CHANNEL HOPES

She stands on the cliff looking out at the sea. Today the water is the colour of steel, rugged and searing with small white peaks. Somewhere, far out there, is the coast of France, and later this year she will reach its shore.

This is one of her favourite walks. On one side of the coastal footpath is the sea. If she turns inland, she is met with the view of fields and farmland. As she watches she can see the pattern the wind makes on the grasses, it comes towards her, almost as if it is a wave itself.

She turns back to the water. On a day like today it’s hard to imagine it’s even possible, but one thing she has learnt from swimming is that every time you think something is impossible, you can usually prove yourself wrong. Throughout the winter, each morning, she’d look at the cold water and think there’s no chance I can get in there, half an hour later she would emerge from the water, skin prickling. She built this routine slowly and each time the urge to get into the water got stronger. She felt such a sense of achievement with her progress, and it will be the same with this much more enduring challenge.

She’s been training in the pool through the winter too, getting her stamina and strength up ready to join the rest of her team in the relay across the channel. In the past few months she has grown more aware of her body. Now she knows what parts of her technique are holding her back, how she can learn to make her stroke more efficient. It’s important that they are prepared, that they are completely aware of the challenge they will be embarking on.

By the summer they will be ready. Then it will just be a case of waiting for the perfect time. The conditions must be just right. Secretly she is hoping for skies much bluer than the grey before her today. The water, by then, will not be quite as wild. Her and her team will swim through the night and day until they reach their goal. She imagines the feeling of the salty water on her face, the rhythmic breathing, the way her arms will pull her through the water.

She closes her eyes and feels the wind against her face. She visualises how it will feel to reach France, how she will embrace her teammates, celebrate with her family and friends. She knows the feeling of achievement when they finally do it will be like nothing she’s felt yet.