0:00:02 > 0:00:13This programme contains strong language
0:00:16 > 0:00:18You have to understand before you start
0:00:18 > 0:00:20that the sea will always win.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It's very hard to look after someone
0:00:25 > 0:00:27that wants to put their lives into danger.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28Off you go!
0:00:30 > 0:00:32We do give a warning out with Channel swimming
0:00:32 > 0:00:34that it will change you.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57My swimmers coming up this year are a mixed bag.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- I work on the basis that they all tell lies.- They tell lies!
0:01:03 > 0:01:04THEY LAUGH
0:01:05 > 0:01:09The swimmers need something to do and something to pull them together
0:01:09 > 0:01:14to guide them, so they all meet in Dover on Saturday and Sunday
0:01:14 > 0:01:17from the 1st of May through to the end of season.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20You're in there to swim and to push it,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23not to have a talk, not to stand up just because you can.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27That's not part of the training at all.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Freda is on the beach there,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33and she does the training, along with Barrie and Irene,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35who all sort of gel together
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and spend all their time dedicated to feeding people, to help them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Have you all booked in?
0:01:44 > 0:01:45You all booked in with Irene?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Come on, let's have your numbers, girls and boys.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53I'm more hands on, and Irene's more on the paperwork side,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56which works well with us two.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59If there's nobody down there with the board, give it to us at the top.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01We must know you're out.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Have you all given your numbers to us?
0:02:05 > 0:02:08We're going to alter the course a little bit for you now,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10because we've got sailing boats...
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'I've been training Channel swimmers for about 34 years now.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15'I really don't know why I do it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19'It takes every weekend of mine from May to September.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'But I really, really love helping people achieve their dreams.'
0:02:24 > 0:02:26OK, is everyone ready for greasing?
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Jack. Jack!
0:02:30 > 0:02:33'I started off with three, and we now end up with something like
0:02:33 > 0:02:36'130, 140 swimmers.'
0:02:36 > 0:02:37She's my mum.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48What have I done wrong this time?
0:02:48 > 0:02:49Bobbing, chatting,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53- too long in the water. - And a pink hat.- And the pink hat.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But other than that it was a good session!
0:02:55 > 0:02:57THEY LAUGH
0:02:57 > 0:02:59We've been in for just over an hour.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Probably swam about 500 yards.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03HE LAUGHS
0:03:03 > 0:03:06We spent most of the time trying to dunk each other under the water.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08You're shivering, aren't you?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10But you're holding it in so no-one sees.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12You're weak! You're weak!
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Some of these people are good friends,
0:03:14 > 0:03:15and it's just nice to be back with everybody.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18- What are you doing this year? - Round Jersey.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Oh, you're with Charlie, are you?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- Yeah.- That's lovely, that is, nice little swim.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Swimming is an individual thing, but in the Channel
0:03:32 > 0:03:34they have to become a part of the ship with the pilot.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It's something that is now becoming a habit,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42is to find the next most dangerous thing that nobody else has done.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48It's the requirement people have these days to push their limits
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and push the limits because of the pressures of life around them.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57They're doing it for their achievement,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00but I'm doing it to pitch myself against the tides,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03the weather, the conditions and the day.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It's our job to stay clear of the traffic.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11We're the hedgehog crossing the motorway.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15If the swim's successful, it's down to the swimmer.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17If it's a failure, it's the pilot's fault.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19GULLS SQUAWK
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'My last Channel swim was...
0:04:26 > 0:04:28'It was either four, or I think it was five years ago now.'
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Oh, you're joking!
0:04:30 > 0:04:32What is this?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'And that's the main reason I want to do it again this year,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37'is cos I want to prove to myself that I can still do it.'
0:04:37 > 0:04:39It's not actually that difficult.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- What, to swim the Channel?- Yeah.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47'My occupation during the week is I'm a barrister's clerk.'
0:04:47 > 0:04:50It's for a poxy little firm up north that you're never going to work for again,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53so don't worry about it. Cheers, bye.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'Work gets in the way of training, obviously,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'because quite a lot of the time we might be
0:04:58 > 0:05:00'out socialising in the evenings.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03'Basically in the pub when I probably should be training.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'But it's a good life, I enjoy it.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:09You could make a few quid by doing seminars to immigrants
0:05:09 > 0:05:11and showing them how to get over here.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13HE LAUGHS
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Dover is completely different.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It's completely separate from the rest of my life.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22A lot of them down there just think I'm a cocky little Essex boy
0:05:22 > 0:05:25who doesn't give a shit, but I do.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I certainly don't want to fail.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I'll be gutted if I don't make it.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- When was your last solo? - Five years ago.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Muscle memory.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Got a good memory?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Muscle memory.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Got best muscle memory in the world, ever.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49When you breathe, move your whole body.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50Off you go, Sam.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Sprinting!
0:05:52 > 0:05:54'Some people think I've lost it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'They think I haven't got what it takes any more,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'so it's as much about proving it to them as about proving it to myself.'
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- So, when are you going to stop drinking?- I'm not.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05THEY CHUCKLE
0:06:07 > 0:06:09A week before, a month before?
0:06:09 > 0:06:10I'll try the night before.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17You're not as young as you used to be, mate.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Trying to say I'm getting old and fat?
0:06:24 > 0:06:25TRAIN WHISTLES
0:06:25 > 0:06:28ANNOUNCER: Christchurch, Pokesdown for Boscombe, Bournemouth,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Poole, Hamworthy, Holton Heath, Wareham...
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I literally woke up one morning in the US
0:06:34 > 0:06:36where I was working at a big business, I woke up
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and suddenly thought, "What does it take to swim the Channel?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41"What's the logistics involved in it?"
0:06:42 > 0:06:45So I did a little bit of research, and from that point on I thought,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47"That's what I'm going to do."
0:06:52 > 0:06:56I work in London, so I have to get up at 4:30 on a Monday morning
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and head down to London.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Tuesday involves getting up 5:30,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03going for an hour's swim
0:07:03 > 0:07:06in the cold water, which over the winter period,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10the lowest temperature I've been swimming in has been six degrees,
0:07:10 > 0:07:11so that's been cold.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Because I'm landlocked,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I'm doing as much as I physically can
0:07:19 > 0:07:22within the time I'm allowed between work and family life.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27I think it is going to have a greater impact
0:07:27 > 0:07:28the closer it gets to the swim.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32It's been a massive challenge, the swimming.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36I've known Al for maybe 16, 17 years,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and I've never known him like he's been this year.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I've seen a completely different side to him.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I joined the Army shortly after I was 18.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55At that point in my life, I was extremely rebellious.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I'd fallen out with my father, mostly through my own fault.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59When I joined the Army,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01they literally gave me everything I need -
0:08:01 > 0:08:05food, education, clothing, and certainly some discipline,
0:08:05 > 0:08:06so it certainly worked out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12I've not done anything of this size before.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14In the military they always train you.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16"You're going to train harder than war,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18"and if we ever go to war, you'll find it quite easy."
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And that's the mentality they put into whatever training you do.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Be interesting to find out how cold that is.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It can't be 12 degrees yet,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I wouldn't have thought. I don't know.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Everybody looks upon the pilot as just being the pilot,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51but to me, the swim is mine
0:08:51 > 0:08:53and the swimmer is just my third engine.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I have a lot of things in life,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12but one of them is not a will to persecute myself
0:09:12 > 0:09:14to prove something.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22I'm aware of the dangers,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and that's the thing that swimmers don't understand.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28They've never quite reached the limit
0:09:28 > 0:09:30where they actually realise
0:09:30 > 0:09:33that they've gone over the top.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35They just dream.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Kevin Murphy - he's the greatest endurance swimmer ever known.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I'm known as King of the English Channel,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56and I swam the Channel 34 times.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I was the tubby little kid who couldn't play football very well
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and couldn't run as fast, perhaps, as other little kids,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and then I found that I could swim.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Suddenly, the boy who's been down the pecking order
0:10:11 > 0:10:13has found his niche.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I could be better than all the other kids.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I wanted to be better. I wanted to be the best.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- ARCHIVE FOOTAGE:- What I want to do is a 3-way swim.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26That's the triple - from England, France,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28and back to England,
0:10:28 > 0:10:29and then back to France again.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Last year I got within six miles,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and I'm ready to swim myself into unconsciousness
0:10:36 > 0:10:38in order to do that swim.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45What really means something to me is being the male record-holder.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48It grates on me a lot that I'm not the overall record-holder,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52because Alison is way out in front there.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I've got the title Queen of the Channel, cos basically I've done it
0:10:55 > 0:10:57more times than any other woman,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00but I've also done it more times than any other man as well,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02so I am the overall record-holder,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05but they haven't got a title for that.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09When my daughter first said to us that she wanted to swim the Channel,
0:11:09 > 0:11:10she was about seven years old.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14And that was it. You know, then she swam the Channel,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and we thought that would be it.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Big mistake.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I think out of the 43 crosses,
0:11:22 > 0:11:23I've only missed two.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28She's not human.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32I reckon she's been built in a laboratory.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38I used to go through so, so many emotions out there
0:11:38 > 0:11:41that you ended up a wreck at the end of it,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46but we also got to a stage where we actually got incredibly close.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53But I certainly was on her epic 3-way,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55and that was something else.
0:11:55 > 0:11:5734 hours, 40 minutes in total.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Was a pretty amazing feat.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02To actually witness something like that,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04and I know it's my own daughter -
0:12:04 > 0:12:08to actually witness something like that is pretty damn amazing.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13She didn't like being in the limelight, and that sounds strange.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15She did all those mad things,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18but she didn't actually like being in the limelight.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Oh, it's brilliant. Have you seen his hat?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I've got my trunks on as well.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I've sort of established a role
0:12:27 > 0:12:30as the grand old man of Channel swimming.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33Somebody asked me how many times
0:12:33 > 0:12:35have I swum up and down Dover Harbour,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and it must be hundreds, thousands.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And now, all of a sudden, I'm just sort of playing at it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48I'm the secretary of the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I'm sort of a gatekeeper.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54I administer the process of registration
0:12:54 > 0:12:56for getting people into the Channel.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00It's been enormously frustrating
0:13:00 > 0:13:02that I'm injured now.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Upsetting.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I still have this dream that I can.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I still have this dream I will.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19You touch that other shore, it lives with you.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21You are forever a Channel swimmer.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23And people come along and say,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27"Oh, you're nothing, you can't do this, you can't do that."
0:13:27 > 0:13:29But you can think to yourself, "I know how good I am."
0:13:32 > 0:13:35All those records that Kevin Murphy holds,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37they're all defunct. They're all non-records.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38They don't count any more.
0:13:38 > 0:13:4115 years ago, you'd be able to ring up a pilot and say,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43"I want to swim next week," and they'd take you.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46These days you have to book it a year in advance.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Back then it was, like, 400 quid. Now it's two and a half grand.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I've always said, if you give me quarter of a million pounds,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I will become the King of the Channel. Not a problem.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I will swim the Channel 50 times over the next five years, ten years.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I'll do it eight or nine times a year, not a problem.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14My name is Evelyn Frantzeskou,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and this is my husband, David,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and we live in Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And we've been here for nearly 17 years.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25We look after the Channel swimmers.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:14:32 > 0:14:33And we just help them.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- And they look after us. - And they look after us.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37We're Mum and Dad to them.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40When there's a whole crowd of them here,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43it's just wonderful, cos everyone's chat, chat, chat,
0:14:43 > 0:14:44and it's just lovely.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Just going to go and swim the Channel.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53We all knew Captain Webb was the first man to swim the Channel,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55but everybody sort of forgets about the Channel.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- ARCHIVE FOOTAGE:- Next day was Britain's turn,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59with Dover anxiously scanning the horizon
0:14:59 > 0:15:02for a sight of 18-year-old Philip Mickman, Yorkshire schoolboy.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06His easy, tireless stroke keeps him going to the last second
0:15:06 > 0:15:08of his 23 hours, 18 minutes crossing.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I can remember back in the '50s
0:15:11 > 0:15:14when the Butlins and the Daily Mail race,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17but then you heard nothing.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Never got publicised.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Because no-one did anything for Channel swimming,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I decided that we'd put a little plaque up for our swimmers
0:15:29 > 0:15:30if they did it.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Gave them a bit of motivation.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38They'd look - "I want to be on the wall, I want to be on the wall."
0:15:38 > 0:15:40That's their dream, though.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But when they don't make it, it's a bit like a funeral.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- Yeah.- It's worse. It is, really.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Because they're grieving. They've lost their dream.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51It's always different.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53You never know what's going to happen.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Cloud's moving in, look. Mist coming over the top.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Come on, Martin, you might get lost in that fog.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I wish people would sort of begin to understand
0:16:10 > 0:16:13that this beach is mine, and if they're not swimming with us,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15go and swim off of that beach or that beach,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and stop coming here and confusing us.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Come on, this is the final one.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Really?- Yep.- All right.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- This is it, this is it. - I'll just do it this one time.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29We've got Martin, who's got to do a two-hour qualifying swim for a relay.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- That's the problem I get.- Ah, yeah.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Come on, now, you're going to slide through the water.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37He's tried and tried and tried, and a lot of it is in his mind.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39He's not really as cold as he thinks he is,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and he's finding it impossible to stay in.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Go!
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Right, go, go, go.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Wheeey!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Good enough swimmer,
0:16:50 > 0:16:55but he just can't get it into his head that...
0:16:55 > 0:16:57he can do it. It's just...
0:16:57 > 0:17:00So we're sending in an army to surround him
0:17:00 > 0:17:02to stop him getting out. HE LAUGHS
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- SHE SINGS:- When it's time to have a bite, unzip a banana...
0:17:09 > 0:17:10I hate wearing these things.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Suits you, though.
0:17:14 > 0:17:15Yeah. Matches my eyes.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Last one. Last big one.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23We had a jug of Pimm's last night. Not a good idea.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Yeah, well, it ain't Pimm's o'clock now, is it?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Come on, get going!
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- Don't go right to the end. Only this side of the groyne.- OK.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33We can't see you.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38'It just gets to you, you know. It's just...
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'We say, "Oh, we're going to pack it in, pack it in,"
0:17:41 > 0:17:43'and then we think, "And what are we going to do?"'
0:17:43 > 0:17:46See you in an hour. Don't be late this time.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47Late?!
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I know I play bowls a lot,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52but you know, this is just something entirely different,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and it's just once you're on that beach,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58no matter what the weather is, it's just...
0:17:58 > 0:18:00It just gets to you.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03People say, "Why do you do it?"
0:18:03 > 0:18:04Cos I enjoy it.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I live down by...
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Right down by the docks along Snargate Street.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22All down there was my playground, you know, round the harbour.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29But they always had a rowing boat alongside the swimmer.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32My father used to be one of the rowers.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I think that was harder than swimming, I would say.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42They used to grease themselves up with that goose fat
0:18:42 > 0:18:45from head to foot, and they had a job to walk.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47It was heavy, and it done them no good at all.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56FOGHORN BLARES
0:18:59 > 0:19:01WHISTLE
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Oi!
0:19:04 > 0:19:06WHISTLE
0:19:06 > 0:19:07Bloody hell!
0:19:09 > 0:19:12In. In. Time to get in!
0:19:13 > 0:19:15It's getting too dangerous, you know.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17The foghorns are going out there.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28FOGHORN BLARES
0:19:38 > 0:19:40FOGHORN BLARES
0:19:43 > 0:19:45WHISTLE
0:19:50 > 0:19:51HE GRUNTS
0:19:58 > 0:19:59WHISTLE
0:20:03 > 0:20:05WHISTLE
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Oi!
0:20:13 > 0:20:14WHISTLE
0:20:14 > 0:20:15Another one!
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Yeah, it's starting to lift now.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32THUNDER
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Oh, to be in England now that summer's here!
0:20:44 > 0:20:46How about that?
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I'm slightly reluctant to go down to Dover.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Everyone's going on about going down to Dover
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and meet up with the big community there.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But as far as local community goes,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I've very much stuck to doing it solo.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Like with the feeding -
0:21:08 > 0:21:10it's so individual what a body can take,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13what you like to eat, what's going to be good for you.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16All these things you're only going to find out through experience,
0:21:16 > 0:21:17not by asking someone else.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Harry would have been eight in October this year.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40He actually died in my arms at ten months old.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I'm not a natural swimmer at all.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53I hadn't swum any further than 2km.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57I think I'D done that once or twice prior to this event.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I'm hoping the fact that I've trained for so long
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and that I'm doing this in memory of Harry
0:22:03 > 0:22:05will take me that little bit further.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Well, you know what they say about Channel swimming, don't you?
0:22:18 > 0:22:19No.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22From the outside looking in, it's hard to understand,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and from the inside looking out, it's hard to explain.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27LAUGHTER
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Put your hearing aid in.- Aye, aye.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Is he going?- Yeah, he's going to turn up.- Oh, good for him.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37I'm going to have a look.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41So... And I've got Georgie on standby
0:22:41 > 0:22:43if we don't go,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45cos I don't think there's a big enough gap
0:22:45 > 0:22:46to move him back till tomorrow.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Mm. I recorded the BBC weather but it didn't tell you anything, really.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- No, they...- Warm front on Wednesday. - PHONE RINGS
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Oh, no. Bloody hell, thought I'd finished with him.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56I reckon we're going.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I reckon we're going. I'll go down and move the boat over and...
0:23:00 > 0:23:03He's not going to stop until he dies.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05He doesn't need any motivating at all.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07The last thing he needs is somebody to motivate him.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09As Angie says, I'm an Aries.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I know I'm just perfect.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13HE CHUCKLES
0:23:13 > 0:23:14PHONE RINGS
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- Hello?- Hi, Mike, it's Georgie.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22Hi, Georgie. Yeah.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'm just ringing to see...
0:23:24 > 0:23:25HE LAUGHS
0:23:25 > 0:23:29I don't know what's going to happen, girl, so...
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I haven't got a clue at the moment.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33It looks as if the weather's going to close in,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35so it doesn't look like... But the forecast is changing.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39We have two questions we ask. One is, "Are you healthy?"
0:23:39 > 0:23:43And the other one is, "Are you on any medication?"
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Because a lot of people say, "Yes, I'm healthy.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49"I'm on 16 pills a day for high blood pressure,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52"for diabetes and everything else, but it's all controlled."
0:23:52 > 0:23:55THROUGH PHONE: ..sort out what sort of conditions you can swim in,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58cos I don't think you're used to that much
0:23:58 > 0:24:00in the way of roughness, are you?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I can remember I was in school. It was...
0:24:07 > 0:24:11We had a lesson, and it was RS or something,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and they were asking us what we wanted to do over the next year
0:24:14 > 0:24:18and I just went, "Oh, I'm going to train to swim the Channel."
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I just said it.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It wasn't anything I'd thought through.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I had no idea what it entailed.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I've been swimming for a very long time.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Ten years with the same club.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37And I'm never going to get to the Olympics or anything,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40so I really want something to show for the time I've spent training.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was nine.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I don't think it's something that defines me or anything.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I don't think it's something I have to go out of my way to explain to people.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59It's cold!
0:25:01 > 0:25:04This is the biggest thing I'm ever going to do.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I'm not going to do anything bigger.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20- You're...- Georgina.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- Georgina.- Yeah.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26OK, I'm Freda. That's Irene, that's Barrie, this is Emma.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Lovely to meet you, darling.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- This is Georgina. What number?- 11.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Well, that's easy to write. - LAUGHTER
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Look. OK, I know they say it's going to be warm.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40We've got to prevent injuries, most important.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Most important. Take it easy.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45An hour in there now with no walking, no chatting,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48but looking out for one another. Where's Georgina?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- Where's Georgie?- There.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Right, you're going to be swimming with somebody, yeah?
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Don't follow me down!
0:25:55 > 0:25:56Go on, go on.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00When are we going to get your flip-flops, then?
0:26:04 > 0:26:08- WOMAN:- I think she feels she needs to do things because she is diabetic
0:26:08 > 0:26:13and she wants to show that she can do what anybody else can do.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14It took time to get used to.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16I had to inject her to start off
0:26:16 > 0:26:19with because she was only nine so she couldn't do it herself.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24It was a shock but you have to deal with it.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27You couldn't let Georgie see that it was a shock.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33I am going to be petrified.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Can you put your hat back on, please?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I'm like a cracked record here.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- How long will it take you to get there? The swim.- 12 hours.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I want to do it in 12 hours.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Maybe not... I'm not saying I will do it in 12 hours,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50but that's my aim, more than, like....
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I think you're, like, inspirational.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- To all the young kids...- Do you?!
0:26:55 > 0:26:56LAUGHTER
0:26:56 > 0:26:58I do.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Hiya. Swimming the English Channel. Collecting money for Acorns. Swim to France.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Thank you.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- Been training for a year. Believe it or not, that is me. - Really?- Yep.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Only when I show people the tattoo, they believe it's me.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I've had to grow my hair, grow a beard.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Sacrifice about a year's worth of training.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Hiya. Collecting money for Acorns.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Swimming the English Channel. In memory of my son.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I think my chocolate's melting.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07I haven't swum in the sea for more than two and a half hours at one stretch.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09This is going to be my longest sea swim.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12I'm hoping for around six hours.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14I'm purely focused on this.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I'm looking forward to coming out the other end, whatever the result is.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22I can then begin to remember who my family are and they can remember who I am.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31For the first six to eight months, this was very much a solo event.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Now relying on Ali to a greater degree
0:28:34 > 0:28:37and needing help with the feeding.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39It's becoming very much a team event.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I'm pleased to be involved and just pushing him and just...
0:28:45 > 0:28:49trying to encourage him to carry on and keep going.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53It's quite... He should be admired for doing it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58He's given me full permission to abuse him as much as possible
0:28:58 > 0:29:02to get back in the water and just carry on.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04But I think this is make or break day.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07I think once he gets this under his belt,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10I reckon he can do the Channel.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14It doesn't look so bad from here.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16- Eh?- It doesn't look so bad from here.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20That's not swimming any more. All I'm doing is flailing about,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23splashing, trying to stop myself swallowing half the ocean
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and trying to get some forward traction.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Do you want that or a drink?
0:29:28 > 0:29:31It's rougher out there than it looks from here.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34- Are you happy with what you're done? - I am happy what I've done, yeah.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35It's just no longer a quality swim.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41- All I'm doing is battling. - Yeah, but is the Channel going to be any different?
0:29:41 > 0:29:44I don't know. I've done 3 hours, 20.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46I've swum in a lot worse.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48I wasn't scared, I wasn't afraid.
0:29:48 > 0:29:49It was just getting...
0:29:49 > 0:29:51It plays on your mind where you don't feel you're
0:29:51 > 0:29:54getting anywhere. You're fighting, you're battling.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57I may well have that in the Channel but that wasn't why I came down here.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59I wasn't in the right mind-set to deal with that today.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06You're not going to stop my swimmers swimming, are you? They're going to swim for two hours.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Would I ever, ever stop anyone swimming?
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Yes, every bloody time you get in there, you stop the idiots.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- Pet?- No, I'm fine.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Kev? Kev?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Ask him what he's playing at, please.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29I take exception to that.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- That is just taking the Mick out of us.- It is.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36That is taking the Mick out of us.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Mike! Mike!
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Swim, will you? For Christ's sake.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46I don't like to overtrain.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Especially at this point of the season, you could really hurt yourself.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I'm going to kill that bastard when he gets out this time.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02There will be no Channel swim at all.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06On a scale of one to ten, how angry is she?
0:31:06 > 0:31:10When Mike gets out, nobody is talking to him.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12We're going to send him to Coventry, OK?
0:31:12 > 0:31:14All of us.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Look at it this way, you know, we offer him training.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23We sit here for nothing and you get
0:31:23 > 0:31:26a talented swimmer who that just takes the piss out of it.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29We are sitting here and he is taking the Mick, isn't he?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- HE SNORES - I'll tell you what...
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I'm fast getting to the stage where
0:31:34 > 0:31:37I think this is going to be my last season. I can't cope with this. All
0:31:45 > 0:31:47I can tell you is that
0:31:47 > 0:31:50the forecast for tomorrow is 4-5 increasing 6.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52That goes through to 1800,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55that's 1800 tonight to 1800 tomorrow night.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Get yourself ready to go just in case.
0:32:01 > 0:32:017:30.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03PHONE RINGS
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Everybody is in panic mode at the moment.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Hello, what can I do for thee, sir?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10They are forecasting the sea to be moderate,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13which, to a swimmer, means it's going to be lumpy.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18It won't be flat, it won't be ironed and there will be a sea to contend with out there.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It looks like it's going to be one of those seasons.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25When they go swimming, they may not come back for two or three days.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29They do a swim, go back to Dover, sleep on the boat, take the next one.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31It's not a case of coming home every night,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34so I had to be here to feed the cats and answer the phone.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Bye. Have fun.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Yep, don't lock the middle door.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40I might be back!
0:32:42 > 0:32:43Tatty-bye.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49I like the loneliness of the sea.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51I like the night watch.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I like being there at two o'clock and three o'clock in the morning
0:32:54 > 0:32:56in the dark with the moon and the stars
0:32:56 > 0:32:58and nothing around me except the wind and the air.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Just one of those trawlers.
0:33:07 > 0:33:13People can justify what they do very, very easily, mentally.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18They can give themselves the answers, mentally, that says they're capable.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21But all they are doing is lying to themselves.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25Anything I should know?
0:33:25 > 0:33:29- No?- Only I think she's diabetic, I think.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31I know she's diabetic, yeah...
0:33:31 > 0:33:34How many six-hour swims have you done?
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- Two.- So two sixes and a five.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40That's it?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43'The number of swimmers that will not swim more than six hours
0:33:43 > 0:33:45'two or three times in their training,
0:33:45 > 0:33:50'if they do it more than once, is amazing.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52This is a 12, 14-hour swim.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55I realise that.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59You've only done six hours, you don't know where your limits are.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02So I've got to sort out her limits as I go.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06I don't muck about with it at all.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09If I think if there's any danger, that's it, finished.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12You seem a bit apprehensive.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14I'm a little bit, but...
0:34:14 > 0:34:16- It's nerves.- I'll be all right.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Well, it's an achievement.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I'm sure you'll do it. You look determined enough.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38I don't think it's ever a good idea to have a mother or father on a boat with a child.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Having said that, I was always on a boat with Alison.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Port Control, Gallivant.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46'Gallivant to Control.'
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Between north and south, sir. Like to get nor-western, please.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51INDISTINCT REPLY
0:34:56 > 0:35:01You could actually tell whether their parents should be on the boat with them or not.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Just give them all the advice you can, stay away.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17Right, bring her down.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Off you go, girl.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- Come on, girl.- Jump in now?- Yeah.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26You'll be fine. Great.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27We're here.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Pilots have full control over the swim.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35The pilot can stop the swim at any time.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38They can die.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42They can suffer serious injury.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44ALARM BLARES
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Sometimes ego can drive you to the ridiculous.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19OK, this is it. 13 months of hard work.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Time to start to really focus.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26No time now to start reflecting on what could have been done differently
0:36:26 > 0:36:28at any point during any of it.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30None of that will do you any favours now.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33You've got to put those doubts away and leave them on the beach.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36- Got an egg!- Wow!
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Physically you can do it. The only thing that will let you down is your mental state if you try
0:36:40 > 0:36:43to rush it. Just take it slowly.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45One stroke at the time.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48No more swimming after this.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Just get your head down and do it.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52This is the big one.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Remember, this is for Harry.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Quite surprised cos she still looks as if she's enjoying it.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15You're going to have a few problems when she comes out, though,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17cos she's going to be a changed person.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Well, that will be interesting.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23It affects them all.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- Keep going!- All right, Georgie!
0:37:34 > 0:37:37The beach, come on.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39The beach, get in there.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43- Come on! Here it is! - Come on, Georgie!
0:37:43 > 0:37:46ALARM BLARES
0:37:47 > 0:37:52A memorable swim is a trust that says,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56"If you think I can do it, it's well out of my league
0:37:56 > 0:38:00"but I will carry on because you think I can do it."
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Georgie, your official time was 12:22.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- Thank you.- Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Good evening, sir. Reporting in.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14We've completed our swim and we're now returning to Dover.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Everything is OK. Thank you for looking after us, sir.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20'Roger, sir. Thank you very much.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25'I wish you a nice crossing back to Dover. Out.'
0:38:31 > 0:38:33I went to the White Horse the other day.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39I saw my name on the wall and the dates when I'd swum the Channel.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The plan was never to do more than one Channel swim, but I did.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I carried on because I love it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49This is my thing. This is what I do.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57We can take you any time, that's not a problem.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- Are you going to get wet again? - No, I'm going to go and eat some chicken.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I thought you were going to do another six hours.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04No, you're all right. I might be swimming later on.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06You're getting away lightly.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Keep her posted. That'll do me.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54'Initially approached both elder sons Sean and Connor.'
0:39:54 > 0:39:56It doesn't mean they fit me.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59'Connor agreed he would help me out.'
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Well, this is the real test of character, isn't it?
0:40:02 > 0:40:05I know I've done other things before where I haven't given up,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08like the cycle ride, which was a big challenge.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09I think it'll be...
0:40:09 > 0:40:13The pilot on the boat will say, "No, I don't think you can carry on."
0:40:13 > 0:40:18Or it'll be the weather. I don't think it will be you who makes a
0:40:18 > 0:40:19decision to stop.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23As far as other people are concerned, it's, "Did you do it or not?"
0:40:23 > 0:40:26- Which is one of the huge things. - I don't think everyone will feel like that, though.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28- Not everyone. I will. - Yes, I know you will.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32- I will.- You've got a full-time job and you're a dad.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35- And this.- And a husband!
0:40:35 > 0:40:36And a husband, yeah!
0:40:38 > 0:40:44- Where have you been for the last 14 months?- Swimming.- Yes!
0:40:44 > 0:40:46'Low 200 miles south of Iceland
0:40:46 > 0:40:50'960 drifting slowly east and filling.'
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Morning, gorgeous.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57New seats, lovely.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- See you in France. - Good luck, cuz!
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Good luck!
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Some people massively overtrain.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Swimming the Channel is something you should enjoy doing.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Good luck!
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- HORN TOOTS - Go!
0:41:51 > 0:41:53You should do it because you like it and you enjoy it,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56not because you should have to work really hard at it.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18I know without a shadow of a doubt, I will never be asked to be an ambassador for the sport.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20If anybody asks me, "Shall I swim the Channel?"
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I would say, "Don't even think about it."
0:42:23 > 0:42:27If you had a love for swimming, chances are it will beat it out of you.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30If you have a love for cold water,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33then probably something you need to go and see a doctor about.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45I'm pretty scared right now.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Scared of the unknown. I don't even know what I'm scared of,
0:42:47 > 0:42:49but pretty scared.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Dover Coastguard, Connemara. Good morning, sir.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Just to inform you we have commenced our swim from Samphire, Hove.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13Charlie, Sierra, Alpha, 072.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Nine persons on board, over.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17'Received.'
0:43:30 > 0:43:34- Oh, my God!- What?- One of them purple-blue jellyfish.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38They're dangerous, them fuckers.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Put your goggles on and let's go.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46- What about if I start having chest pains. Then can I get out?- No!
0:43:47 > 0:43:52- It was worth a try. - You can try as much as you like. You ain't getting out. Bloody swim!
0:43:55 > 0:43:57What about if I start doing that?
0:43:59 > 0:44:00Fucking swim, you idiot.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03- I've got the hump now.- Good. Get going.- No sympathy.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Stroke rate went down a little bit again.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15He got up to about 52 and then he's down to 47 again.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Do you reckon he's going to stay at this all the time or is that it?
0:44:19 > 0:44:22- Is that sort of his speed? - One gear.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25INAUDIBLE
0:44:25 > 0:44:27It's just gone high tide now.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31So we're going to get a bit of slack water for an hour and then it's
0:44:31 > 0:44:33going to start trotting the other way.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36It's going to drag us back down where we've come, more or less.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- Won't it?- That's what we don't want.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53We were unfortunate to have the last three years.
0:44:53 > 0:44:58We had Paraic Casey and Susan Taylor staying with us.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06They both died within all but a week of a year between them.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09That sort of thing...
0:45:10 > 0:45:12That was awful.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- Awful.- That's the worst.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Awful thing.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18The poor pilot. It was awful.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22A lovely girl and he was a lovely man.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25He was waiting and waiting and then he got the call.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26He was over the moon.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Off he went, as happy as a light...
0:45:29 > 0:45:31and never came back.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33It's awful.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44Fuck!
0:45:52 > 0:45:53..straight into that fu...!
0:45:53 > 0:45:55HOOTER BLASTS
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Goggles on, let's go! Come on!
0:45:57 > 0:46:01- Lost my fucking goggles again! - No, you ain't! You can swim. Come on.
0:46:03 > 0:46:04Fucking hell.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06HOOTER BLASTS
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Fucking size of that fucker!
0:46:13 > 0:46:16EUUURGH!
0:46:18 > 0:46:20You all right?
0:46:22 > 0:46:25He's not looking too happy at the moment. He keeps stopping.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27He's at the six-hour stage.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- Nearly.- That's what I mean, he's nearly at the six-hour stage.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Which is the qualifying swim, but most people hit a wall there.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43I need to know where we are. Tell me where we are.
0:46:43 > 0:46:49- Just past the separation zone.- Eh? - Just past the separation zone.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51- Say it again.- Just past the separation zone.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54What the fuck does that mean?
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Halfway.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01How long until shallow water?
0:47:01 > 0:47:02Ask Kevin how long until shallow water?
0:47:02 > 0:47:04How long until shallow water?
0:47:04 > 0:47:06Oh, eight miles.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- He's not eating.- No. - He's not eating anything.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31HE VOMITS
0:47:31 > 0:47:33VOMITING CONTINUES
0:47:37 > 0:47:41Tell me the truth, how far away from the land?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- Close.- Tell me the truth or I'm getting out.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47I told you the bloody truth.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Close ain't a real answer.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51OK, about five centimetres.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- Well, that ain't true, is it? - Right, well, then.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56That's why I said tell me the truth.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58I just told you the bloody truth.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05The water must be getting warmer because there are more jellyfish.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Just watch out, there's jellyfish.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17- What the fuck am I supposed to do about that?- Watch out, obviously.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19HOOTER BLASTS
0:48:28 > 0:48:33- Did you stop me to tell me to keep going?- They asked us to ask if you are all right.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35I can't hear what you're saying.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Speak slowly.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41He wanted to know if you're OK.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05Oh, fucking hell.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19It's nearly getting dark.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22I don't care. This is one you are going to do, mate.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Whether you want to or not.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28- Why? - Because I said so, that's why.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31I need it as much as you.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37He's getting confused.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Just keep in front of him.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44- He said he can't swim this side. - Yeah.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Then he'll have to swim behind us.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51He swum off in front of us. We can't do anything else.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54We're turning the boat for you.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04He swam straight off in front of us that way from the side.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07- We could run him over.- I know.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11I think he's getting a bit disorientated.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13He is, yeah. The tide's got him.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26You are not beating the tide. The swell.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29We're going backwards and backwards further and further.
0:50:29 > 0:50:35We've drifted about one mile and a half in half an hour, away from the land.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37You're just not beating the tide and the swell.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38Not beating the tide.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Stick it for half an hour until the weather passes over.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01- Dad!- You're going the wrong fucking way.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05If we get him straightened up...
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Straighten up! This way.
0:51:07 > 0:51:12He's just not going anywhere. He's punching the sea now.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14We're going to have to get him out of this.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17- We're going to have to get him out.- Yeah.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20- Get him out?- Game over. - It's too rough.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21Dad! It's too rough.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28- Dad!- He's making no ground. He's getting nowhere.
0:51:28 > 0:51:29End of.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31End it.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34INDISTINCT
0:51:36 > 0:51:40- Get that ladder down. - He's making no ground.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47- You have to get on the ladder. - Say again?
0:51:47 > 0:51:49It's too dangerous.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52You're making no ground. We're drifting out further and further.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03You swam away from the boat three times now in the opposite direction.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04Going round in a circle.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07I'm concerned about your safety.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11You've got within two and half miles of the land.
0:52:11 > 0:52:12We just can't risk any more.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13Do you understand that?
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Yep.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Come on! We're there now.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53Come on! 400 metres, if that.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Otherwise, we are going to go round and you'll end up in the bay.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58- Don't threaten me!- Come on!
0:52:58 > 0:53:00I'm not, I'm telling you the truth.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08I might just pull this one off.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11Really? Get your arse in there.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15- Come on!- Just pull this one out the bag.- Come on, off you go.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17This is the last push, come on.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19You can do this.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55HOOTER BLARES
0:54:02 > 0:54:06That's the hardest swim I've ever done.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Oh, fucking hell.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42I'd better get back to the boat. My head's spinning in fucking circles,
0:54:42 > 0:54:43like, really dangerously.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Everybody booked in?
0:55:34 > 0:55:35Anyone want greasing up?
0:55:42 > 0:55:45There we go. The last of the season.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47The last of the season.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Thank you kindly, sir.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57No, thanks, mate.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03I worked it out last night on the calendar
0:56:03 > 0:56:08that we spend 51 days down here in a year.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11You work that out...
0:56:11 > 0:56:13It's 500 in ten years.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Freda is 30 years.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19That's 1,500 days she's spent down here.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20That's a lifetime, isn't it?
0:56:20 > 0:56:24How much longer we can do it, we don't know.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26We're all getting old.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- That's it.- We've been down here for over 20 years.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33We've never fallen out, never had cross words.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Not come close to it, have we?
0:56:35 > 0:56:39You are counting the days to start again.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46Certainly this now leaves a big hole in your life.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52Every Friday I'm packing up my car and coming down here.
0:56:53 > 0:56:58Every Sunday afternoon I'm packing it up and driving it home.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00What's left?
0:57:53 > 0:57:57I came within here to the end of the fence of a container ship,
0:57:57 > 0:57:58110,000 tonnes.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01I forgot you even got certificates, been so long since I've done one.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05There we go.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Yeah, lovely. Cheers, mate. Thanks very much.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12Dover Coastguard, Dover Coastguard, Connemara, Connemara.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16Get your arse into gear! You're running late.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19You've still got a mile and a half to the beach. What's up?!
0:58:19 > 0:58:24# So swipe them swiftly when they swoop and swim, Sam, swim
0:58:27 > 0:58:31# So I swam with vigour, the race had just begun
0:58:31 > 0:58:35# Sharks all eyed my figure, "All jelly," shouted one.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39# Some old portly porpoise popped up in the foam
0:58:39 > 0:58:43# Shouted, "If you want to catch your last train home
0:58:43 > 0:58:45# Swim, Sam, swim!
0:58:45 > 0:58:48# Show them you're some swimmer
0:58:48 > 0:58:50# Swim just like a swan, Sam!
0:58:50 > 0:58:53# You know how the swan swam
0:58:53 > 0:58:55# Six sharp sharks are going to snap your limbs... #