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| 14 August 2005 |  |
The Teddington to Calais swim starts tomorrow from Teddington Lock, where Andy's Thames Swim of the entire non-tidal River Thames finished on 14th August 2005. |
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| 02 July 2011 | Andy, Stewart and Tanya did their first open sea trial today as a team, off the coast of Ramsgate. Stewart piloted the inflatable, towing the lane rope. Andy swam alongside the rope. Generally, the principle worked well but the inflatable used was smaller than the rib they will be using for the actual swim and the motor was therefore proportionately too big. This made it very difficult to match the escort boat speed to the swim speed. The other problem they identified was the lane rope did not have enough water resistance to be dragged in a straight line. They are therefore looking to fit some sort of a drogue anchor to the end. Overall, the team were very pleased with the trial. In an hour Andy had covered 4.6 miles of which the tide accounted for 2.7 miles, meaning he was swimming at just under 2 miles per hour. The water conditions were good but crossing the dredged ferry channel it was considerably more rough. A good day's trial and training! |
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| 30 July 2011 | The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation Rules state, " All swimmers taking part in a solo swim must supply proof/ratification of a 6 hour swim in water 61°F / 16°C or less or proof of completion in a recognised event for a period considered by the CS&PF to be an acceptable alternative within the previous 30 months". Andy has now complied with that rule, as the certificate opposite shows. Whilst his regular training at Odyssey, he can now concentrate on fund-raising again. |
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| Health: At the recommendation of The Environment Agency, Andy consulted with his GP practice regarding health issues related to this event. Already inoculated against Hepatitus A, he was advised to top up his Tetanus and Dyptheria and Hepatitus B inoculations. This has been done. Training: Andy had completed 658 miles in training up to the date of breaking his neck. His training is currently between one and three miles each day plus additional miles whenever he can make time through to June 2013. The training per day will be reviewed at that point to ensure Andy is in peak condition at the start of his Teddington to Calais marathon on 19th July 2013. So he will already have swum hundreds of practise miles – many times the distance of the event itself - before he even starts. That will include indoor and open water training. He has also been training in Dover Harbour for the cross-Channel part of the swim. You can see the current total of miles swum in training on the Home page. Fund Raising: There are two Just Giving webpages where people can make a sponsorship donation right now plus many other ways of making a donation. Andy has started really pushing the fund-raising now. Media coverage - particularly for the Autograph Book , which Andy sees as being a tool to bring in the large donors, is now essential. The Autograph Book is a new fund-raising concept so we will have to wait and see if it takes off. Anyone can get their name in the Autograph Book alongside alongside the names of many internationally famous people - even you! You can have an entry soley in your own name, the name and logo of your school, the name and logo of your Company or even have an 'Anonymous entry. To find out how, click on this link. You can see the current total of funds raised on the Home page. If you haven't yet made a donation please visit the Make A Donation page and simply follow the directions. There are now 5 different ways to pay. Whichever way you pay or pledge, getting your name into that Autograph Book with all the famous people is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Water Escorts: You can see the volunterer team by clicking on the 'The Team' button above. Additionally, the cost has now been paid for the cross-Channel pilot boat Suva, pictured below. Andy is hoping the sea will be as calm as in this picture when he does his cross-Channel swim.
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