Pip’s Channel Swim team (also known as Big Ricks) have successfully completed a two way swim of the English Channel in 20 hours and 40 minutes.
Late on Monday(15/7/13) evening , After 13 months of hurt from last year’s disappointment , we have achieved what we set out to do.....
A double swim of the English channel...!!!!!!!
we completed our swim with Bob Cash taking the last leg in total darkness , swimming into Shakespeare beach around 10.45 on Monday evening – its was emotional experience for us all...
this makes it official.. the signing on the walls of the famous channel Pub the White Horse Inn Dover... a Job well done
we wish to thank you all for your amazing support with our swim for Pip and For Breakthrough Breast Cancer ...the last 9 months, at times have been hard, other times very emotional , but most of time all its been
Fun, Just the way Pip would have wanted it to be ..;-)
Best wishes and thank you all so much..
Pip`s channel swim team
loads more pictures and whole story of the swim to come in the coming days......
We successfully completed
a 2 way swim of the English Channel on the 15th july 2013.. it took us 20 hrs 40 minutes we swam to helpraise much needed funds for
we hope you think we are deserving of your support not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our quest to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work to save lives . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
It’s not the clearest channel route map you will ever see,
but it will do until we get the real channel map in a few months time...
We pretty much started and finished in the same spot...
We love that it’s held down by 2 pints of beer, a camera and Union Jack flag...
That just about sums up Big Ricks Swim Team perfectly don`t
you think....! R
Rob swimming at 4.30 am Monday morning ... 2 hrs into the double...
The English Channel fingers crossed in 2013 we will have a lovely day..........!!
Finally the time has come...no more talking or asking for
help...its 100% swim time ,The double swim of the English channel looks set to go ahead in the
early hours of Monday morning (15th July ) .we would like to take this opportunity to give our thanks to everyone for their messages of good
luck...it truly means a lot to us all , it’s been a tough and emotional 9 months for
the 6 of us..We so hope we can make the swim a success this year for many private and
personal reasons..,..We will for sure give it our best shot....Let’s do it..
If u wish to stop up all day and night to follow our progress then these are
links to help you...
Once again thank you for your help,for your support , for your Kinds words not only this year but for the last 3 years we`ve been trying to swim the english channel, in our best of 3 swims series it lies at one each, one win to us, one win to the channel...lets see who wins in 2013.
we hope you think we are deserving of your support not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our quest to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work to save lives . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
(this is Pip,s Channel Justgiving charity page link,either clink or copy and paste to go to our page )
Its Now only 6 days until our Epic Challenge Pip`s channel swim window is from the 15th July to the 19th July 2013.. we can start any day at any time as soon as the weather forecast looks set good for 24 hrs we will go... if you should wish to keep in
touch and follow our progress
When we do get underway, well there are a few options ....
This are ships GPS tracker links...our Boat is called Masterpiece..
(Channel Swimming Association Link to Masterpiece)
Going on the 10 day forecast of the BBC... we may be lucky next week and have some good weather to swim in..! Yippee.. only down side to hot weather, is the Jelly Fish which rise to the surface when the sun shines.. oh goody..all open water swimmer love Jellies.;-))
In
12 days time Pip`s channel team are once again trying to conquer
a 2
way swim of the English Channel ..why..??
Many
people have asked us why we are doing a
double swim of the English Channel again after last year’s attempted ended so very
badly, Well this is why,
by attempting the channel one final time, we still think we can make a
difference to peoples lives ,no matter how small that difference might be ,
swimming can help save lives, we are sure of it..In 2013 ,We are swimming for Philippa Thomas ( partner of channel team
member Richard Brownjohn ) Pip who was
from Sutton Coldfield lost her life
after 2 yr battle to breast Cancer in October 2012., she was only 44..,her
family have chosen we swim Breakthrough
Breast Cancer, a charity that is Dedicated to saving lives by finding
the causes of breast cancer, improving detection, diagnosis, treatment and
services ...I hope
you can spare a little amount of money to Help us help them with amazing work ... Hope you can help and support us with this swim for Pip
What Can you say about the Special one ,.? Well he is
legend in his own mind..! a living hero to the folk of Sutton Coldfield ,
He is A Giant of a man., almost 6 foot around
the middle at last measure .
he is Pip,s channel Captain....!.
A Few Facts about the big Man
Rob is 46, ( we think, Looks Older...)
Status : married and with 2 great sons , Height: 5ft 5inches in his crocs Weight: Hmmm .well Built
Occupation : Meat stuff.
Hobbies : Playing with Chickens, wearing tight cycling lycra
,
Fishing, Water Polo , Open Water swimming and eating Meat..!.
Swimming ability: swims more like Vanessa Feltz than Michael Phelps.!
Team Nick Names: The Special one, Chunky Monkey, Cashy
Holding out for a hero.. ( simply click on the arrow above to see Rob in action.)
"" The Model..! ""
Gary Endeavour Edgington
What Can you say about Big Edge..!
Mean, Moody and Magnificent maybe...
(Well that's what it says on Gary's
Business card)!
The Edge, is the handsome one in the ‘Pip`s’ team
(not hard i grant you with this bunch .,he was once in the final of Mr UK in , sadly he came last in the final behind Carlos Tevez..!
A Few Facts about the Edge
Gary is 42, ( we think, Looks younger...)
Status : married and with 2 daughters ,
Height: 6ft 4 inches in his crocs
Weight: Hmmm .super model proportions
Occupation : Planning things with Bricks and trains & stuff.
Hobbies : Ironing, Polishing, Hovering , male grooming .!
and open water swimming
Swimming ability: a bit like a Rolls Royce..sadly for us
more like a 1950,s model,
Looks good , but not as fast as he once was.
Team Nick Names: The Silver Badger..! ,Mr
Happy..Big Edge
The Model
Reaching for the Stars ..
( simply click on the arrow above to see Gary in action.)
"The Don"
Richard Vito Brownjohn
What Can you say about the Don, and live to tell the tale .!!
Big Bad Rich is the Muscle in " Pip`s Outfit" ,
Okay, he Maybe built more like Arnold Schwarzenegger than say Ian Thorpe
...but forget his size, because when Richard,s, god he,s swim fast...!
A Few Facts about the Meat
Rich is 50, ( we think, Looks younger...)
Status : A great son ,
Height: 5ft 11inches in his crocs
Weight: Hmmm very well Built
Occupation : Meat stuff.
Hobbies : Water Polo , Open Water swimming and eating Meat..!.
Swimming ability: looks like a water polo player, swims like a water polo player.!
Team Nick Names: The Don, Meat, Big Bad John.!
The Don.
I could be so good for you.. ..
( simply click on the arrow above to see Gary in action.)
"Supa Daz"
Darran Supa Redman Dyke
What Can you say about the the Super. ,.? Darran , Is ‘the main man’ in Pip,s team, He`s our very own ‘Super Star .!!’;
the former Great Britain and England freestyle swimming God of the
80`s...!! He is that ‘Super’, his massive calf's are made of iron,
his 36 inch chest is made of solid steel and he has heart is made of
pure Gold.!!!!, Daz is the thinker in the team (well having one in every team always
helps , especially this one !...) he has a scientific and crazy way of thinking about
things .! most of it is total madness; but if keeps us all amused in the
darkest hours ..!!
A Few Facts about the big Man
Darran is 47, ( we think, Looks much much Younger...)
Status : married and with 2 daughters & 2 sons , Height: 5ft 10 inches in his crocs Weight: Hmmm . lean , mean swimming machine
Occupation : Drawing and design stuff.
Hobbies :Chilling , sleeping ,many holidays abroad , visiting lake district winning Pool and Open Water swimming races , and oh more chilling..!.
Swimming ability: swims like Michael Phelps.!
Team Nick Names: Supa Daz,Super Chest, Camp Daz, Superstar, and Dykie..
Super .
(simply click on the arrow above to see Darran in action.)
"The One and Only" Stuart "Dougie "Dugmore
‘Stuart is more affectionately known to us all;
Dougie !! Doug is the self appointed drinking and party organizer for Pip`s
team...did I say party...!!. Oops I meant important team meeting organizer As
you all know it’s a very important job for any team, particularly this
ONE....!!!, Doug is arguable thee fastest swimmer in the team, he was
a National swimming champion many times over .
he is Pip,s channel Captain....!.
A Few Facts about the young Man
Stuart is 40, ( Looks much younger Older...)
Status : married and with 2 great sons , Height: 6ft 1inches in his crocs Weight: Hmmm .well Built
Occupation : woodwork stuff.
Hobbies :Gardening, Beer , wine , having a good time, Fishing, Water Polo , Open Water swimming and more beer ..!.
Swimming ability: very very strong swimmer, and fast.! Team Nick Names: The Gimp, , Dougie
The one and only .
(simply click on the arrow above to see Stu in action.)
"Master Bates" Paul "Basher "Bates
What can you about say about the Master and still keep it clean..?Well Paul is the self appointed founder and coach of ‘The Big Rick’s outfit...!!! He is a sports nut ( he`s annoyingly good at most.! ), his love for all things sports related is very apparent for everyone who knows him (including his poor wife!), his particular love affair with swimming really is infectious To anyone who comes into contact with him, and I do mean anyone!!! he is the man that keep things going.
A Few Facts about the Big Man
Paul is 45, ( Looks way Older...)
Status : married and with 2 children , Height: 5ft 11inches in his crocs Weight: Hmmm .well Built
Occupation : metalwork stuff.
Hobbies :cricket,skiing,cycling,running, Pool & Open Water swimming and Lots more Sport ..!.
Swimming ability:seems to be Getting Better with age, by the time he 90 he might be as good as cashy.! Team Nick Names: Basher, Master and many more to rude to asy
Superstar... "in his own mind..!! ".
(simply click on the arrow above to see Paul in action.)
we hope you think we are deserving of your support not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our quest to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work to save lives . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
(this is Pip,s Channel Justgiving charity page link,either clink or copy and paste to go to our page )
Many more people have climbed Everest than have swam the English Channel one way , let alone 2 ways . And although our team will be doing a double crossing as a relay we still must overcome two massive challenges: the English Channel is the world’s most revered sea crossing AND we are a the team of very Old Men!
The swim will take place sometime between July 14th and July 19th 2013 (depending on weather). The team will consist of 6 chubby Men from the west midlands who`s Average age is well over 45 years Young.!!
The swim will begin at around 0.00am. The first swimmer will have to set out in pitch darkness (although we will have a light trained on them from the pilot boat and they will be wearing light sticks). Then after exactly one hour the next swimmer will go in and so on until they arrive in France some 10 hours later , before then attempting to swim back to England in time for a well earn Beer. . As well as darkness we may well have to overcome jelly fish stings, sea sickness ( for some swimming may come as a relief!), salt ingestion, the cold, fatigue, ferries and floating debris of the unsavoury kind. The swim could take anywhere from 20 to 30+ hours depending on the weather, tides and of course the old men,s individual performances.
Fred Mardle will be our pilot for the Crossing , Fred is Thee Man, when it comes to channel Swimming ,( if truth be told he is The Channel Association No1 Pilot God no less...!) , Fred has been a pilot for nearly 40 years and has guided 100,s of solo and relay swims across the Channel. We could not be in better hands .!
we hope you think we are deserving of your support not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our quest to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work to save lives . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
(this is Pip,s Channel Justgiving charity page link,either clink or copy and paste to go to our page )
BIG RICK`S SWIM TEAM Presents.... Pip`S Double Channel Team 2013
The Channel Impossible III The Re Match (Nothing Great Is Easy..!) Only 32 days to go....
"Your mission ', should you choose to accept it, is to once again attempt an Epic two way swim of the the English channel, only difference this time please Finish it ...;-)) As usual you will have same team , lead from the back as always by the Special one Captain Cash with your lead man being Basher , followed by Mr Copeland, Supa Daz , The Graying Badger and the Meat ,Now should you or any member of your team feel the need to start panicking again this year , as it gets a bit dark and foggy with 2m waves ,and then starts running up and down the boat shouting this should be stopped , or perhaps you get Sea Sick, or maybe stung by a Jellyfish, or hit by the odd piece of wood or ferry or worse.. Well tough..!!!! you're are so not getting out until your hour slot done and the finally swim is completed...!!! This boat will self-destruct after 24 hours so you had best get a move on do it.!!. Good luck, Boys.(Simply click the arrow on the picture above to listen to a great song as you read, and TURN it up loud..!!)
This looks simple wouldn`t you say...Just jump in at Dover,paddle over to France, make a sand castle have a ice cream maybe on Cap Gris Nez Beach, and then paddle back to Dover for some Fish and Chips and a beer.. EASY...!!!
The Challenge...! The truth is Ricks loved trying to swim the double of the channel in 2012.!! we failed yes, but we really loved the challenge of it , well okay some of us did and some of us were scared to death towards the end ..!! , with that very much still in our minds , when we finally all got back together for a team chat for plans for 2013 we all still very much had what happen that da on our minds.! , we started to talk about what our challenge would be for 2013...? the suggestions were varied and not all swimming ..but after a few hrs chatting and a some arm twisting it became clear what we would be doing this year.., We could not walk away from The Channel once and for all before we had a attempted another at 2-way crossing, just no way, ...So the plans have been put in place to do just that.......
The Dates and Venues.. OKAY...plans are now in Place...We tried to book once more into the famous channel hide out, the place where all channel swimmers who are anyone have stopped before their attempts to conquer the mighty channel...Varne Ridge Holiday Park.! but it was full up..!!! so it looks like the premier inn Dover for us , as Richard likes the all you eat breakfasts..;-))) the Swim itself we start anytime from Sunday night the 14th July to 18th July 2013,. This years Swim we think will Start ( like the last 2 yrs crossing ) from Samphoe Beach (Dover ). It can start at any time, once we get the Green light from our Pilot, (who is again is the Channel God Mr Fred Mardle) i say any time but please Fred let it be a better hour this yr , last time starting at 1.15am was not fun !. Once underway we will stop only once at Cap Gris Nez beach in France, before then returning back to Samphoe beach in Dover .!(it really does sounds simple don`t you think..!!!)
Looking Out across the English Channel from the white cliffs of Dover..!! its only 22 miles to France from here.ONLY..!
The Time and Distance.. Okay..before we carry on , lets make one thing clear to Pips Coach Basher , THIS year we are not getting hooked up on best times..!! SO before you even think it, before you even ask it or say or suggest anything , the answer is NO NO NO !!) our goal, (our only Goal) is to Finish..as every good channel Pilot will tell his or her swimmers this year or any year, every swimmer should Just be happy to finish , because Many Don`t.!!! .. So back to our time and distance for a 2 way swim..., truthfully the answer is we really don`t know.. going on last yrs swim it could be as good as 17 and 18 hours or in a blink of eye or stroke even you are looking at 24 hours + .!, As for the distance , well this again is almost impossible to say, as so many things have an impact on the day as to how far you will swim, so our only guide is what we did on last years crossing, so it could be well over 60 miles + of swimming( tidal assisted ) .!!!, off course its not just the swimming that makes channel relay swims so hard, as we found out last year big time, its being on a small boat , most likely in very choppy water, its most likely going to be colder on the boat than in the water, if that's bad enough you are also trying navigate the busiest shipping lane in the world..Twice.!! Mmm its not sounding so easy now...;-)
Masterpiece.. Pip,s Boat for the 2 way..! as you can see its not the biggest you will ever see.. joking aside...We are sure the hardest part of this Epic challenge won`t be the 4 hrs each we have to swim, but surviving 24+ hrs on tiny boat in rough seas and Cold air Condition's on board after each of us swim .!! but no one ever said channel swimming was easy , so we just have to deal with it..!! plenty of sea sickness tablets for starters..!!
The Charity .. This year there is change , a very important change, We are swimming the 2 way under a new team name " Pip`s Double Channel Swim Team " in memory of Big Ricks Swimmer Richard Brownjohn’s partner the beautiful and charming Phillipa "Pip" Thomas who lost her 2 yr fight with breast cancer just a few months ago, with a change in name comes a change in Charity
We are doing the double for the amazing charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.. Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a pioneering charity dedicated to the prevention, treatment and ultimate eradication of breast cancer. We believe passionately that this disease can be beaten. By fighting on three fronts – research, campaigning and education – we are determined to save and change lives by removing the fear of breast cancer for good if you think after we deserve supporting not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our dream to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
(this is Pip,s Channel Justgiving charity page link,either clink or copy and paste to go to our page
Big Ricks Channel team The Don, Basher, The Badger,The Gimp & Captain Chunky Monkey. ( sadly Super Chest was unavailable for the Team Picture )
The Swim Prize. The Prize should we be successful in June is Massive..! Pip,s would join a very exclusive club of just handful of teams that have successfully completed the a double English channel Swim (Since records began 1950 ), only 55 teams from around the world have ever achieved a 2 way crossing ..of which only 14 teams were from the UK...only 14.!!! Successful 2 way channel Men's / Ladies relay swims by year since records were started in 1950..( Relay Records from http://www.channelswimming.net/index.htm )
1990...US National Swim Team USA 14 18(WORLD RECORD)
1990...Bolton Metro U.K 28 39
1991...Howe Bridge (Breast Stroke) U.K 29 15
1992...Canadian Channel Challenge Canada 18 48
1993..RAF U.K 20 51
1993 Wielkopolanka Poland 20 43
1994...Sazanami Japan 24 14
1996...West Aussie Double Crossers Australia 19 26
1996...National Grid Ladies U.K 25 01
1997...Exmouth Swimming & L.S.S. U.K 23 41
1998...Pine Crest Juniors USA/Venezuela 19 25
1998...Pine Crest Seniors USA/Venezuela 16 48
1998 ..Sakura Japan 24 36
1999..Adventure Seeker International 19 25
2001...Team Extreme Australia 20 59
2001...Mexican American Family Mexico/USA 18 48
2003...Force 6 America USA 20 18
2003...Michigan Masochists USA 21 20
2004.. Irish Team C Ireland 27 48
2004....Victoria Police Australia 24 45
2005... Femmes de la Manche International 30 40
2005...Fionn Uisce Ireland 30 23
2005.. Finn McCool Ireland 31 56
2005...Lir Ireland 33 05
2005...First Mexican Relay Mexico 20 14
2005...Eltham Training & SC (1) UK 31 36
2006....Casablanca Mexico Mexico 18 54
2006... ABCDEFGH USA 21 37
2007...New York Harbor Seals USA 21 45
2007...Altamar 66K Mexico 18 59
2007...Warrington Dolphins UK 28 54
2008...Friends All Swimming Together (2) Australia 25 51
2008...Friends All Swimming Together (1) Australia 26 06
2008...Casablanca Mexico Mexico 31 56
2008...Dublin Fire Brigade Ireland 21 12
2012 Warwick School UK 25 37
2012 Channel for ALS ? 18.55
2012 Silver Marlins ? 24.04
2012 Dutch Ladies Holland 18.21 (WR all ladies team)
2012 2 by 3 ? 30.16
2013 Big Ricks & Pip,s Swim Team UK ?????
The Team feels this could be an amazing year i hope once again you will join in with our adventures, some will be painful , some will be messy , but i can promise you it will be fun..!!! Rx
The First..!!! The Man who started it all in on August 24th 1875 Captain Matthew Webb.. (1843-1883) http://www.captainwebb..co.uk
The Words under Captain Webb Statue in Dover UK read.... Nothing Great is Easy......!!!
ONLY 32 DAYS TO GO........
if you think after we deserve supporting not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our dream to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
(this is Pip,s Channel Justgiving charity page link,either clink or copy and paste to go to our page)
Win or Lose.. this will be Ricks last go at the English channel..!!! we said that last year as well.....lol
