Sandi's daily blog

Day 1

What started off as an idea a few months ago suddenly became a reality as we left the office. The warm send off from our colleagues made us realise just how extraordinary this undertaking was going to be.

After 11 hours of flying we woke to see thousands of islands below. The view was amazing with turquoise colours and miles and miles of ocean that we were going to swim through. It’s sad to imagine that such beauty may no longer exist!

After a quick transfer from the airport we got to see our accommodation for the next 10 days. The boat, not a yacht it's clean and functional and it will cater to all our needs.

With no time to rest we were in the water. We had some national swimmers join us for the afternoon session. It was tough. Jet lag was taking its toll. I also discovered that swimming in the ocean is much harder than training in the pool gym. Lewis made good progress and its a privilege to swim with him. We are all focussing on the arrival in Male, the capital on Monday.

Day 2

We were woken at 6 am, the earliest Nick has got up this year. There was just enough time for a cup of coffee before Nick and Lewis hit the water for the start of day 2. The water was full of tiny jellyfish. They glow neon blue creating the effect of thousands of fairy lights. Unfortunately they sting badly. I got stung on the lips in the afternoon session, not my ideal kissing partner!

Despite Lewis feeling a bit fluey, he powered through the water. We made good progress by breakfast time. This meant we could take a decent break from the heat. Wanting to make the most of every opportunity Nick and I went off to explore a nearby reef, about 1km away from the boat (not so near). After our (short) swim to the reef we saw the most magnificent fish of all shapes, sizes and colours. They were very friendly and almost swam with us. It’s hard to imagine we are potentially one of the last generations to see such beauty.

The afternoon session was rough and at one stage Nick was swimming flat out but still going backwards as he got caught in a vicious current. Lewis narrowly missed being washed under the boat by the same current.

The effect of the past 2 days swimming is already noticeable. There are some sore shoulders here and as we write we can hardly keep our eyes open (its 8pm) and our beds are calling. Tomorrow we hit the capital!

Day 3

Our 3rd day started like every other, early wake up call, quick breakfast, in the water only to find our friends again, the jelly fish. We met some friendlier creatures, a giant turtle and eels. Not to mention thousands of purple and yellow angel fish. Incredible!

Today was all about Lewis' arrival in Male. The Maldivians have really embraced Lewis' swim. For the last 5 kms he was escorted by no less than 4 boats from the coast guard. As he got out the water he was swamped by the media and surrounded by 100's of young screaming school children. It was touching. The highlight of the day was when a few school children came up to Nick and I and asking for our autographs! In the ensuing chaos Lewis was whisked off to see the minister, the general had to attend to other affairs leaving Nick and I to fend for ourselves!

We had no mobiles, no wallets and only a vague idea of where our boat was moored. After a 40 minute walk we eventually found the harbour. Little did we know that the REAL challenge was about to begin. It was getting dark and looking for the boat was like searching for a needle in a haystack!

45 minutes later with blistered feet, sore shoulders and having failed to find our boat we head back to town in the hope of scrounging a hotel. Half an hour later our captain appeared out of the darkness and the diesel fumes, like a shining light. We were ecstatic! So another exhausting day comes to an end but we are ready to fight another day!

Day 4

As mentioned previously, the Maldivians have really embraced the swim. This meant we could afford a lie-in (7pm) as Lewis attended numerous functions.

Lewis’ highlight was the reception he received at a local school. Over 750 children cheered him on. He was given colourful hand drawn pictures and a beautiful painting of a sea shell. Lewis was most moved. During this time he met with the ministers of environment, education and sport and answered numerous questions. The children seemed genuinely concerned about the future of their country.

Due to our later than normal start we knew we were going to have to push in the afternoon session. The water was the roughest to date. Despite this Lewis looked strong covering over 9km in 2 hours. I did my bit for global warming by keeping the sea level down gulping about a litre of water with every swell that came through.

Nick continues to amaze me with the way he effortlessly powers through the water! He never seems to run out of energy always encouraging us to keep pushing through the barriers. Tomorrow we tackle the most challenging part of the swim, the 50km channel between the east and west atolls. Even now in the lagoon the water is choppy so no doubt tomorrow I will be swallowing more sea water!

Day 5

It was interesting sleeping last night as the winds had picked up considerably. By sunrise it was howling and the boat was swaying WAY more than normal. I was beginning to think the monsoon had arrived early.

After struggling to get up on deck as we were being thrown from side to side the thought of getting into the water was scary. There were waves everywhere and white horses on top of every swell. Having only just managed to clear my lungs of yesterday’s sea water I knew I had a challenge on my hands. Nick being the ever optimist was delighted as he would now be able to go body surfacing.

The only good thing about the wind was that it was behind us. Given the conditions it was really hard to keep the boat on the side. Even Lewis and I got separated at times. Being alone in these rough seas was a completely new experience but I just kept on swimming.

After my session I got back to the boat and it looked like a battlefield. Dave our film producer was lying at the front of the boat, our cook was bent double over the railing and the general's wife, Jenny, was below deck feeling awful. The sea sickness was taking its toll. Despite these conditions Lewis was fearless. He remains focussed on his goal.

We are changing boats tomorrow. As a result at the end of the day’s swim the boat changed course and took us back to Male. Going full steam ahead this journey took nearly 2 hours. We couldn't believe how far we had come in the last 2 days. We are now half way through this epic journey. Exhaustion is an understatement.

Day 6

You would have thought after 5 days at sea, the prospect of spending a night in a hotel would be to die for. The only minor detail is after having FINALLY got used to the swaying of the boat, solid ground feels VERY unnatural.

Today we changed boats. There were severe delays as the boat was broken. Felt like I was back on London’s Northern line. Nick says it was the propeller shaft not working. There was a lot of banging coming from the engine room and even now they are still working hard to fix it. The delays were out of our hands and all the waiting around was frustrating.

Due to not swimming today it looks like we will have to swim for as much as 6 hours tomorrow. Given my current non-stop coughing, I doubt I will be able to do it. But with a team as focussed and determined (Lewis, Nick and the General) anything is possible.

Day 7

After yesterdays delays there was some major catching up to do. Due to the mechanical problems of the boat we needed a backup plan. Plan A, was a speed-boat with no GPS (given there are no landmarks in the channel) estimating positions would have been impossible! We were now desperate to get this swim on the go! After some frantic calls to Investec, Victoria in Marketing pulled some serious strings. She managed to get Roman Abramovich's speedboat and crew. After 10 minutes wait, 3 crewmen arrived in a luxurious tender boat and Lewis, Nick and Mike, our photographer set off. I was still coughing severely and under strict instructions not to swim much to my frustration.

The progress Lewis and Nick made today was phenomenal. They covered 19 km in 3 hours and 20 minutes. This lengthy swim was made up of 5x 40 minute sessions with 10 minutes rests in between at a faster than normal pace. To put this into perspective this is equivalent to almost swimming a half marathon!! On top of it all today the swim started at 11 to coincide with the tides but unfortunately this also coincided with the hottest time of the day. The sun was belting down on Lewis and Nick. Despite the litres of sun cream generously and carefully applied this was not enough. Tonight there are 2 very lobster-red bodies walking around. Nick's sun burn is particularly bad.

The casualties of the day are clearly evident. But the team is strong and determined, always focussed on completing this mission no matter what difficulties arise.

Day 8

Despite having emptied an entire bottle of after-sun on Nick's back and wrapping him in cool wet towels overnight the redness had only subsided slightly. Lewis' burn was not much better either. Even though the guys were determined to stick to their original plan to start swimming at midday, sanity had to prevail as the risk of skin cancer is very real. The decision was to start swimming at 15.00 so we had some time to recover in the morning. To my delight I saw 6 beautiful dolphins playing in the bow wave of the boat. I was about a metre away from there. It was incredible to see, definitely one of my best moments.

At 14.30 Kevin and his crew arrived to pick us up for the swim. They also bought miracle cream - zinc which the boys proceeded to cover themselves in from head to toe to avoid further sun damage. Allan Donald had nothing on these guys! Today’s session was the same as yesterdays with 40 minutes on and 10 off. The only exception to this was during one session when the General started to tap his head. To most people this would go unnoticed but in long distance swimming circles it is a sign for shark. I have never seen 2 people start to swim so quickly. Nick literally leapt out the water. Once out the water the fin disappeared and we are still not sure what it was! This was not a deterrent and the guys continued to power on towards the finish.

This brief incidence made it all too clear why no-one has done this before and just how out of the ordinary this really is. By the end of the swim after nearly 2 days of nothing but water we could finally see land! It’s hard to describe how having the end in sight lifts the spirits and no doubt will keep us going as we hit the water tomorrow.

Day 9

The logistics of this adventure have been complicated to say the least. Our support boat is still broken and is unlikely to sail again within a few days. Today was also the last day we had support from ‘Pelarus’ (Abramovich's boat). This meant we had to finish crossing the channel by 16:00 today. With 18kms to go it was going to be a HUGE day. If I have learnt anything on this trip is that with a positive attitude and enough determination anything is possible.

It was a hard slog under the blazing sun but we kept on going. Failure was not an option today. Again Lewis opted for the gruelling option of 40 minutes on 10 off with Nick and I rotating every 20. I swam about 9kms. This is the furthest I have ever swum. I felt surprisingly good and made me realise just how far we had come over the past 9 days. I have seen unimaginable sites and been pushed further than I ever dreamed possible while I was continually supported by a quality team.

All the swimming in the past 8 days was starting to take effect on all of us! Lewis was forced to dig deep both mentally and physically. It was inspirational! We finally hit land today. Unfortunately this "land" was actually a shallow reef covered in lots of sharp pieces of coral. We were too exhausted and the current was too strong to swim around it. So Nick made the executive decision to carry on swimming over it. This was not such good idea. Despite trying to swim doggy paddle it wasn't long before we all had lacerations on our feet. In typical style we all carried on pushing finishing 1km from our endpoint. The end was finally in sight. Having successfully crossed the channel Kevin and the Pelarus crew produced 2 bottles of Moet to celebrate to our delight. They have been incredibly supportive and we are also so grateful for their time, generosity and skills. One more day to go!

Day 10

I never thought this day would come, but now that it is here it all feels to have gone so quickly.

At 11:00 Lewis dived in to swim the last 1km of what has been an extra ordinary journey. He was met on the beach by Tim (the general) and a scrum of journalists all trying to get the perfect shot. It was emotional to watch. We have all come so far, both mentally and physically! Getting lewis to the finish was a huge team effort:

To Tim/General- we would still be stuck in Male if it wasn't for you. You have taken a group of different individuals and transformed them into an efficient team. You always made us laugh and look at the brighter side of things. Jenny (the general's wife) - its been so great having you around. Not only have you been a walking pharmacy (with expired stocK) but you have been a motherly figure to us all and always been so gracious with everything. Dave (moving photograher) - the way you coped without complaint about your seasickness was amazing! You are so easygoing! Thanks for introducing extreme ironing into my life! (Even though I am still not quite sure of the point). Mike (stills photographer)- you took the best photographs in the world. You are so talented! It was such a pleasure getting to know you. For the record I DID NOT BREAK YOUR CAMERA! Nick - I don't know what I would have done without you! You are the most selfless human being I have ever met! You have the patience of a saint and a heart of gold. You are also an incredible athlete. Lewis - what an acheivment! The way you take on these challenges and believe whole heartedly in what you do is truly inspirational and most certainly out of the ordinary!

This trip for me was not only about swimming. It was about going outside my comfort zone and seeing how far I could push myself. What I learnt is that with enough determination and a quality team anything is possible and boundaries only exist if you put them there. This truly has been an out of the ordinary experience and one that I shall never forget!