UK women attempt two-way North Channel swim for WDC
UK open water swim enthusiast, Caroline Sims will be part of an all all-female team hoping to be the first complete a two-way swim of the North Channel — a strait between Ireland and Scotland.
The Ocean Walker Ladies Relay team is to attempt the challenge from August 21-25 and will be raising money for charities including WDC. Caroline will be joined by Vicki Watson, 44, of Nottingham; Sarah Gatland, 39, of Sheffield; Sylvia Bland, 47, of Northumbria; Sarah Taylor, 50, of Norfolk; and Louise Stratford, 34, of Suffolk. The swim will begin in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and go to Portpatrick, Scotland, and then to Groomsport, Northern Ireland.
The 70km swim is expected to take 36 hours as they battle water temperatures of 10-14 degrees, with each member swimming for one hour at a time.
Adam Walker, the man behind swim coaching organisation, Ocean Walker, is a patron of WDC and previously raised thousands of pounds to help our work when he became first Britain to complete what’s known as the Oceans 7 – the hardest seven ocean swims in the world.
In 2013, Caroline swam the English Channel, which she dedicated to her training partner, Susan Taylor, who died a few days before the challenge. Susan was airlifted to hospital after getting into difficulty during a swim. “If Susan was here now she would definitely be part of the team,” said Caroline. “She was an amazing woman and I am sure she would be proud of what we are doing.”
To donate to the team, go to their donation page.
