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Jon & Ellen post-training swim. |
Jon, Kathleen and Priscilla on Dover Harbor beach. |
Benito posing for magazine photographers working on a story on English Channel swimmers, Coach Dave was also asked to pose for photos.
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Masters team relaxing on the beach after Saturday's training swim - enjoying the company of all the other Channel swimmers and finally some calmer water in Dover Harbor. We've been told that the Harbor water mirrors the water in the Channel, on a smaller scale. We hope it's a good sign that the waves today were rolling instead of crashing down upon us.
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Masters with Coach Dave.
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Swimmers beginning their hike to Shakespeare Beach- most of the group started out together although few would make the trek to the top of the cliffs and then down to the beach below. We had to cross this bridge to get out of Dover Harbor first.
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Dave, Mark Nave, Kathleen, Jordan and Gretchen Robertson on their way up Shakespeare Cliff.
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Jordan, Dave & Ellen on top of Shakespeare Cliff enjoying the view - loving being this far above those crashing waves below...
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Yes, that's Dave atop the cliff, squinting at the horizon. He's brought us this far with the promise that France is on the other side of those big Channel waves and currents, if we just get some better weather and swim hard enough we might just make it over... where? We'd all like some real concrete proof that France actually is there in the distance. Let's hope we get our chance to find out.
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Mark Nave and Kris Ensrud made the hike up the cliff. Dover countryside in the background. Kris and Tim Wilt and daughter Ingrid arrived in Dover today and took a quick dip in Dover Harbor in solidarity with their daughter Grete Wilt - part of the Otters Channel relay team. Consensus was that the water was a bit chilly for more than a quick dip! |
Jordan on Shakespeare Cliffs, points the way to France. |
Finally down on the beach, Jordan and Dave walk toward the bottom of the chalky cliffs
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Byron, Dave & Jon prepare for a night swim in Dover Harbor with other training Channel swimmers. |
Byron & Jon look on as Priscilla jumps into Dave's arms, showing that Channel swimmers are more than just a bunch of dreamers pushing the boundaries of human accomplishment, they're brawny too!
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Is Jon sprinting out of the water after his late night dip? He really couldn't look happier, could he. Swimmers wore blinking lights attached to the back of their goggle straps and glow sticks stuck through suit straps and waist bands. Illuminated as such, we could see them a good half mile away in the Channel. Observers giggled and remarked that swimmers were more visible and easily tracked in these night conditions than during day time training swims. |
Byron, Dave and Jon refreshed after an invigorating night-time dip in the Harbor. Swimming in dark conditions has it's own hazards - even though we could see the swimmers, it was tough for them to see us on the beach. Rumor has it Dave may have collided with one of the large poles marking harbor walls on his way back into the beach, but Channel swimmers always come out on top, and aside from a small bump on the head Dave was in great spirits after their nightly swim. |
Weekends in Dover Harbor bring more swimmers from all over! |
Teams getting ready for solo training swims.
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