Boats, Waves and Automobiles - Bank Holiday fun in "The Far East" (Thorpeness & Aldeburgh, Suffolk)

Above (left to right): Me, Nick Clements (my brother-in-law) and Viv Clements (mother-in-law) on the Thorpeness boating lake, Monday August 31, 2009.

Having had a bit of a swimming sabbatical while waiting for our son Luca to arrive, on the last summer Bank Holiday of 2009 we decided to head for what I like to call "The Far East" for a swim in the sea, my first since my mammoth session in Dover Harbour back in March. So after negotiating all of the very frustrating Bank Holiday traffic, through which Beccy and Luca slept soundly, we finally arrived in Thorpeness, one of the most easterly towns in Great Britain (Lowestoft is the most easterly) to meet up with my mother-in-law, Viv, brother-in-law, Nick and his girlfriend Danni for some good old Suffolk fish and chips before heading for the famous Thorpeness boating lake.

Above (left to right): Danni, Beccy and Luca enjoying the glorious sunshine while being rowed around the lake by Nick.

Above: Me with Luca, Nick (doing a sterling job rowing) and Viv.

Having spent about an hour on the lake (the exact time was in dispute due differences in everyone's watches) we headed for the short trip (about 3 miles) to Aldeburgh, where I was going to swim. It is ideal there because there are no groynes, just a very straight beach of a couple of miles, so you can swim along the beach in deep water, and only be about 5-10 Metres from the beach at any one time. It is ideal for training in.

As I got in the sea and started to swim, it was simply fantastic. So refreshing after the heat of the day, and great to be back in the sea after such a prolonged break.

It was fairly rough in there, quite a few waves, but then again it was The North Sea. I really enjoyed myself, and it has fired me up in preparation for by next big swim which I am currently trying to organise. More details will follow as soon as I get the go ahead.

Luca was looked after during my swim by his mum and Nick. Apparently he did in fact open his eyes and watch me swim for a while before adopting his usual sleeping position!

After my swim, we headed back through the winding countryside roads to avoid the heavy Bank Holiday Monday traffic, stopping off for a glass of cider in Framlingham. It had been a beautiful day!

"Channel Buoys and Gulls" Channel Swim Team appear on BBC TV show "Eggheads"

Above: The "Channel Buoys and Gulls" team who took on the mighty "Eggheads" on Monday August 17, 2009. Left to right: Paul Hopfensperger (2 x English Channel swims), Megan Forbes (1 x C.S.), Mike Cross (3 x C.S.), Sophie Rutenbar (1 x C.S.), Jim Boucher (1 x C.S.). Kevin Murphy, "King of The English Channel" with 34 x Channel swims was the team substitute (not pictured).

Above: The world famous BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane, London.

When we were asked to audition for the BBC quiz show "Eggheads" in June of this year, I have to admit that I honestly didn't expect to be selected, however having been informed that we had been selected, we all journeyed from our various parts of the country to assemble at the BBC Television Centre as a team of English Channel swimmers with a combined total of 42 channel swims between us and to be know for the day as the "Channel Buoys and Gulls" quiz team.

Above: Assembling in "The Green Room" which was in fact remarkably yellow prior to entering "makeup".

Above: Jim and Sophie get their makeup and hair sorted prior to entering the studios.

Above: Having our microphones fitted in the main Eggheads studio.

Above: Lisa explains to Kevin why he has to be the substitute member of the team. This was due to the fact that he works for the BBC and so was not able to appear on the show.

Above: One of the extremely large Sony television cameras used for filming the show.

We were given about 30 minutes of instructions prior to the Eggheads entering the studio, and as team captain, we had a list of the subjects and who would answer them if the subjects were selected. As I was not allowed to have the piece of paper during filming, I was trying to memorise who was doing what.

Every time one of us broke into a slight sweat, the makeup girl came and "touched us up" with her little brush!

Final check of my papers before the Eggheads entered and filming commenced. Due to the secrecy we must maintain, I am not allowed to explain here how we did. The show will be aired sometime in 2010 as part of series 11 (we are currently on series 10).

Above: After the show was complete, we had the picture above taken with the Eggheads. Again due to secrecy, one of the Eggheads is temporarily airbrushed out of the photo.

Above: The Eggheads sign autographs in Megan's Eggheads book after the show.

We all had a fantastic day, and I would like to thank Lisa and here team for inviting us and making us feel very welcome during our day in London. A full set of photos can be found on my Facebook page by clicking on the link below:-

<'Channel Buoys and Gulls' Eggheads Photos>

Article in The Bury Free Press, Friday August 28, 2009:-

Dover? Felixstowe? or Pin Mill? Where? - Pin Mill one of the most beautiful hamlets in Suffolk for Luca's first view of Open Water

Above: Beccy with 11 day old Luca Jacob following a seafood lunch at "The Butt and Oyster" in Pin Mill, Suffolk.

Following an early night on Saturday to get up early for a swim in Dover Harbour at the 2009 Dover Regatta weekend, Beccy and I woke up at 8.25am after a restless night feeding our 11 day old son Luca. Not then feeling bothered to drive the 2.5 hour, 145 mile trip to Dover, we set off for the 38 mile trip to Felixstowe. At about 20 miles, I couldn't even be bothered to drive to Felixstowe and suggested stopping off at Pin Mill for some lunch before proceeding to Felixstowe. Beccy agreed and turning off at Ipswich, we headed along the shore of The River Orwell towards Pin Mill. Never heard of Pin Mill? Shame, it is a beautiful place. This is what the BBC website says about it:-

Pin Mill

"On the banks of the River Orwell the hamlet of Pin Mill is at the heart of one of Suffolk's areas of outstanding natural beauty. Situated on the Shotley peninsula, it is a haven of tranquillity, loved by artists, walkers and birdwatchers. The 17th century "Butt & Oyster" inn is so close to the river that it can serve pints of ale through the window to yachtsmen at high tide.

Pin Mill had links to smugglers in the 19th century and it was the setting for Arthur Ransome's book 'We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea'. It was also featured in the popular BBC Lovejoy series."

Above: Beccy and Luca after our helping of Scampi and Chips at "The Butt and Oyster", Pin Mill, Suffolk.

Following our hearty meal, Felixstowe seemed further and further away so I took Luca for his first look at a bit of open water - The River Orwell. He didn't say much, probably because he was asleep as he has been through most of his "first time experiences" over the past 11 days!

Above: Luca's first experience of Open Water in The River Orwell with Dad.

Having dipped my feet in, I decided that the water looked very appealing, cancelled Felixstowe and decided on a swim in The River Orwell, the first time I had swum in it, even though we had been up and down it many times when we used to have our boat.

As I entered, a small RIB came in with a man and his children. "That's a Channel Swimmer" he laughed to his children. "Yes twice I replied". He looked at me rather strangely and carried on paddling to shore!

It was beautiful in there. It was also incredibly warm. When I came ashore and got out, my watch was reading 24 Degrees Centigrade, hardly a "cold water swim". I felt very rough and unfit, but am really glad I got in. I am now ready to start training again for hopefully some big swims over the next couple of years.

It was a stunningly beautiful day, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable swim. There was no need to trek all the way to Dover, we have great facilities here in Suffolk. If you are ever in the area, I thoroughly recommend Pin Mill.

Thanks to Bex as always for taking some great photos, and hopefully Luca enjoyed his first look at Open Water even if he was yawning. Get used to it Luca, there's plenty more to come!

Nick Adams swims the English Channel for the 6th time on July 14, 2009

On July 14, 2009, Nick Adams, who I have trained with many times in Dover Harbour prior to my channel swims, completed his 6th English Channel swim in 13 hours and 3 minutes. Above are his two videos of the swim. The second one is not for the squeamish! Well done Nick. A fantastic achievement.

Liam Fairhurst - 26-02-1995 to 30-06-2009 - "Life is measured in achievement not in years alone"

14 year old Liam Fairhurst from Soham in Cambridgeshire, died on June 30, 2009. His requiem mass was held today July 10, 2009 in Newmarket, Suffolk. Below is my small tribute to a truly inspirational and courageous boy who became a simply astonishing fundraiser for CLIC Sargent, the children's cancer charity through which I had the honour of meeting him and his family.

Tribute to Liam Fairhurst

On Wednesday December 06, 2006 I was invited by Karen Roberts of CLIC Sargent to attend a CLIC Sargent event at the Bury St Edmunds Library and give a talk on my 2007 channel swim attempt. When I arrived I met two people called Sarah and Mark Fairhurst who introduced themselves and said that they had heard about me and were frequent visitors to my www.HoffysChannelsSwim.org.uk website. They explained that their 11 year old son Liam had suffered a tumor in his leg as well as lung cancer and CLIC Sargent had been a fantastic support to them. They said that Liam was in awe of me and my channel swim attempt and was attempting to do a 1 mile sponsored swim in aid of CLIC Sargent. So far he has raised over £6,000 for them. I had to get my head around it all. An 11 year old boy who had suffered from two different cancers, and everything associated with it, was going to swim a mile and he was in awe of me? I couldn't believe it, and when I went up to give my talk, I couldn't speak. I almost burst into tears and it took all my effort not to. Liam's mum Sarah tells the story in her own words here:-

LIAM'S Story by his Mum Sarah written in December 2006:-

"Liam's problems with his leg manifested in APRIL 2005 after a fall from a neighbours trampoline. For the previous year or so he had always had an odd style of walking. But after the fall this got worse, he complained of pain in his left leg and we noticed that the muscle to the thigh became hard. We did seek medical advice but in fairness to all those who saw Liam he was not presenting with any symptoms other than those you would expect after a fall. At the end of June 2005 Liam complained that the pain was getting worse and he found it difficult to walk. On showing me his leg I noticed the upper left leg had swollen to over twice its normal size and immediately alarm bells rung. I must admit I immediately thought it was cancer.

Mark took Liam to the doctors who were very quick in referring us on to WEST SUFFOLK HOSPITAL and within the week we were at THE ROYAL ORTHOPEDIC in BIRMINGHAM where Liam had a biopsy on his left leg and also other body scans. A week later we received a call telling us what we already knew Liam had cancer a SYNOVIAL SARCOMA in his leg and worryingly/unexpectedly secondaries in his left lung (three nodules).

It was like being in a parallel universe our whole world stopped and within a week Liam was in ADDENBROOKES undergoing the first of seven courses of chemotherapy fed through a central line. Liam had never been in hospital let alone had an operation. He is an intelligent and articulate child and was like us scared and depressed. Despite this he quickly realised that the only way to get better was to BE POSITIVE and he managed to do this despite constant bouts of sickness, tiredness and ulcers that invaded most bodily orifices. After 4 chemos the nodules had gone and the leg cancer had reduced by 70%. Liam then went back to BIRMINGHAM for an op to remove the remaining tumour and thanks to the skill of the surgical team he kept his leg. Liam lost half of the quadriceps muscle and one of his knee muscles but was up and walking the next day.

He returned to ADDENBROOKES for the remaining three chemos and then underwent 6weeks of daily (mon-fri) radiotheraphy finishing 22nd December 2005. We received the all clear after scans in mid January. Liam at present has 3 monthly chest xrays and four monthly MRI scans back at ADDENBROOKES.

He wanted to do the [1 mile sponsored] swim because he said he was aware that some children weren't as lucky as him. Some of their treatments lasted longer than his and others died in particular JACK WILKINSON a 12 year old he befriended whilst in ward C2. He chose CLIC Sargent because he felt the money went to the right people and helped children and families like his."

Above left to right, December 06, 2006: Sarah Fairhurst, (Liam's Mum), Karen Roberts (CLIC Sargent) Mark Fairhurst (Liam's Dad) Kim Williams (Social Worker Assistant, CLIC Sargent, Adenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge), me and Rachel Goodman (Social Worker, CLIC Sargent, Adenbrookes Hospital).

Above: 11 year old Liam Fairhurst after surgery/chemotherapy and radiotherapy with brother Callum.

Liam's Mile - 1 Mile Sponsored swim, December 22, 2006.

I was invited to attend the Next Generation Gym in Cambridge, where I had the honour of meeting Liam for the first time. I had to admit, that I was nervous before meeting him as he had already inspired me and touched me before I had even met him.

Above: 11 year old Liam Fairhurst at our first meeting just prior to his "Liam's Mile" swim on December 22, 2006.

I watched in awe as this courageous young man pumped out length after length after length of the pool, exactly a year after being given the all clear from his cancer. It was so inspiring and humbling to be there. When he was on the final length, the whole pool was shouting, and screaming, and when he touched the end of the pool, everyone went mad. He had done it, and in the process had raised over £12,000 for CLIC Sargent! But there was more to come.

Above: Liam turns during his awesome 1 mile swim, just 1 year after being given the all clear from his cancer.

Liam's 12th birthday, February 26, 2007

Above left to right: Me, Liam Fairhurst and Karen Roberts celebrate Liam's 12th Birthday at The Next Generation Gym, Cambridge.

On Monday February 26th, 2007, my wife Beccy and I were delighted and honoured to be invited to Liam's 12th birthday party. He was so excited and happy that day. He also had a special cake made which had a cheque on it telling us that he had raised an absolutely staggering £70,000 for CLIC Sargent by doing his 1 mile swim. It was a very special day, for a very special boy and a special family, and it was an honour to be there. But less than a week later we received some terrible news.

This is the news I received taken from a blog entry dated March 06, 2007 on my previous blog site:-

"This morning I received a telephone call from a mutual acquaintance who asked me how I was. I told her that I was not very happy because the doctor had just given me more antibiotics for my persistent ear infection, which was stopping me training for the channel swim. As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, she hit me with a killer blow. "I've got some bad news" she said, "Liam's cancer has come back". I was dumbstruck. We had a long conversation about it, but in a nutshell they are optimistic that they have caught it early. He will undergo chemotherapy followed by an operation to remove the cancer and is receiving the full support of CLIC Sargent. I really can't express the emotion I am feeling at present, but I urge everyone who reads this to please donate just £10.00 to CLIC Sargent by clicking on the link below. More if at all possible. Liam's family, and many others like them need your money. I would like to say this to Liam. "Liam, you are a fighter. You have got through this once, and you will get through this again. I am not now just swimming the the channel for CLIC Sargent and St. Nicholas' Hospice, I AM SWIMMING IT FOR YOU. If you can swim a whole mile having been through what you have been through, I can swim that little old channel for you."

During the 2 years that followed, 2 years that fate turned into the last two of his short life, Liam did some truly remarkable things, all of which are just too numerous to mention here, so I would urge you to visit his website at:-

www.LiamFairhurst.com

His website shows just what a truly remarkable, selfless, courageous and inspirational person he was. At his requiem mass today, his mum announced that at the time of his death he had raised a staggering £321,000 pounds for CLIC Sargent. He loved CLIC Sargent, and spent his last 4 years doing as much as he possibly could to raise money for them. There is a link at the base of this tribute where you can donae directly to them if you wish to do so.

Father Martin Hardy read out the following poem:-

You can shed tears that he is gone

Or you can smile because he has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back

Or you can open your eyes and see that he has left

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him

Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow becaue of yesterday

You can remember him and only that he is gone

Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what he would want: smile,

open your eyes, love and go on.

As his coffin left the packed church to the sound of Heather Small's song "Proud", there was not a dry eye in the church. This truly remarkable young man crammed more into his 14 short years, and touched more people than many do in a lifetime. Liam, it was an honour and a privilege to have known you. Rest in peace.

<Click here to donate to CLIC Sargent>