Para-para-paradise..!!

The Greatest Summer Of Sport

Ever........!!

The Greatest Great Britain Team Ever......!!!

Big Ricks Blogs are coming back.!!!! OH NO...I hear you cry..;-)) ...more fun and games from the best open water middle aged swim team in the UK...lol. Ha okay maybe not the best..More like the worst ;-)

Team GB 2012
Gold Medal Winners ..

The first blog back has to reflect on what has been the most incredible summer of sport in England. before we get into that , to start the ball rolling we have to choose our regular blog read as you listen classic  tune, if you live in the UK, you would have heard this tune time and  time again throughout the London 2012 Olympics  and Paralympics  games ,It been the song of the best summer of sport ever.....!!!It’s ...Paradise by the great Coldplay.

The Amazing Paralympics Team GB..

So Turn it up loud and take a moment  and dream  of all those fantastic moments we have witnessed over the past 3 months that have made up what  has been the most magical summer in the UK we will ever see.. It’s been a special one for Big Rick as well...!!!!

(simply click on the arrow on the Picture above to Hear Chris and the boys..make sure its Loud.)  Full blog to come soon...

The Fabulous Big Ricks Swim Team..
landing in France this  summer..

It would be easy to make the whole of this blog and the blogs for months to come solely about just how good an experience the London Olympic and Paralympics games were, but in the end is this is Big Ricks Blog..!! The story of middle aged swim club..!!! ..so let’s just say the London 2012 games were simply the greatest show on earth , and have them in London was a life experience that we as a country I’m sure will never forget..;-) ...its not only been the best summer of sport in the UK ever..!!! its also been the summer ever for Big Ricks swim team, we started back in open water in late April , since then the team and its friends have done over 30 open water events throughout the UK and abroad...it’s been an incredible summer...  we hope the following pictures will show in small way just what a amazing sport open water swimming is becoming ...don`t miss out...sign up for 2013...it will change your life...!!! Ricks  

Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise 

Speedo Eton 10k
at Dorney Lake ,Windsor.27th May.
Fabulous Swim, the 10k was just one of 4 races that day
(750m.1500m.3k and 10k )

The Box End 5k....
1st open event of the Year 19th May..

The British Gas Great Salford swim
held at the beautiful Salford Quays in Manchester..
a fun swim as always 3000 taking part..July. 

The British Gas Great London Swim
held and at the Victoria and Albert dock
again another fun swim, weather was fab..July

Liverpool Albert Dock 4 mile Swim..
it was simply a great event to part off..August  

The British Gas ASA National Open Water Championships 2012
held at the Beautiful Rother Valley in Sheffield (21/7/12)

The English Channel..
Richard powering away from France on our Return trip to Dover..June

Buttermere ,Lake District . September
Bro and sis Nicky and Marcus took part in the Utterly Buttermere Sportive  

San Francisco U.S,A 

Ricks Nicky "sloopy slops" ..Swimming past the Golden gate Bridge in San Francisco , whilst doing The  World’s most famous open water swim., From Alcatraz island to San Francisco Bay in June( big ricks Rob and Ollie also did the Alcatraz swim in August ) 

Swan Pool , Birmingham .
Doug is off, Richard is thinking about .!!
Training in  May 

Festival of Sport 2012 September 

St Michael's Mount, Mounts Bay Cornwall
it was nice easy 10K swim of Ricks newcomer Wendy to do

June 2012

Swimmers Beach Dover Harbor  .. June 2012

believe us its looks a lot warmer than the sea felt that evening .!!
(This is the beautiful Channel Swimmers Monument that stands along Waterloo Crescent at Dover, to honor all those swimmers who have attempted to swim the English Channel since records began..)

The English Channel June 2012..
sometimes there is no more  beautiful place on the plant..
( 4.40 am )

loads more pictures and memories of the Great summer of 2012 to come...

Ricks Classic Pictures of 2012...(June)
The White Cliffs of Dover..
the View all channel swimmers love to see..,

when your leaving, but even better when your returning.....;-)

Sort of a classic picture..!!!
ever wondered what to take for a 2 way trip of the Channel june 

Ricks at the Olympics Augest 2012.
london 2012 ladies 10k race  

Wales ..May..
3.8k chilly swim in Tenby..( rough day )

No Year is completed without a 10k swim
at Bray Lake July 

ASA OW Midlands Champs Bosworth water in July
spare a thought for our supports having to watch in rain..
great race was had by ricks swimmers 

ASA British Champs Sheffield Rother Valley in july
Ricks Basher is No 2..Paul went on to come 2nd..not bad for an oldie  

Liverpool .Albert Dock 4 mile swim . August
great swim for Ricks  

loads more to come...

London Paralympic Games 2012

London Paralympic Games 2012
29 Aug -9 Sep
its when  The Real Fun Begins .....!!!

London 2012

I do believe the Olympics start today ..;-)))))))
 Sunrise over London with the Olympic rings on the tower bridge ..

Time to Make Britain Proud...

Its Time for the 33rd Summer Olympic Games
London 2012

The Olympic Torch finally makes it London this Morning for tonight opening ceremony..!!!  

Welcome To Big Rick`s  Blog...for any 1st timers , these blogs are our lite hearted view to all the joys and adventures that  Big Ricks Swim Team enjoy through open water swimming these stories take place in beautiful lakes, fabulous seas or amazing rivers all over the UK..!! ..This week’s  Olympic London 2012  Special read along while you listen blog tune is the classic track "All Night Long""  by the Fabulous Lionel Richie .why did we choose it...??? Because we thought it just about says it all about what London 2012 will be Like........Hope you enjoy Rx (Please  Click on arrow on the picture above to hear and dance along to  Lionel his Best as you read......!!!)

Yeah, once it get`s started

You can't sit down

Come join the fun

It's a merry go round

Everyone's dancing

Their troubles away

Come join our party

See how Us English play!

Oh, yes

We're going to have a party!

The great Bradley Wiggins...winning the Tour De France..can he win
another Olympic Gold in London..??

The Time has come....””London 2012.””, we seem to have been waiting forever  for it to arrive, but finally it’s here...And what show its going to be; well they do call The Olympics The Greatest Show On Earth and if there is one thing the British do better than anyone else is put on a great show....! It’s the Greatest Summer of sport the UK will ever know...already last weekend we had the 1^st ever Brit (Bradley Wiggins) winning the Tour De France in over 100yrs and that’s even before the games start in 3 days time (28/7/12 ) .......

But Lets no forget we are a Ricks Blog , about open water swimming  and as well as the games. We still have a great summer packed with of swimming events and a races over the UK to tell you about ..so we are going to try our best to keep you updated with both over the coming weeks.....

The British Olympic Swimming Team 2012
arrived in Style in London Yesterday..

The London Wildlife in training at Serpentine lake In Hyde Park..

Its home to men`s and ladies open water 10k races-

The Olympics are nearly here Keri -Anne , Thomas and crew ! can we wait...Noooooooooooo

The BLDSA Bala lake Race 14/7/12

.Its fabulous place to swim ..if just a bit chilly ..

Top swimming from Ricks everyone who took part .R..

A general view inside the  olympic swimming pool in the Aquatics Centre,

 venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games,...only 3 days until the 1st race...!! 

Come on TEAM GB.............

Bronze for Becky 400m Free..(day 2 )

The Greatest Swimmer and Olympian EVER
Micheal Phelps..
15 Golds 2 Silver   2 Bronze
Day 4

Micheal Jamieson
2nd in the 200m Breaststroke ..
it took the fastest swim in the history of the Event to beat him
day 5

Wiggo..
Bradley Wiggins
10 days after winner the Tour De France, old Side burns won the mensTT gold
(Day 5)

Rx more to come as it happens in the days ahead.....

Thriller Night ....

Big Ricks Thriller Night ,
our attempted  2-way  of the English Channel swim Route
 all 63 miles of it was a Thriller

Simply click on the arrow above to hear

Great Thriller...By Jacko...--))

It's Close To Midnight And Something Evil's Lurking In The Dark

Under The Moonlight You See A Sight That Almost Stops Your Heart

You Try To Scream But Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It

You Start To Freeze As Horror Looks You Right Between The Eyes,

You're Paralyzed..........!!!!!

its okay..not to worry its only Big Ricks big man ” The Meat” swimming the channel.!!   

Darkness Falls Across The Channel

The Midnite Hour Is Close At Hand

Creatures Crawl In Search Of Blood

To Terrorize Y'awl's Neighbourhood

And Whosoever Shall Be Found

Without The Soul For Getting Down

Must Stand And Face The Hounds Of Hell

And Rot Inside A Corpse's Shell

The Foulest Stench Is In The Air

The Funk Of Forty Thousand Years

And Grizzy Ghouls From Every Tomb

Are Closing In To Seal Your Doom

And Though You Fight To Stay Alive

Your Body Starts To Shiver

For No Mere Mortal Can Resist

The Evil Of The Channel...........!!.....

Basher Wins Gold..
Now all the channel swimming has finished for another year,the fun really does starts for all the Big Ricks club swimmers at all the many open water events across the UK this summer.,
Paul has started the ball rolling  for Ricks by somehow winning the really old age group (40-49) 2k race in 25.10.( not a bad time in just trunks for an old fart !!)
 at the A.S.A West Midlands Open Water Championships held at beautiful Bosworth Water ..
well done Basher are you sure you weren`t the only one in it..;-))

Big Ricks Midlands Champions 2012 

U Can't Touch This....!!

Its Ricks Time........

Shakespeare beech in Dover
The Start and Finish to so many channel swim since 1885
Big Ricks were only 300m away and could we touch it..!!NOOOOOO..;-))
  

Channel Swimming Association Ltd

CSA Swim No 485R     Date  26/06/2012

(To be completed in full by the CSA Official Observer)

Observer’s Log and Comment  

Big Ricks Swim Team 2 way Channel Swim

i

This is it....the CSA`s official report on big ricks attemped 2 way swim of the English  Channel on the 26th June of 2012 ..for those of you planning on swimming the channel one day , well you might find it of some help we hope..Wonder why we have picked  MC Hammers U Can`t Touch This. as our read along song this week,....well after swimming for 22hrs and 35 minutes through every type of weather you could imagine, swimming over 60 miles in process to get within 300m of finishing...and be told you U Can`t Touch It...

( land that is) is kind of funny we thought ...(dig out your 80`s hammer trousers click on the arrow above, a dance along as you read...its Ricks time.......)

01:15 01:20 01:25 01:30 01:55 02:20 02:30 02:33 02:35 03:02 03:04 03:10 03:25 03:33 03:34 03:58 04:25 04:33 04:45 04:50 05:03 05:15 05:25 05:33 05:45 05:56 05:58 06:27 06:33 06:45 06:58 07:15 07:22 07:33 07:34 07:50 08:02 08:08 08:37 08.39 08:42 08:56 09:15	Arrived at Folkestone harbour – very quiet. Weather good – light south westerly winds, virtually clear sky and dry. High tide is at 03:57 hrs at a height of 6.02m. Big Rick’s Swim Team arrive – not so quiet now, they seem to be a lively group. Introduced to team members, Paul Bates, Stuart Dugmore, Darran Dyke, Gary Edgington, Richard Brownjohn and Robert Cash. As second Observer has not arrived, informed team of procedures and CSA guidance, together with main rules covering 2-Way Relay Swims. Met pilot and crew, Fred and Harry Mardle. Trainee Observer, Ben Terry, arrived and all transferred to ‘Masterpiece’ via punt. (Noted that Harry’s sculling skills haven’t improved much since last year!). Safety and ‘orientation’ talk given by Fred. Team members appear impressed with ‘ensuite’ facilities aboard ‘Masterpiece’!! Left Folkestone harbour to start swim from Samphire Hoe. Discussed observer responsibilities and guidelines with Ben. Paul preparing to swim. Light stick activated and attached to trunks, strobe light fitted to goggle straps. Arrived off Samphire Hoe. Paul enters water and swims to beach, where he stands clear of water. On sound of klaxon, Paul re-enters water to commence swim. Stop watches started and swim commenced at 02:33 hrs. Paul alongside ‘Masterpiece’, swimming strongly at 56 spm on starboard side. Weather – mainly clear skies, some low cloud, dark with no moon. Sea is a little more than ‘choppy’ with confused swell mainly due to structure of the ‘Hoe’. ‘Masterpiece’ is a little livelier than some would wish!! Harry calls Dover Coastguard and confirms start of swim. Very little inshore shipping visible except for a string of navigation lights stretching from Dover harbour western entrance to Samphire Hoe. It looks like the 2012 swim season is off to a busy start – 8 swim boats in total. Ben is not feeling well, pays visit to starboard side of ‘Masterpiece’. Darran is also not feeling well and the other members of the team are quieter. Stuart preparing to swim has light switch attached to trunks and strobe light attached to goggle straps. First change-over. Stuart enters water on time signal given by observer, approaches Paul from behind and correctly takes-over from Paul, who returns onboard via ladder assisted by Harry. Note : All subsequent change-overs are timed and observed to be correctly                 undertaken. (See separate sheet for further details, times, etc.)  Standard data taken and recorded. (See separate sheets for full details.) Standard details recorded at hourly intervals throughout the duration of the swim. Sky is beginning to lighten. Visibility is excellent – lights clearly visible on French coast. Shipping is quiet, one ferry to port bound for France, two vessels visible in South West Shipping Lane.  Darran preparing to swim – no light sticks required. Change-over. Darran in, Stuart back on board. Full daylight with wonderful sunrise but rainbow to south. Are we in for rain later? Flood tide is still fairly strong and taking us up the Channel towards the ferry lanes. 3 ferries astern including P&O ‘Spirit of Britain’ bound for Calais. Darran swimming strongly and consistently at 62 spm. Entered South West Shipping Lane. Very quiet – no visible shipping. Gary preparing to swim.  Change-over. Gary in, Darran back on board. Large Maersk Line container ship passes across bow going down Channel. P&O ferry ‘Spirit of France’ passing close on port side bound for Dover. Small coaster ‘Gouken’ passes close across bow, LD Lines ferry passing on port side bound for Dover. Flock of about 15 gannets approach and remain around ‘Masterpiece’ for about 5 minutes. Richard preparing to swim. Change-over. Richard in, Gary back on board. P&O ferry ‘Pride of Canterbury’ passing close on starboard side, bound for Dover. Bulk carrier ‘First Polar’ passing close across bow. Entered small area of weed - Richard swimming strongly at 65 spm – not affected by weed. Robert preparing to swim. Change-over. Robert in, Richard back on board ‘Masterpiece’. Note : Swimmers maintain order of rotation for duration of swim. (See attached sheet for times/details). No further notes made re change-overs. Robert changes to port-side swim. Enter Separation Zone. Large Evergreen Line container ship passing approx. ½ mile astern going down Channel. The sun is out. Team are in high spirits – no ill effects, all well. (Ben is now also feeling much better). Leave Separation Zone and enter North East Shipping Lane. Harry advises French Coastguard of our position. P&O ferry passing close on starboard side bound for Dover. DFDS ferry ‘Dunkerque Seaway’ passing close on port side bound for Dunkerque. Small coaster passing across bow – shipping a little busier now. Harry taking orders for fried bacon sandwiches – swimmers (& Ben) decline to place orders!! Large bulk carrier ‘Overseas Cathy’ (242m x 42m with draught of 10.6m) passes close astern going up Channel. Shipping in N E Lane is very quiet. No visible vessels coming up Channel. Visibility continues to be excellent. Calais harbour and town visible off port bow, Cap Blanc straight ahead (approx. 8 miles) and Cap Gris Nez in distance off starboard bow.
09:28 09:42 10:04 10:25 11:00 11:07 11:40 11:50 12:55 13:05 13:20 13:29 13:33 13:37 13:41 13:43 14:15 14:50 15:00 15:12 15:15 15:20 15:48 16:12 16:18 16:31 16:48 16:55 17:08 17:17 17:30 17:37 18:02 18:05 18:09 18:50 18:55 19:40 19:50 20:15 20:25 20:50 21:04 21:05 21:45	P&O ferry ‘Pride of Dover’ passing close on starboard side bound for Dover. P&O ferry ‘Pride of Calais’ passing close on port side bound for Dover. Other than large bulk carrier passing approx. ½ mile off port bow, shipping remains quiet. Weather remains good, light south westerly wind, sea relatively calm with slight swell. Very good visibility. P&O ferry ‘Spirit of Britain’ passing on port side on her return crossing to Dover. Tide starting to take ‘Masterpiece’ to south. French coast and beaches clearly visible at approx. 5 miles distance. P&O ferry passing on port side bound for Calais. Entered French Inshore Waters. Continues to be quiet. Car transporter approx. ¾ mile astern. 4 x yachts between ‘Masterpiece’ and coast. Cap Blanc is now off port bow, Cap Gris Nez is still off starboard bow. Robert giving vocal encouragement to Gary. All team remain in good spirits – all fit and healthy. Cap Gris Nez is now approx. 1 mile off starboard bow – tantalizingly close but the tide is still taking us south. Weather continues fine with virtually clear, blue sky with light south westerly wind. Harry preparing tender. Next change-over should be closer than is safe for ‘Masterpiece’ and will therefore be undertaken from tender if necessary. Problems with outboard motor, looks like Harry is going to get opportunity to further improve his sculling skills!! Tender away to accompany Richard to shore. Robert accompanying Harry in case change-over has to be undertaken from tender. ‘Masterpiece’ standing approx. 150m off shore. Fred holds position to enable finish of first leg to be observed. Richard out of water on rocks at base of Cap Gris Nez to correctly complete 1st leg of swim. Stop watch stopped at 13:29 hrs.                                    Time for 1st Leg  :  10 hrs 56 mins On sound of klaxon to notify correct completion of 1st leg, Richard re-enters water and starts return leg of swim. On sound of klaxon from ‘Masterpiece’, change-over correctly undertaken from tender. Tender returned, Richard and Harry safely back on board ‘Masterpiece’. Delay in securing tender to davits. ‘Masterpiece’ still at rest. Robert swimming strongly approx. 150m ahead of ‘Masterpiece’, luckily in the right direction!! ‘Masterpiece’ alongside Robert who is swimming on port side. Inshore traffic continues to be quiet. ‘Pathfinder’ passing on port side on return to Dover having successfully completed one-way relay swim. 4 Other swim boats at varying distances to south of ‘Masterpiece’, still to complete their swims. Weather continues fine with good visibility, light winds. Sea is relatively calm with slight swell. Entered N.E. Shipping Lane. French Coastguard advised. Shipping still relatively quiet. Large bulk carrier passing approx. ½ mile across bow going up Channel. Paul swimming consistently at 56 spm. Remainder of team are happy and relaxed – enjoying the afternoon sun. Small yacht passing on starboard side going across Channel. Two German naval vessels and large Eukor Line car transporter passing close across bow going up Channel. Quiet in shipping lane and on board ‘Masterpiece’ – 3 of team asleep, Paul tucking into pasta and Darran contemplating his next leg of the swim. ‘Sea Leopard’ passing approx. ½ mile to south of ‘Masterpiece’ on return to Dover after successfully completed one-way swim. Stuart stopped swimming for short period to adjust goggles. Large bulk carrier ‘Aligarte’ passing close astern going up Channel. P&O ferry passing on starboard side bound for Calais. ‘Masterpiece’ is gradually being taken back up the Channel – getting closer to the cross-channel ferry lanes again. Weather remains fine – light winds from south west, cloud cover gradually increasing. Visibility is beginning to reduce, especially to the west. Very large tanker passing approx. ¼ mile astern going up Channel. Further reduction in visibility to west and south – looks like the swimmers won’t be the only ones getting wet!! LD Lines ferry ‘Norman Spirit’ and P&O ferry ‘Spirit of Britain’ passing on starboard side, both bound for Calais. Entering Separation Zone – French Coastguard advised and thanked for assistance. P&O ferry ‘Pride of Canterbury’ passing close on port side bound for Calais. Leaving Separation Zone and entering S W Shipping Lane. Dover Coastguard advised. Gary stopped swimming momentarily – sea weed. Re-started and swimming consistently at 56 spm. P&O ferry ‘Pride of Kent’ passing close on port side bound for Dover. Further reduction in visibility, estimated at 1 mile and still deteriorating. Wind is increasing (estimated 10 to 12 knots), and sea state is also deteriorating. Wave height now 3 to 4 ft with moderate confused swell. Richard continues to swim strongly and consistently at 62 spm. Robert getting frustrated with conditions which are far from ideal. Started this leg with starboard side swim – now changed to port side where he appears to be more comfortable even though he is not in the lee of ‘Masterpiece’. Entered inshore waters – Dover Coastguard advised. Robert continues to swim strongly at 65 spm. Conditions continue to be challenging. Remainder of team are now much quieter and becoming a little apprehensive of the conditions. (Ben would certainly prefer to be on dry land!) Conditions remain unchanged – visibility is now less than ½ mile. Paul preparing to swim. Light stick attached to trunks and strobe light attached to goggle straps. (All swimmers wear ‘lights’ from now on.) Further slight deterioration in conditions. Paul stops swimming, changes to breast stroke for 4 strokes then reverts to front crawl. As above, Paul finding conditions difficult. Fred has requested that, for safety reasons, all swimmers swim on starboard side from now on. Conditions have not improved. Even though all team are swimming strongly, adverse tide and sea conditions have resulted in very little progress over past 2½ hours.
21:55 22:00 22:10 22:35 22:55 23:05 23:25 23:50 00:33 01:05 01:06 01:08 01:10 02:20 02:40	Robert expressing concern about apparent lack of progress – advised to talk to Fred. Visibility has improved and Dover harbour lights can now be seen, approx. 4 miles distant. Stuart veered off from ‘Masterpiece’ – called back. Getting increasingly difficult for swimmers to maintain distance and alignment with ‘Masterpiece’. Starting to make progress towards coast.    Darran having difficulty in remaining with/being guided by ‘Masterpiece’ – called back on three occasions. Estimated 2½ miles from Dover harbour. Swell and wave height appear to have increased. Visibility reducing again. Estimated 2 miles to coast. Concern again expressed by team members re lack of progress towards goal. Advised to discuss with Fred. Darran cut across bow and had to be called back to starboard side. Visibility down to less than 50 m. Gary also finding it difficult to keep safe distance from ‘Masterpiece’. Called back to boat on a number of occasions. Change-over undertaken. Richard in, Gary back on board. Fred confirmed that intended landing is Shakespeare beach, south of Dover harbour western entrance. Conditions remain very challenging with very poor visibility – less than 50 m. No chance of seeing the Dover harbour lights which are estimated at less than ½ mile distant. Team members again expressing concern and doubts about continuing/landing. Again advised to discuss with Fred. Pilot advised team that he was aborting swim for safety reasons – very poor visibility and sea state meant that tender could not be launched for landing. It would not be safe for swimmer to attempt landing. Swim terminated when Richard made contact with ‘Masterpiece’. Stop watch stopped at 01:06 hrs.                       Total swim time  :  22 hrs 33 mins Richard back onboard. Team very disappointed but appeared to appreciate reasons – having expressed some concerns themselves. Harry advised Dover Coastguard that swim had been aborted, swimmer safely onboard and returning to Folkestone harbour. Thanked Coastguard for assistance. Entered Folkestone harbour, after delay due to state of tide, and safely returned to mooring. Completed Incident Report form and returned to quay via punt. Wished team members a safe journey home and confirmed that I hoped to see them next season.

To France and Back...!( "Nothing Great is Easy, ain't that the truth..!!)

We Did It.....Almost.

 Heroes Just For One Day..!! 

Big Ricks 2 Way English Channel Swimming Team  2012

Doug,Gary,Rob, Darran, Richard, Paul & Richard

 on the 26/27th June 2012...in a time 22hrs 36mins..!! ""Unofficially ""

Welcome To Big Rick`s  Blog...for any 1st timers , these blogs are our lite hearted view to all the joys and adventures that  Big Ricks Swim Team enjoy through open water swimming these stories take place in beautiful lakes, fabulous seas or amazing rivers all over the UK..!! ..This weeks Double Channel Special read along while you listen blog tune is the classic track "Heroes""  by David Bowie....why did we choose it...??? Because we thought it just about said it all about our Epic Channel Adventure in 2012......Hope you enjoy Rx (Please  Click on arrow on the picture above to hear Bowie at his Best as you read......!!!)

 " Can Ricks  Be Heroes Just For One Day..............??"

Ricks Leaving Folketone harbour around 2am on the 26th june.
9 months of training , 9 months of fun and games and we are ready to do this...!
( simpley click on the arrow in the picture above to hear and almost smell the diesel) 

Big Ricks Basher all smiles as Ricks Leave Folkestone harbour aboard Masterpiece at 1.45 am on Tuesday morning ..Paul is already informing  Ricks Friends via twitter and Facebook that we are on way to Samphire Hoe beach to start our 2 way swim. We were amazed and humbled just how many people took time to followed us over the day and night,  so many  took time to send us so many good luck messages..even very busy swimmers Keri-Anne Payne and Sharon Davis wished us best of luck..
We Thank you all, the messages really did helped so much...

Big Ricks Basher Bates ( aka Paul ) diving into the Darkness to start Ricks 2 way and 2.15 am tuesday 26th june 2012 Swimming . 

After taking our channel swim in 2011 a little too competitive and seriously, Ricks were determined not be fooled again in 2012...to have fun was our only plan for this swim.....!!!  So when Ricks Rocked up in Folkestone harbour shortly after 1 am on chilly and very dark Tuesday morning we were full of joys of summer cracking jokes with our pilot and taking the Michael out of one another everything felt right, little did we all know or expect   that the next 24hrs would be the most amazing and unforgettable of our lives...  sure we would have fun. Sure we had a few thrills..But we did not expect the many scary moments. A true  Epic adventure.....

This Is it...!!! In the words of Rick Captain Cash "" Its Time To Rock N Roll People..!!!" If you ever wondered what its like to start a channel swim at 3am in the morning ...then this is your chance to see Raw......Trust us you nerves and emotions and excitement is amazing..well is for the guy jumping in...for the rest of the team is the feeling oh sh*t this is real ( Click on the arrow in the Picture above to see how Basher  starts the 2-way).. 

Darran ""Super God ""Dyke
Darren jumping into a chilly looking channel (very chilly ) for the 3rd hr of Ricks swim 

Big Gary looking long and smooth on  the 4th hour of the swim.
We started the swim around 2.15am with basher bates starting us of....weather was set good. Water was not to choppy, the water temp was 13 degrees all was set....Paul jumped in and swam into the darkness to the start our swim from Samphire hoe beach in Dover...the torch was shined through the darkness onto the beach, and after a few minutes we saw emerge from the sea and walk onto the beach, he quickly turned, waved and shouted at the boat and re enter the sea...This is it shouted Captain Cash shouted from the boat.....

Big Ricks Captain..Rob "Chunky" Cash running to start the 6th hour of the swim.

5 and 1/2hrs into the swim , we are well passed half way to France , the sun is out and spirts are good aboard Masterpiece ..Rob " chunky monkey " is swimming.!! (simply click on the arrow on the picture above to here or fun and games .!!)    

Darran...checking out Rob Stroke ..!!!
thinking thank god i don`t swim like that...;-))

For hour after hour ricks powered our way to France , after Paul came Doug, followed by Darran onto Gary then to Richard and finally the 6^th hr was captain Cash turn....everything was going great we were well passed half way by the time Rob started the his swim...the sun even came out as the captain was swimming..the sun always shines on greatness he claimed when he finished ....!! 

6 hours in and we can almost smell the garlic in France ,,well almost

Big Doug doing the 8hr of swim...France is now clearly in View...!!
it could not be going better.....!!

We reached 3 miles of France in the 9^th hour and for a moment we thought we would be to France well under 10 hrs but once more we were almost fooled into thinking we had one over the channel, but we knew the last few miles into France are always the toughest as Ricks found out again..It took ricks 2 ½ hrs to fight our way though the current and swells to try and land on Cap Gris Nez...first  Darran and then a great swim  by Gary put us in position to finally swim into France and then it was  Richard turn... could the “The Meat” land us in France...???

The Mighty Edge..!!
Gary starting the 9th hour of the swim, Edge produced a great swim in the toughest of hrs. due strong current and swell of the French Coast Cap Gris Nez. 

This is it, it might not look much to some but to every channel swimmer relay or solo...it’s what dreams are made off....the sun is shining as you swim towards the rocks at Cap Gris Nez in France....10hrs after Leaving Dover Big Ricks Richard was the one who got to land in France...followed in the escort boat by Rob and harry from masterpiece

Big Ricks ""Le Meat"" Swims in to France (1 way done...!)1O hrs. after leaving Dover...we reach Cap Gris Nez in France Big Richard aka the Meat powering his way into shore , and then back in again to start the our return swim to England..Think some of the team on the boat were getting just a little bit excited

( Click on the arrow if you wish to see us land in France)

Cometh the hour cometh The Meat...
Richard arriving at Cap Gris Nez in France..
Ricks one way 10hrs 56 minutes 

Richard jumped in and swam his heart out to get us into France, it’s hard to explain just how hard that last hr swim into France always is,  the sea is trying its best  to try and push you passed the cap, it’s like France does not want anyone to land on its shores...another worry for ricks and any team or solo swimmer doing a channel swim, if you don`t manage to swim through the current fast enough you will simply be pushed past the Cap and that would mean swim over...56 minutes into his hour Richard climbed onto the rocks on Cap Gris Nez coast., 1^st half of the swim was done..10hrs 56 to get to France, Richard waved at the people above on the cliff who were waving and shouting encouragement (we think...lol ) and turned round wave at the boat , to which we replied get back in fast....he jumped in and our journey back to England had started  

A short video was done after we reached France and started part 2,  the 22 miles back to England...listen at the end..as Paul says the truest words he will ever say...Now The Fun Really begins...How right he was ( Simply click on the arrow to see the video )

No Pain No Gain..!!
Richard showing his Channel wounds he gained as he tried to scramble onto the rocks in France, the cuts on his legs were even worse...if anyone thinks channel swimming is easy think again ..!!! Richard said once he got board onto Masterpiece now lets stop messing about and lets get back to England before the pubs closed..;-)

Rob waits in the escort boat with Harry waiting for Richard to swim past after leaving the France..Rob would jump in a few minutes later to start our return trip  to England....

Paul can not wait to take over from Rob for his 3rd  hour of  trip , the 13th hour of the swim . He knew he had to try and make the most the Tidal push we were still getting from France...he went on to swim over 3 miles..

The start of the swim back to England could not have gone any better, Rob was the 1^st one in on the way back...and at last for the first time  EVER in any swim Big Ricks have every done we were swimming with the Tide ...Yippee shouted Rob ...at long last I feel as fast as Super Daz for the 1^st and only time in my life....; - both Rob, and Paul who followed benefited from the great tidal push from France and as result both guys swam over 3 miles each in those 2 hrs... 

Darran flying along on the 15th hour of the swim...
the boat could not keep up..4.5kph for super Darren`s hour..

Richard on the 17th hour of the swim...it was to be the last hour when condition were good.!!
little did we know the next 6 hrs would be the most scary of lives 

For the next 4 hrs ricks were flying across the channel after Paul came Great swims form Doug, Darran Gary and Rickard put us only 5 miles from in Dover, we couldn`t believe it had only taken 6 hours from France to reach this point, we were already thinking we would make last orders at the ship inn in Folkestone for celebration Drink....And then all of sudden within half an hour things had totally changed.. We had gone from beautiful sunshine, flat calm conditions to thick Fog, Rain, wind and even worse 6 ft waves....!!

The video was shot just after rob started the 18^th hour of our double crossing and as you can see the sunshine has disappeared and it’s been replaced a threatening looking storm...which within the hour would be right on top us....!  (Please click on the arrow on the picture above to see Rob struggling to swim as the waves and the wind and the fog start to get worse...!)

This is the last video taken from Ricks Trip...we are still only 4 miles from Dover...and as you can see the weather is starting to be a worry, no one is talking as they watch Rob finish his hour...Paul was next in for his 4^th and the teams 19^th hour. . and he was still his normal smiling self  getting ready to jump in ( he wasn`t smiling much when he had done his hour..lol ) , no one on board Masterpiece was saying much at this point...everyone knew we had big trouble ahead as it was now 8.15pm  and we were swimming in the dark with a perfect channel storm about to hit us full on..!!

After Paul finish his turn, and was sick the minute he stepped back on board the boat from all the sea water he had swallowed , we all looked at one another and we knew this was going to tough to finish, but no one said word about to stopping , it was almost Dark and the waves were starting to become a real problem as Doug dived in for the 20^th hr of the swim, all we could see was a thick fog wall of fog around us as darkness fell  , it was 10.15 when Doug finally stepped on the ladder to climb back on board , he didn`t say a word..he was shivering and shaking his head..and then he looked up, beamed that  big smile of his.. asked how that was... he replied  Shocking , ;-))..we where creeping our way to England bit by bit..now 3 miles away..next up Darran and Gary..

Darren Getting ready for his 4th hr and teams 21st..daz had a horrible hour to contend  with as the visibility was less that 30m, we were scared at one point that Darran was getting to far away from the boat for us to see him, Fred was screaming at us to make him swim closer to the boat, which is easier said than done in those conditions, when u get close to boat you as a swimmer are always worried the boat is going to hit you,
 in Paul`s last hour he had to push himself of the hull as the boat was almost on top of him....   

Gary Getting himself ready for the hardest hour of his life..!

Darran and Gary put in amazing swims , AND we really do mean amazing ....!!, we were bloody scared just on the boat let alone in the water,...the guys gave everything and we finally arrived at Dover harbour at around midnight (27.6.12)  , once there Gary then had to swim along the harbour wall which we could see just by torch light through the fog  for another hour or more against the extreme weather (which at this time was getting even worse,) Richard took over from Gary, and continued to swim as best he could, every other stroke he was having to stop as wave after wave smashed into him , until finally the we got final got in position to swim in to where we thought the beach was .. I say though as we could not see nothing because of the fog and pitch Darkness well it was 12.45 on Wednesday morning....

Gary and Richard on the short trip of Masterpiece to the Harbour dock in Folkestone after the swim, its 3.30am ..they are still look in shock after what they have just been through..

We were 300m away from shore, we all started about thinking about getting changed and maybe swimming in with Richard ( Which seems crazy now ), Then all of sudden our pilot Fred came running out of his cabin shouting STOP THE SWIM....Get Richard out now..!!! Fred said sorry lads, I,m putting an end to the swim on safety grounds, its simply to dangerous for Harry to get in the Escort Dingy in these conditions and escort the swimmer into shore , And so that was it...after 22hrs 36 minutes the swim was stopped..!! Only few minutes from the beach and success..., no one said a word for the hour long trip back to Folkestone Harbour., the Csa observer on Board Keith said...when the swim was stopped . Your last position was less than half mile off Shakespeare Beach, just south of western entrance to Dover harbour. In last 2 hours of swim, I estimated visability at less than 40 m together with 20+ knot SW wind and up to 2 m wave height. Too rough for tender and no way last swimmer could find or land on beach. Fred's decision was right. It was only the weather that beat you, just one of the many elements that make the Channel a real challenge. ...!!

We had given absolutely everything not only for the past 24hrs but for the last 9 months to be ready for this epic 2 way adventure. Between us we Trained in 7 different swimming pools, trained in 5 different countries, then we  trained in open water and sea, in every type of weather and freezing cold temperature  to be ready for the channel, and after all that the Channel beat us by 300m ...;-))) We can all laugh about it now a week on from the swim, but at time it hurt like hell...., but Fred was so right to do what he did, Big Ricks Swim Team swim to try To Save Lives .!!,and Not to put lives at risk.....!!The channel won this time...but Big Ricks Will be back for another go...and you can be sure it will be fun to watch when it happenes...so channel just watch out...!!  

Big Ricks Ricks final channel update, please take a moment to watch and listen ..just click on the arrow in the picture to hear the last update of 2012.. Thank you all for your support the year.. Big Ricks x

Big Ricks Swam Between Heaven And Earth .
This Picture was taken at 3.25 am on Tuesday an hour into our epic swim, little did we know then , it would turn into the most incredible and amazing  24 hrs of ours lives......!
Big Ricks Swim Team Swam a Double Crossing Of The English Channel on the 26th and 27th of June 2012...why....?? Because we wanted to make a difference to people lives...
We Swam To Help Beat Breast Cancer 
and 
We Swam To Help Prevent Heart Disease
Every £5.00 RASIED will go to help others improve their quality of life... 
Together We Can Make A Difference...
simply click the link below to donate if you think we deserve it Ricks x

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/bigricks

Basher,Super Chest,The Meat, Freddie ,Chunky,The Edge and The Gimp..
Big Ricks Double Channel Team 2012....

so close and yet so far....
We Will Be Back For Another Go...!!!
in ....201?