When I swam the English Channel in 2019, I asked Conny to stop me ever doing something like that again. Don’t get me wrong: I am incredibly proud of that achievement, but it was so much hard work, and the crossing itself hurt so much, that I couldn’t imagine going through that again!! After a few years not doing too much swimming due to the pandemic and resting on my laurels, I have decided that there is at least one more challenge in me. On October 15th this year, I will be attempting to swim the ~48 km (~28 miles) all the way around Manhattan Island, New York. That’s quite a bit further than the English Channel, but it involves swimming along three tidal rivers (East River, Harlem River and the Hudson river) so the tide will help me along on this occasion.

The East River, connecting New York Harbour to Long Island Sound, has some ripping-fast tides that will push me under the Brooklyn Bridge. The Harlem River is quite mellow by comparison, with relatively calm waters and a slower current. Though it’s just 8 miles long, the Harlem River is crossed by 15 bridges, most of them between Manhattan and the Bronx! Then comes the Hudson, separating Manhattan from the state of New Jersey. The only bridge on this stretch is the George Washington Bridge, with the Little Red Lighthouse tucked at its base. The swim is officially called ’20 Bridges’ for obvious reasons!

If successful, this should be an 8-10 hour swim, and I will be one of the oldest swimmers to complete it.

As usual, I am looking to raise money for Aspire, a charity that assists people with life-changing spinal cord injuries. I started my marathon swimming journey with Aspire in 2015, and they continue to be very active in the Channel swimming Community. To be clear: I will fund the entire costs of the adventure myself; all the money you donate will all go directly to Aspire.

This year I am also co-fundraising with some my Cambridge swimming friends who are doing a relay the length of Loch Ness. Together, we are the Jesus Green Nessies (our local open-air pool is called Jesus Green). You can see pictures of the team and other team members here:

https://www.justgiving.com/team/jesusgreennessies

Thank you for supporting me.