Elaine Burrows Dillane

Swimmers report:

After doing the English Channel, I started researching swims, and the Original Triple Crown really interested me and that so few people had Bristol and the OTC done, the North Channel was always on the cards so I made my mind up to do Bristol and accomplish the Original Triple Crown.

In the 1st place this swim is 2 or 3 years in the making as Covid restrictions prevent led me from doing it in 2020 and I did the North Channel in 2021, and being pulled out of the water after my swim I tore the tendons in my wrist so that was another set back, but definitely it was 2 whole years of serious training in cold and rough waters plus the North Channel and I really put the head down for 2022 and worked really hard in the pool and rough sea, also attended “Hit the Wall” training camp, had lots of intense training for this swim, I was determined nothing was going to stop me this time!

The swim went very well from the time I arrived in Wales Ceri Davis(the pilot) and Tom Chapman(the observer) were in constant contact with me making sure everything was done and informing me on the weather and discussed organisation of the day ahead and my route from Glenthorne in to Porthcawl beach as I wanted to do the original Bristol Channel route,.

We left from Mumbles and boat and headed for Glenthorne and bumpy force 5 sea, at 7.30ish I started my swim, it was fairly rough for the 1st few hours but I felt I eased in to the sea nicely and felt very comfy, as the morning went on the sun came out and the sea calmed, there was a nice swell temperature was really nice actually felt warm.
I got across the channel in about 7hours, swam comfortably for the next 2 hours l, then the fun started the tide turned 2 hours earlier than expected and it was a fair fight for the next nearly 4 hours. I had a really strong tide against me and wind with it, I fought really hard to make any ground, the 1st 2 hours of the turn of the tide were so hard, I was so lucky to have had a great team on the boat ( my own team, pilot and Co pilot and observer), they were so positive and encouraging, I dug deep for those 4 hours and then final saw my result in sight which was such a relief as I was really tired at that stage.

I arrived into Porthcawl on the west side of the river and was so delighted I stuck with and did the route I had really really wanted to achieve

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