1961-08-19 — Page 14

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THE... CHINA · MAIL.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1961

A WRITER LEARNS THE HARD WAY WHAT IT MEANS TO TACKLE THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST SPORTING CHALLENGE

What does it cost to swim

the Channel?

AT

T 5.38 one morning recently I reluctantly watched my hired row

boat pull away from the shore. I was alone on Dover's Shakespeare Beach to keep an appointment with the flood tide. I was ready, but neither willing nor able, to swim the English Channel,

Silhouetted high on the cliff-top an inquisitive walker stopped to watch. On the beach a flock of gulls squabbled bitterly over, the sickly sweet crumbs of my glucose tablets. Half a mile out to sea bobbed my guardian launch encour-

agingly named The Fair Charice.

A signal from skipper Bert Read and 1 edged towards the surf; my body, heavy with 14lbs of lanoliti greus, sticky and glistening in the early sun; [my reet flinching on the cold,

wet pebbles.

อ

Only one good Excuse K turning back "remained sudden Channel storm. But the Geres of malicious waters ripped calmly on. A

Togue wavelet slapped fiercely cold against my chest, Then I

and striking out hopefully in the general direction of France,

Was

Most gruelling

Without doubt, the series Channel swimmer faces the most gruelling sporting challenge in the world. And "there are seld in any cups medals, or prize-money to be won, But still they come. More and more every year.

arc

• What is that makar people want to swim tho Chonnof? What do they get out of it if they succeed? What does it cost? What are the chances of success? With the Channel-swimming season at its height a 39-yr-ald, 6 ft. 2 im., 17-stone reporter decided to find out. Hore is his raport.

by PETER VANE

I was about mile out. Suddenly, just 200 yards ahead, four dark triangulär fins cut through the water.

REPORTER VÄNE: About a mile out I spotted jour dark fins cutting through the water. Sharks? I don't mind admitting that. I was scared atty.

whisk away

And successful Egyptians and Argentinians have gone home to new luxury bouses, promotion and hero-worship.

At least 1 thought they were now knows that swimmers use sharks.

up an average et 675 calories an hour compared with the 125 on hour burned up by

the man with an average job.

Hotel accommodation and food joints and muscles but also add will an additional tough of bugyaney, Rosemary George was in the for swimmer and trainer

at the very tensi water 21 hours 35 anmutes another £50. Just one six-hour

The glucose drinks, chocolate I don't mind admitting I was calorie expenditure of more training spin at 820 and bang burs, enteken legs, bol, soups, scared stiff. I started thrashing than 14,500.

Kees £30 for the hire of the as-, blankets, towels, medicine chest, But for the British swimmer for the rowboat as hard as I

torches, and medicinal brandy, there is very little 4h it. In could. Then the Ans broke cican No wonder she was eating companying boat,

etc., will add on, another £10 to faet, he is lucky if he can cover above the water to become the "like a horse" before the swin.

Finally the day of the swim£15

more than halt his expenses comforting blubbery backs of It is almost a matter of trying

with the aid of sponsors. grampus on the move towards to store calories. For no matter itself. The tide is right. And Thon, there is the last item.

how much glucose, chocolate or it has to be if the bid is being Stx gulos feo to the official Hosemary George is a typical suger is taken during the swim, made from England to France."

-observer from the Channel example of the British swimmer nothing can replace the amount

col- seeking sponsorship. She make this the Swimming Association, which is being used.

fected about £125 and some free 10 crossing

He must be in the boat from milk and glucose in sponsorship

new feeding grounds.

Fickle tides

most

dimcult

After that scare, the fact that were my goggles, and myself jast becoming waterlogged scerned, in comparison, un- In any case, only 40 seconds attempt. It is unwise to swim start to finish if an attempt is grants. One watch-making firm This year 25 men and women important.

Nor could I can be taken for feeding breaks. on any but five days within a

,to get official recognition, He offered her a free waterproof scheduled to y their describe the buffeting swell To stop swimming for

usually any fortnight. And

there sits as a sort of umpire, No wrist watch in return for adver- strength against that 20-mile once clear of the ice of the land, longer would rapidly lower the are not more than five of those touching the boat, No touching using rights if successful. stretch of water between the as much more than unconfort- body temperature and thus gap swimmable fortnights in a year. the hand that itolds out the English and French coasts, able.

the swimmer's strength..

"For some reason or other," With the combined advice of vital food, 3.

raid Rosemary. "British Arme Two of them, Yorkshire's I wam on, thinking of the

his boatman, trainer, and the One. touch, light as a feather,. don't seem to think the venture Dorothy Perkins and Rosemary men who had cried as they were

they George, of Deyer, have already dragged from the water after

the swimmer manages to hit on one' yard cleur of the water's also knoto that mort British triumphed.

hours of batiling against im-

"My food," Rosemary told one of those tive days. It will

edge at the ether side under stimmers are short of cash and possible odds. Men deafened by Regardless

his own steam-and months of glad to take anything that comes of failures, the the constant clouts of high acus. me, "must have been costing be pay-day for everybody

the swimmer. Fer come success training, hours of torture, and along.” a day or rest will follow on-husky young and with salt so crystallised on something' Uke

or fellure, cakn or storm £250 are wasted by disqualifica- men and women from as far their necks and shoulders that more during the last few between £30 and £75 have to as-Canada, Amerlen, Brazil, and they drew blood with every months of training. Pakistan. From Ireland,

Ger- stroke,

the many, and Spain. Fron cities and towns of Britain.

Melting away Channel Swimming Association, before the swimmer has walked worth while. Of course,

"I was wading through a

I remembered the doctor in daily diet of lib. of aleak, threC All lured by the challenge of a tossing launch three-quarters inte of milk, three or four the Channel. All cheerfully at the way to France examining eggs, five or ale bare of choco- ready to risk the hazards of a swimmer

who hid been late and lashings of salads and bitter coldness, togs, storms, dragged out after 17 hours. The vegetables. That is apart from utter exhaustion, unpredictable swimmer was unconECÍOLIS. tides, and sharks as "part of

The doctor told me: "This the game."

sim has cut 10 years from his Sharks?

Hfe."

Yes,

there

are

certainly sharks in the Channel, Mostly at the tope variety, but many 30-footers have been seen half-way across,

Unimportant

Luckily my experiment was spared the test of fog or storm, But I did experience the ter Turising chill of sighting sharks,

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Hundreds have tried it. Hun- dreds more will try in the future. But only 100 swimmers have succeeded since that August morning 87 years _ngo when British ship's officer Cap- tain Matthew Webb, 27, stag- gered aahorn at Calals after 213⁄4 hours in the water to become the first person to swim the Chan- nel.

Channel swimening has now become a most expensive sport. Costly in cash and time.,

Today the Channel aspirant must be prepared to stick to a rigid training, schedule for between 10 and 11 months. He must be prepared to dig. in his pocket to the tune of at least £250-and some say that is skimping it.

costs

That £250 will cover from the day he starts training to the day he climbs out of the Channel. And he will have to pay it success or failure.

Tough enough?

What else do you need to attempt the swim?

Given the right build and EXHI, go to any Channel-awimming expert in the country for ad- vice, and they will us the words of Ted Temme, the first person ever to swim the Channel both ways. "You're big enough. You're ugly enough, Butmärė you tough enough?

Tough enough? That question will be answered by the training routine. Months of gradually. stepping up the swimming quota from two hours to six hours a day, six days a week.

Channel veterans Jike Ned Barnie, Sam Stockett, Jack Me- Leiland and Florence Chadwick keep it up all the tkne, And, with allght individual modulica- tions, all follow the same rigorous rules.

One blanket on the bed, win- ter or summer. No top-coat in winter, shine or snow. Wash In cold water, June or January,

The object? The need condition the human body function at top speed through hours of extreme gold,

'Like a horse'

to 10

They also spend months build- Ing up an fuier layer of Insulating fat tiamio be – hèarly' but ́esroful eating. - For all the DORFAY, EXPEsitlæd in awitUPATIK must be replaced' immediately,

Noted physiologist Dr. L. G. C., Pugh hai studied the engIMONE' | Inergy - expenditur, et- Charmai swimmers for many years.. kie

a pound and a half of liquid honey a week.

"Not very lady-like, I know, But believe me you need it An the Channel,"

Fickle tides

but

go to the launch skipper and his

crow.

No touching

uf

tion...

'It's good fun

So why do they do ? Their reasons are as varied as the mocds of the Channel itralt.

What a difference from the foreigners who come here with

fares and all expenses paid,

Sam Bockelt is probably, the Channel physically AND inan-

ever to beat the only Briton

cially. Once a £12 A week That, estimate the fishennen

worker in the plastics division and pleasure boat owners

Dover, Folkestone and

just Stodky Ned Barnle, tough-as-of a chemical company, he now four- a handsome about equals the sum they could hickory Seats science

master commanda earn in two days' nahing or trips who tande his fourth successful gure income. And all thanks around the harbour. And they, crossing, at the age of 57, told to the Channel. colculate that the average me; "Och, it's good, healthy Channel swim, taking into fuz." account lost sleeping lime, will

deprive them of two days af Sam Rockett. agchial giant their everyday livelihood, of a man weighing 17st and

standing 6ft. 3in tall, confessed: So there you are. The, money

Paying doesn't finish there, it became anunt an obarazion Is already melting away.

And There's

£2 10s. for 141b, of with me. I had wanted to do di all that is being done. is eating, lanolin. And some swimmers ever since I was a idd." swimming, and sleeping.

prefer double that amount, The final fow weeks of sea believing that not only will j training will boost the bill. give extra. lubrication or maving

SEA SICK

JABLAYER

Marti

algun) from the clipper and Eudged forward, Daly

good axonto for turning

In 1953 I watched the burly Ken Wray of Southport being pulled from the water, almost unconscious and useless, jual four miles off the English coast.

one

Arm

He Tu a guest-house 'and swimming pool and makes world- wide lecture tours on the art at

Channel swimming.

"The Channel gave me quite a beathy," inned Sam. "Now I'm getting a little of my own back."

The pioneers

Sam believes that one day someone will complete a non- stop two-way swim "It has neter been done," he said, "Several people have tried. · But like the four-minute mile, it has got to come. Probably in about

He didn't get the £500 prize- money being offered by the race organisers and he never made another Chanaci bid. But, as five years time. We liave a little

told me before the race experimenting to do first" "I badly need that prize-moncy. It will go as à deposit on a new house for the wife and kids.

he

The first woman to swim both ways,: America's Florence Chad- wick, is disarmingly candid: "It's my Huing, and I

my job."

Yes, there is gold in Channel for some..

enjoy

year with

Those experiments start this the arrival of two South American long-distance champions: Antonio Abertondo, who swam 178 miles non-stop

61 hours in the Argentine's River Parana, is already on the

way.

The other two-way pioneer la the Luiz Rulz of Fareguay, "lids record," sald Sam, "stande, at four days and nine hours For Morence Chadwick, it has non-stop down the Parana River. meant fare and on, income, of Of course, over there, they were about £6,000 a year from radio not troubled by the problema and TV appearances 172 the U.S.A., fremri lecture tours, and

from her business as a free lance.pquallo show director."

She's typical

Another

barn

earns

by

+

American. Danish- Grela Anderson, even more. Sponsored swimsuit mamifacturer, sporting Blm ocmpany and

Watchmaker, she swims her way to an annual income of than £10,000.

more

CHESS By LEONARD BARDEN

There is a position front actual play: white to mayo and win.

London Rapiere mergien,

of tides and temperature.

"But four days and nine hours is a good jumping of point.""

I agreed.

I surrender... How did my own Chahnel attempt end?

And a half hours Two and one and a half miles from the English coast I gladly surrender- ed to cold and cramp.

Sipping hot Koup while wrapped in blankets on the deck of The Fair Chanco seemed an etalle OR a five-stor Paris baaquel,

London Express Service).

TARGET

EIT

only

Faux letters.

From ske

the left ?

the words

IRE DO WITH nute

kach word VINIL cantata che large jetter, and there must be at feest pun terletter ward in the list. No plora PO Turday word" no proper Wings TODAY TARENT /"

don Monday, HUNT