Didn't sleep much last night, after the swim. I couldn't lie on either shoulder since both were just as sore. Actually, Sunday I was the first awake and came downstairs before 6 a.m. local time. We all walked to town for coffee after a quick breakfast of oatmeal at our house. We drove to Dover and arrived just after 10 a.m. Pilot Andy was also pulling in to park next to the waterfront. He saw us and opened up the chart he bought to give me. Using his electronic navigational instruments on the Louise Jane, he documented my swim course on a huge paper chart. He signed and dated the chart. I plan to frame the chart and display it on a wall at home. Thank you, Andy! Next, we walked to the area of the beach where the swimmers were congregated for their training. I hadn't gotten to meet any swimmers since I was doing most of my training swims in Deal, and most of the swimmers come to Dover on the weekends to swim. We had arrived on Sunday and I did my first swim on Monday in Dover but didn't see many swimmers. So our mission was to find the swimmers and share stories and well wishes. Within a few seconds we met fellow American Elizabeth Fry, who completed a double crossing on Saturday, as well as Stuart Johnson, who completed a double as well on Saturday. Also posed for a photo with Miyuki Fujita from Japan, Roger Finch from South Africa, and others. I was thrilled to meet King of the Channel, Kevin Murphy, who has 34 solo crossings. This was a jolly fine swimmer party on a rocky beach alongside in the Dover harbour. We exchanged handshakes, introductions and hugs. We bought seven pins for one of the swimmers' fundraisers, who is swimming to benefit cancer research and a Captain Matthew Webb bag from the Channel Swimming Association, or CSA. I was hoping to pick up my CSA swim cap to have as a momento. I was told if I came back tomorrow, they would have one for me. It was so great to meet other swimmers who spoke the "marathon swimming" language but I was also somewhat sad that we hadn't had a wekeend to swim in Dover with other Channel aspirants.
Next up: The White Horse Pub on St. James Street in Dover, where aspiring Channel swimmers meet and dream of one day adding their name to the wall or ceiling. It's a popular hangout for swimmers to meet and celebrate their successful swims. I waited to find the White Horse, until I accomplished my mission. When my crew and I walked in, we immediately split up into several directions, each walking towards a wall signature that caught our attention. Wow, I thought, look at the history here. I found names I recognized from my research and reading and took a photo of where a fellow Michigander, Brian Burke, signed his name in history. Then I noticed his time: 11h 30 min. I swam it in 11h 31 min. My heart stopped. My swim was over and I was still being competitive!
I shared a pint of summer ale with Lynn and Noah tried a dark ale. We had a great time, swapping stories with other swimmers who came to celebrate, namely Stuart Johnson and his wife, and Roger Finch and his crew. I wandered around and we snapped photos of the wall while I was locating the perfect place for my signature. I found it, right before you step into the back room, on the ceiling. First, I sketched out what I wanted to create on the wall, on a postcard. Noah grabbed a pencil and outlined the large old English D, for the Detroit Tigers, in pencil. Then I took my permanent black Sharpie and started to fill in the details of Saturday's swim. Please check out our photos above.
I filled in the top with my name, the bottom with my time (11:31:07) and date, and the side with Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. The cook was ill, so we just had the celebration drink, a few crackers, and then walked to lunch in Dover. We had a sit-down lunch and walked to the Dover Museum, hoping to walk around. The museum had closed 11 minutes before we arrived, so instead, we walked around the town. We made a late night dinner at the house. I was overwhelmed and very emotional reading the amount of e-mails and Facebook posts from friends, family, and people whom I had never met who wanted to offer their well wishes. Thank you for sharing this celebration with me. By the way, a shout out to my terrific massage therapist and friend, Jeff Kong, of Novi's Tri-Covery Massage and Fitness, for the awesome black jacket that says "English Channel 2011 Swim" that I proudly wore all day, while my face was beaming with excitement.
Next up: The White Horse Pub on St. James Street in Dover, where aspiring Channel swimmers meet and dream of one day adding their name to the wall or ceiling. It's a popular hangout for swimmers to meet and celebrate their successful swims. I waited to find the White Horse, until I accomplished my mission. When my crew and I walked in, we immediately split up into several directions, each walking towards a wall signature that caught our attention. Wow, I thought, look at the history here. I found names I recognized from my research and reading and took a photo of where a fellow Michigander, Brian Burke, signed his name in history. Then I noticed his time: 11h 30 min. I swam it in 11h 31 min. My heart stopped. My swim was over and I was still being competitive!
I shared a pint of summer ale with Lynn and Noah tried a dark ale. We had a great time, swapping stories with other swimmers who came to celebrate, namely Stuart Johnson and his wife, and Roger Finch and his crew. I wandered around and we snapped photos of the wall while I was locating the perfect place for my signature. I found it, right before you step into the back room, on the ceiling. First, I sketched out what I wanted to create on the wall, on a postcard. Noah grabbed a pencil and outlined the large old English D, for the Detroit Tigers, in pencil. Then I took my permanent black Sharpie and started to fill in the details of Saturday's swim. Please check out our photos above.
I filled in the top with my name, the bottom with my time (11:31:07) and date, and the side with Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. The cook was ill, so we just had the celebration drink, a few crackers, and then walked to lunch in Dover. We had a sit-down lunch and walked to the Dover Museum, hoping to walk around. The museum had closed 11 minutes before we arrived, so instead, we walked around the town. We made a late night dinner at the house. I was overwhelmed and very emotional reading the amount of e-mails and Facebook posts from friends, family, and people whom I had never met who wanted to offer their well wishes. Thank you for sharing this celebration with me. By the way, a shout out to my terrific massage therapist and friend, Jeff Kong, of Novi's Tri-Covery Massage and Fitness, for the awesome black jacket that says "English Channel 2011 Swim" that I proudly wore all day, while my face was beaming with excitement.
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