The Lawrence Roundabout Well Appeal

In 2007, Angus Macfadyen couldn't swim a width of front crawl in a swimming pool, yet in the last week of August 2010 he completed a solo crossing of the English Channel.

Prior to the start he stated that "My biggest fear is not coping the freezing waters; I'm getting used to that, nor managing the great distance of over 20 miles... it's the thought of receiving multiple stings by jelly fish!"

Angus trained for over seventeen hours, swimming over thirty miles each week. He ate like a horse, putting on weight to cope with the prolonged cold of this most challenging of open water swims.

"I am fund raising to bring fresh water to people in South Africa, by supporting the Lawrence Roundabout Well Appeal" - set up by Virginia Prifti, who lost her son Lawrence to the rare disease Adrenoleukodystrophy in 2005. " ₤7000 buys a play pump, the ingenious device that whilst harnessing the energy of children playing from a deep well,  pumps water up into a collection tank. The community gets a 10 year fresh water supply and the children a focus for play, just brilliant!"

Follow the last month of Angus' journey, log onto http://www.channelangus.co.uk you can still help the appeal there too...just follow the link!

Channel Relay

At 1.30am on Monday 7th Sept 2009, Club members Andy White and Mike Harvey, together with two colleagues from 'oop North', started a four person Channel relay attempt from Shakespeare Cliffs, Dover. The planning had taken many months and this was their final opportunity this year. The darkness and choppy wave conditions made the initial relay legs unpleasant for swimming. Mike says it was 'grim, disorientating, dark, scary and rough, but he was kept going with thoughts of what John Ottaway's comments would be if he stopped'. When the sun came up conditions changed in their favour and swimming became great fun. When they were three miles from the French coast the tide turned against them and they were unable to make progress for several hours. Andy and Mike swam the final two legs, and Mike eventually arrived on the beach near Wissant. The whole swim had taken 13 hours and 32 mins. Photo shows Mike and Andy's joy. Nice to see they wore Club hats

Oldest British woman ever to have completed a solo Channel

After several disappointments due to poor weather conditions, Club member Fiona Southwell finally started her solo Channel swim attempt (England - France) from Dover at 7.13am on Tuesday, 18th August, 2009. Mark Shepherd, her coach/trainer reports that the forecast was for fine weather with a beautiful flat sea all the way, with winds no more than 5mph. Forecast got it wrong. About half way, cross winds were gusting up to 20mph and Fiona had to swim for many hours in a roughish sea until darkness when the sea settled again. When she was two miles from French coast the turning tide meant she was forced to 'sit it out' for six hours going nowhere. She finally came ashore adjacent to Calais harbour where a French cross-Channel ferry captain kindly held up his boat's departure for her. Fiona had been swimming for just under 20 hours. Five other solo swimmers also attempted that day but Fiona was the only one to make it. At 51 years, she was the oldest British woman ever to have completed a solo Channel swim. You are fantastic Fiona, your BSC swimming friends all think you are an absolute marvel. Photo shows Fiona at the arch just four days later with her appropriately decorated celebration cake

Channel Swim

On 31st July, 2009, Club member Brad Andersen completed a successful solo swim of the English Channel, England to France, in the very fast time of 10 hours 34 minutes. Photo shows Brad, (in swim cap), having just completed the swim, together with his wife Penny and Dad Norm. In foreground is another Club member John Coningham-Rolls, who has also made a successful solo crossing. Many congratulations to Brad who spent many hours training in sea at Brighton and fuelling up with jam doughnuts

Brighton SC Duo Set New Records

On 9th July, 2009, Tom Hudson and Simon Murie of Brighton SC swam from Europe to Africa. More specifically they swam the Gibraltar Strait from Tarifa (Spain) to Morocco, about 10 miles. Both of them are successful solo Channel swimmers but this swim, although shorter, presented its own challenges. The weather is notoriously changeable and can become very windy. After waiting a few days for a good weather window, they set off covered in plenty of Factor 50 suncream to protect from the 38C. air temp, although the Atlantic sea temp was only about 16c 16C                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              .
As with the Channel, there are many large ferries and container ships to avoid. The choppy sea was made much choppier for the swimmers by the wake of these vessels.
Two hours into the swim, and making good progress, their support boat pilot started shouting and pointing frantically. Tom and Simon looked to their right and through the clear water saw a group of five Pilot whales approaching. Wow. The whales were docile and circled Tom and Simon a couple of times. Tom says it was a wonderful moment and he could have reached out and touched one. Then they dived and swam underneath the swimmers for a while. It was the highlight of the crossing. 
After three hours they could see Morocco and they both upped their pace. Their swim had taken 3hrs 34 mins. They later learned that they are the 225th and 226th swimmers to complete this crossing and the fastest Brit and Aussie (Simon) in history. Now that is something to tell the grandchildren

Channel Swim

 We congratulate Brighton SC member, Tom Hudson, who successfully achieved a solo Channel  crossing at 2.40am Saturday 16th August, 2008, when he reached land just east of Calais. He had been in the water for seventeen hours and forty minutes. Tom made good progress until reaching the French shipping lane when darkness fell and the wind reached gale force 4. After ten and a half hours he was just three miles off land. Then a strong tide carried him east for six to seven hours and he could make no progress towards land, although frustratingly all this time he was able to see lights on the French coast. On the day Tom swam he was the only person out of eleven starters to complete a one way swim. A woman attempting a two way swim had to give up on her return leg.  Photo shows Tom during his swim