wrists, I didn’t see a thing but the infamous jellies had got me….. I can only assume there must have been some tentacles lurking and that was that! At this point, I’d no idea whether I was going to react badly….. I’d listened to some advice before my swim and had taken antihistamine for a few days before swimming with the hope of getting my body ready. I’ve been stung before with no adverse reaction, but the lions manes are on another level….. anyway, the minutes ticked by and I was still alive, no problems…..phew!!

The routine was pretty much swim, feed, hear a whistle, swim out round the big jellies come back to the boat, and repeat. Everyone aboard the boat did a wonderful job in keeping watch for the jellies and guiding me round them….. thank you! I didn’t see much apart from the all the jellies in the world, the boat and the wonderful crew smiling and encouraging me on. I found out afterwards that a seal was around, a swim with a seal is on my list of things to do but I’m not sure whether I can tick that off just yet if I didn’t see it!! At some point Callum’s boat came past me, I couldn’t compete with his pace, so I just kept going at my pace…… I wondered how Alessandra was getting on when I saw Callum’s boat……. It was comforting knowing they were both out there swimming for the same goal…..

As Scotland was gradually getting closer (I can’t resist taking a peak!!), the lighthouse was pointed out and that’s where we were headed……ok, head down and keep going.

Whilst I’m swimming, it’s difficult to explain what I think about….. I think about all sorts of stuff and rubbish and I was of course on constant look out for the dreaded stingers. They got me good and proper over the course of the swim but I feel like I came out the winner…..they didn’t stop me getting to Scotland, and I managed to avoid the biggest ones thanks to the brilliant crew….. There were patches of sea where there were no jellies at all, why is that?! I’m not sure why they congregate in big groups, who knows 🤷‍♀️! I spent quite a lot of time thinking about how many feeds I would have, I settled on 20 for some reason and then spent time (more than is sensibly reasonable) trying to work out the time….. so 2 hours to start with, plus multiples of 45 minutes, multiplied by number of feeds (I tried to keep count!!)…. I don’t think I did a very good job but it kept my brain busy!!

The water was gorgeous and very calm to start with, this lasted for a good few hours. I’d guess about a third of the way there, the wind picked up a little and the waves got a bit choppy, nothing horrific but enough to keep me alert!!

I had a bit of a wobble in my head at about 9/10 hours (or was it 9/10 feeds, I’m not sure) where I questioned myself…… I haven’t mentioned the ‘c’ word yet….. It wasn’t as cold as I had anticipated it would be (I was thinking ice….!!) and it was definitely an improvement on the qualifier when I was shivering, but I was quite chilly. Not brain freeze cold, but chilly……. Thankfully the sun was out for most of the day but every time my arms went back into the water, they got chilly again……. Anyway, there comes a point where you start to think I’ve probably got the same distance/feeds again to do (based on my random, not backed up by any theory, 20 feeds, I haven’t worked out the time even now 🤣!). It’s important at this point to refocus, tell the demons to eff off and push on….. ‘feed to feed’ and just keep going….. simples!! Every time I turned my head to breathe I saw Harry on the boat, and there was no way I would give up. I also reminded myself that I really, really wanted this swim and if I got out at half way, or two thirds of the way there, I’d have to start all over again (and do that damn qualifier again 🥶). I believe to succeed, you have to want this stuff more than you don’t……. Get on with it!! And so it went on…..

 

It’s an amazing point in the swim when the crew utter the magic, longed for words ‘this is your last feed’, yippeee!! 800m to go, I’ve got this…..! At this point, I had cramp in my leg (cold or jelly fish reaction, I’ve no clue, but it was sore), my tummy felt bloated….. (carb drinks are tricky after a while!) and I’d noticed my hands had started to swell up a bit. Nothing too serious but all a bit niggly. But 800 metres…..!! Arms still work….ignore everything and go!

At the time I was mostly oblivious to what was going on around me….. Callum had already finished his swim, and his boat was on the other side of me supporting me in. The Infinity team are really like a big family all willing each other on. My fabulous crew were also cheering me on and I was watching them watching me….. I could see a wall in the distance and I remember thinking I’m going to have to just touch the wall, no clambering up rocks…… Then the water changed… I could see it becoming a bit cloudier, and then all of sudden it was warm(er!!)….. I remember swimming through some seaweed thinking I must be close… I peeked up and I could see a beach!!! A real life beach!!! The seabed became visible and I saw sand……Bloody hell, I’m going to land on an actual sandy beach!!! The feeling of relief was immense!! I stumbled out of the sea (if you’ve seen the videos, you’ll know what I mean 🤣) and there were people cheering and clapping, what a magnificent welcome! I’d landed on a beach in Portpatrick harbour in Scotland!! I’d love to claim that my skilful swimming got me to the harbour 🤣, but my fabulous pilot did a magnificent job in navigating us there, thank you!

So, all that was left was to clear the water to finish the swim and raise my hands and then the boat indicated the completion of the swim! Woohoo, I’d done it and became the 101st person to complete this swim!! Just a quick thank you to the people who were cheering and clapping and a gentle swim back to the boat to go… once again I forgot to pick up a pebble 🙄

Once back on the boat, it was a reasonably difficult job to get dressed. Shirli was so kind and helped me with this. I’m fairly sure I must have traumatised her by flashing way more of my body than she needed to see, but I was past worrying about it at the time, sorry Shirli and thank you!

We then settled down in the snug, warm, covered part of the boat for the return trip….. 2 seconds later, sorry I’m going to be sick….. me and Harry decided to sit outside in the fresh air from this point onwards for the rest of the trip back! We sped back and it wasn’t long before we were back in Bangor Marina, it’s a weird feeling arriving back at the Marina as it’s almost as if the day hasn’t happened!!

Hugs, thank yous, and selfies followed and before we knew it, we were back in our apartment. Harry went off in search of a kebab and i managed to keep down some flat coke, and I may have pinched a couple of Harry’s chips!!

Hot showers are recommended for the stings, so that’s what I did, and I then settled into bed feeling so tired, but so delighted……. Then the stings started to ‘sweat’! Thankfully I had been warned….. the ‘sweat’ is the toxins leaving the body and that went on all night. Damp skin and a stinging coldish body are not great a combination….. I found a few people to chat with online (unsurprisingly Callum and Alessandra were also awake and we congratulated each other as we’d all made it, and arranged to meet the next day). I couldn’t sleep, I felt like I was being stung again and again every few minutes…. I gave in and got up, I had another hot shower and got us packed up ready for our flight home….. the stings gradually improved as the day went on and they improved every day until they started itching, but that just went on for a few more days! A gift that kept giving…..

Harry and I met up with Alessandra, Tracy and Callum and his team at Pier 36, the morning after our swims. What a fabulous group, and we congratulated each another, signed the wall (woohoo!) and very quickly it was time to say our goodbyes.

Harry and I had a fabulous adventure in Northern Ireland and I will never forget the support, friendship and kindness shown to both of us.

If you’re still reading (well done and thank you!) and you’re pondering the North Channel (or anything else), I love these quotes:

‘Nothing great is easy’ – Captain Webb
‘Glory comes from daring to begin’ – Infinity Channel Swimming

Just remember your mind will often give up before your body. Stay strong and want it more than you don’t. Happy swimming and get it booked!

A bit more about places we stayed
3 nights – Pier 36 in Donaghadee was first class…. great room, fab food, relaxed vibe, nothing was too much trouble (front row seat was arranged for the Arsenal game!)
1 night – moved closer to Bangor Marina, to Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, this was luxury for the night (we had white robes and slippers 🤣)! Fabulous food and I slept for 10 hours! Only woke up when a lady was knocking on the door to deliver tea and coffee to us!
2 nights – an apartment in Bangor, walking distance to the Marina, we stayed the night before the swim and the night after. Self catering apartment, very adequate for what we needed. Great to have a kitchen at this point to mix all the feeds. Also useful to have the fridge for Harry’s swim day picnic!!

Things I worried about and solutions (I’m a worrier!!)
🤔 Kit – I worried I wouldn’t be able to take everything with me…. Solved by paying for checked in luggage….this meant we had 23kgs each plus hand luggage….plenty for a few days!
🤔 Luggage loss – what would happen if the cases went missing?! I spread the load between our cases and took the absolute essentials (cossie, goggles, hat and lights) in my hand luggage. I figured I would just have to buy stuff if the cases didn’t turn up….needn’t have worried, they turned up and we had no problems!!
🤔 Boxes for the boat – I couldn’t take big plastic boxes with me on the plane, so I originally planned to buy some in Ireland (my worry about whether I could find shops that sell plastic boxes was ridiculous, we went to the biggest Tesco I’ve ever seen!!). As it turned out the boats have benches with storage underneath….bags were perfectly fine!
🤔 Bottled water – just bought it in Northern Ireland of course 🙄
🤔 Logistics….. this caused me most stress, and on reflection, this was worry about nothing! What to book? Return flights? When? Car hire? How long? Hotels/accommodation….
Before we left home, I ended up just booking outbound flights and the first 3 nights. We then booked as we went along in Northern Ireland and booked the return flights and extended car hire once we knew when the swim was very likely to be on….. I think if I do something like this again, I will book hotels for the length of the tide and secure all the return flights beforehand. We didn’t have any problems but it was just more stuff to think about and organise
🤔 Crew – Harry ‘volunteered’ and turns out he has great sea legs! Thank you Harry for giving up your time to come with me! I also booked another crew member through Infinity….. fabulous Shirli, and this worked out perfectly

 

 

Team on the boat
Shirli – wonderful crew member, always smiling and kept me fed and watered
Jen – fabulous observer checking that all the rules were followed, always smiling
Bobby – what a pilot…. guided me across the sea, and through a little harbour to a sandy beach
Milo – magnificent jelly fish patrol
Harry – my wonderful son!

Thank you Infinity Channel Swimming, you have been fantastic 💕!