23 Jul 2012Barracudas Aquaholics Relay
A four man multi-national Aquaholics team with an average of 64 swam their way into the history books of the English Channel on the 23rd July 2012 in a time of 15 hours 3 minutes.
"Never again" were famous last words said by Roger Allsopp at the end of his world record 2011 solo swim becoming the Oldest Person to swim the English Channel. I believe he had also said the same phrase in 2006 at the end of his first solo crossing!! Sue Oldham said very similar words too at the end of her 2010 solo swim when she regained her world record as the oldest woman in the world to swim the English Channel.
In 2011 the Barracudas Aquaholics team was formed with Sue Oldham, Tony Parbery, Kathy Phillips and Les Stewart. Unfortunately in 2012 Tony had to withdraw due to ill health and coach Pauline Pratt contacted Roger to see if he was interested in joining our depleted team, to our delight he was. A couple of months later Les had heart problems and we were lucky to have Tom McCarthy from Ireland answer the call. Western Australians find it difficult to find really cold water to train in, and Kathy and I were no exception, but fortunately had spent several months cold water training, lucky for us that Roger and Tom were prepared to join our team despite such short notice.
So began our four man multi-national Aquaholics team with an average of 64, (Roger at 71, Sue at 66, Kathy 60 and Tom 59) swimming our way into the history books of the English Channel on the 23rd July 2012 in a time of 15 hours 3 minutes.
We met the skipper of Anastasia, Eddie Spelling, and his crew down at Dover Harbour and made our way around to Samphire Hoe early on 22nd July. It was a dark, cold, early morning start and initially the ocean was very cold and so were the swimmers! During a couple of legs of the swim there were clumps of weed in the water which made swimming unpleasant but eventually that cleared and after several more one hour legs a beautiful sunrise greeted us, eventually even some heat in the day and finally the French coast coming into sight.
The mild breeze increased to brisk as we neared the coast of France ensuring we would all have to swim at least an extra leg each, but then this is the English Channel and you just never know what, or how often, the conditions will change. And change they did to our relief, and ultimately we had lovely conditions and a nice sunny day. All that hard work and preparation had been worthwhile and we were excited and delighted with our successful crossing of the English Channel.
The Aquaholics team would like to acknowledge the support and skill of our skipper Eddie Spelling and his crew, our special thanks to our observers, to our coach Pauline Pratt and to Tony Parbery who despite his disappointment not being able to swim was a wonderful support to us all and in his 'spare' time our photographer. Les Stewart wasnt able to join us on the day but was with us in spirit and there waiting to greet us when we returned to Dover Harbour.
- 27 Feb 2025
2025 Notice of CS&PF AGM & Motions
Notice of CS&PF AGMFor the year ended 31st December 2024To be held atThe Channel Suite, Leas Cliff HallThe Leas, FolkestoneCT20 2DZ1pm on the 15th March 2025 Officer and committee positions due for election in 2025 President: Mike Ball (nominated by the CS&PF committee)Vice-President: Michael Oram (nominated by the CS&PF committee) The ChairmanThe SecretaryTwo Committee member positionsNotices of Motion Motions:Motion 1) Proposed by Tony Kenyon; seconded by Eddie SpellingThe committee discussed the need to raise the swim administration fees to cover increasing costs. It was agreed to increase the administration fees by £30. A revised CS&PF rule is required to be ratified at the AGM.The following rule revision is proposed to reflect the increased administration fee.Revised RuleCS&PF fees:2026 Administration fees payable with all swim applications. Administration fees cover the costs of running the CS&PF Office and general CS&PF expenses. Applications submitted to the CS&PF Office before the deadline of 30 April will be charged a discounted administration fee of:Solo - £200Relay £240Applications received by the CS&PF Office after 30 April will be deemed to have exceeded the time allowed for postage and will be charged a full fee of:Solo £225Relay £265Motion 2) Proposed by Kevin Murphy; seconded by Tony KenyonThis AGM requests the committee to:i) Institute honorariums for the offices of CS&PF Secretary and CS&PF Treasurer;ii) Consider at what level these honorariums should be set.Motion 3) Proposed by Tony Kenyon, seconded by Kevin MurphyReplace the existing Clause “8 Management paragraph B” of the published CS&PF rules. The current wording was found to be unclear by the committee.Proposed wording:B. President and Vice PresidentThe positions of ‘President’ and ‘Vice President’ shall be nominated by the elected members of the CS&PF Committee. Only the committee nomination for the roles shall be put before the next AGM for ratification.Either or both positions can remain vacant if the committee does not make a nomination, or if a nomination is not ratified by the membership at the next AGM.The Vice President is expected to work in conjunction with the President. When the President completes their term, the Vice President is familiar with the role to step up. A former President is not permitted to be nominated for a future role as Vice President. If ratified at the AGM the appointment of these positions is for three years from the date of ratification. If they are not ratified, the committee will reconsider their nominations at the next committee meeting.The ‘President’ and the ‘Vice President’ shall be considered full members of the CS&PF Committee. They will receive notice and be invited to each committee meeting and be counted in the quorum with full voting rights.The maximum term for both of these positions is two consecutive appointments. Once this maximum term has been reached the incumbent must step aside from that role for at least three years, preferably six (equivalent to two consecutive terms). Eligibility to be considered for subsequent nomination for either role after the maximum term has been reached is at the discretion of the elected members of the CS&PF Committee.At the discretion of the elected members of the CS&PF Committee a retiring President may be given the honorary title of ‘President Emeritus’. This title is used to denote perpetual status of individuals who made significant contributions to the CS&PF.Motion 4) Proposed by Cliff Golding, seconded by Mike BallProposed amendments in red Assessment swims - (solos)All swimmers taking part in a solo swim must complete a self assessment swim of at least 6 hours in open water at a temperature of no more than 61F/16C. Such a swim should be carried out either as a training swim or as an organised event which the committee considers (in its discretion) to be a suitable alternative. In either case, the assessment swim should take place no more than 18 calendar months prior to the 1st June in the year of the application. Winter Swim Assessments. If a swim is registered to take place between 1 November and 30 April, the qualifying temperature for an assessment swim will be 12c or less, or as defined by the pilot.Assessment swims - (relays)All swimmers taking part in a relay swim must complete a self assessment swim of at least 1.5 hours then leave the water for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 1.5 hours at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 16°C. They must then return to the water and swim for 1 more hour in open water also at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 16°C. These two swims should be carried out either as a training swim or as an organised event which the committee considers (in its discretion) to be a suitable alternative. In either case, the assessment swims should take place no more than 18 calendar months prior to the 1st June in the Year of application. If a relay swimmer carries out a training swim, or takes part in an event lasting 4 hours or more at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 61°C, the Committee will consider that a suitable assessment swim for a Channel relay swim.Winter Swim Assessments. If a swim is registered to take place between 1 November and 30 April, the qualifying temperature for an assessment swim will be 12c or less, or as defined by the pilot.Every application for a solo or relay swimmer must complete a Swim Assessment Form available for download from the CS&PF web site and submit this together with supporting proof/ratification of the self-assessment swim or (if an organised event wherein satisfactory participation is a matter of public online record) the website address at which such proof is evident. Voting will be by paper ballot for any contested positions or motions. Read more
Sandettie Lightship Observations
8pm, 23rd February 2025
Water: 46.4 °F (8 °C)
Air: 52.5 °F (11.4 °C)
Wind Speed: 29.9 kn (55.4 km/h)
Wind Direction: SSW (200°)
The CS&PF President, Mike Ball and all the committee are deeply saddened by the passing of Ady Brown.… https://t.co/E17pLxZwgw
2 years ago
