All done

Well it's all over now, and all that's left is for me to wander around with a ridiculous smile on my face and floating a few inches off the ground.

This whole experience was everything I ever dreamed it would be and then some. I hadn't for one second expected that I would feel like this after the swim and I can't explain quite why it feels so special. But when someone walked up to me yesterday at Dover beach and said, 'Hello, Channel swimmer' my face nearly split open with the smile.

I'll do a swim report over the next few days but anyone who has read one before knows that they go on a bit so it will take me a while.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent texts, emails, tweets before, during and after the swim. The support I felt was just unbelievable and to know that so many people followed the tracker until the early hours of the morning makes me feel so blessed to have so many friends who care. John read out as many texts as he could during the feeds and they made me feel great. Especially knowing that Anna was there in her pink cossie stroke for stroke next to me. And my goodness I needed her those last couple of hours when the tide seemed to be pushing me away from France.

Unsurprisingly, I am over the moon with the time. 11 hours 5 minutes wasn't even in my wildest imaginings and everyone I saw afterwards said they couldn't believe how fresh I looked. Jane (observer and A-Team support crew with John) said she's never had a swimmer who was awake enough to talk all the way back to England before. Not really a surprise for anyone who knows me well.

And speaking of talking a lot, the man from the BBC came back to the caravan park to film a follow up yesterday afternoon. Duncan and his crew had already left to go to London yesterday morning and the interviewer was disappointed because Duncan had so much to say when he had filmed him on the Friday. Unlike me, of course, who also had so much to say but was mostly hyper-excited waffle on the day before the swim. So I'm sure you can all imagine what it was like when he was interviewing me yesterday afternoon.

The owners of the caravan park, David & Evelyn, are impossibly generous and enthusiastic about channel swimming, and as there were a few of us there who had successful swims on Saturday, they threw a party for us yesterday afternoon, which the cameraman filmed. The day was completely mental - exciting, wonderful, fantastic, amazing.

Now back in Yorkshire having a bit of a holiday before we head home next week.

Media tart

So a man from the BBC just came to the caravan park to do a feature on Channel swimming. Duncan and I were interviewed. Riveting footage of me packing my food crate. Apparently it's a show called Inside Out. I didn't even ask what kind of program it is. Could be the UK version of Today Tonight and I'll hang my head in shame. Hopefully my section will be skillfully edited so that I have something interesting to say. Although I was a bit stumped by the question "So what do you think of Dover?"

A Saturday swim

I had a stressful day wondering whether I was going to swim tomorrow or Saturday. Ultimately it's my decision but god it's an awful one to make. All I want to do is get in the water and swim. Forget all the decisions and organising and packing. I'm just looking forward to swimming so much. Today France looked so close you could almost touch it. Apparently the wind is supposed to still be quite strong in the morning and easing off during the day. Hopefully it will stay calm through most of Saturday. At this stage we're set to get in the water at 6.30am on Saturday morning (3.30 pm Sydney time.) That means I've got 13 hours to get the swim done before it gets dark again so fingers crossed I might have a daylight swim. It seems quite a few boats will be out on Saturday although I saw Duncan this afternoon and his pilot is taking him out tomorrow morning so best of luck to Duncan for his swim. Will confirm on here tomorrow if definitely on. Then it will be whether John is able to post any updates on twitter. The twitter address is www.twitter.com/swimfacilitator The link to the gps tracker is www.ais-doverstraits.co.uk and click on the link to Anastasia.

Saturday looking good. Let's hope this forecast comes good.

Had a chat to Kevin earlier about how to pick when to go. He said that looking at all the forecasts Saturday is looking like the pick of the days. Being number one on the tide always means I get first choice. But it's so hard to know with this changeable weather. Apparently the wind is forecast to be Force 1-2 on Saturday which would be unreal if it came true. I have mentally prepared for this to be as tough as it gets. I am still prepared for that but feel quite lightheaded with the thought that it might not be blowing a Force 4 all day out there. As they say, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Here's hoping.

Better update

Sorry about short post before. I have only just discovered how to blog from iPhone. All this technology is beyond me sometimes. The weather here is unbelievable. It bucketed down last night and woke up this morning to see clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight. Yesterday the sky was so low you could almost touch it. Still looking on for early hours of Friday morning (so about midday Australian time.) Saturday looks very good but as my pilot just said that's the curse of being number one on the tide. Decisions, decisions. And as I've quickly learned here 24 hours can make a huge difference. So if Friday is swimmable then I go Friday. If Saturday turns out to be better well that's just the chance you take. The worst thing could be to turn down Friday and then have Saturday blow out. Oh the tension is a killer! Tis a beautiful sunny day so we're off for some sightseeing in Canterbury. See twitter address in earlier post for a couple of pics.

Possible Friday swim

The Waiting Game

Tomorrow is the start of the official tide window so I could get the call at any minute. I stare at the phone like it's a bomb waiting to explode.

Yesterday was a glorious day in Dover and I had an enjoyable two hour swim in the harbour though the tide was out, it was pretty shallow and very murky. My pilot, Eddie, took a relay out last night before this weather front moves in. He has now said it will be Thursday or Friday at the earliest before I swim. It was beautiful this morning (and I thought he might change his mind and waited for a call) but the wind has swung round this afternoon and it's now blowing hard from the wrong direction, SW (NW is the best.) Kevin will be on my support crew if the swim is Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Jane if it's Saturday or Sunday. And John's on his own if it's Friday!

Had a (nearly) two hour swim in the harbour this morning. I was miserable - it wasn't a good swim and hopefully I just needed to get that one out of my system.

Will update when I can but now on slow computer in library so they won't be frequent.