Dart slides v2

Coconut break Living in Haiti View over Port-au- Prince in better times… My room Mardi Gras Our house in Petionville, not far from Port-au-Prince (that’s my sister and I!) The Citadel, built to stop Napoleon from Invading (he didn't!)

Getting ready for a 10 kilometre swim…the training schedule Breaking in new goggles: peeling onions (it really works!!) Bournemouth pier-to-pier in July: a 2.5k stroll

Down to Devon and the River Dart. The day before the event...lots of mud (low tide)!

Happy Birthday, swimmer number 38…..1 hour to go

Race day is beautiful and sunny… And the rescue teams get ready…

Meeting the other swimmers… what a nice bunch of people… Just wait ‘till we have our rubber suits on!

Slap on lots of shark-repelling cream Rehearse the route

Suit on, last minute advice from the coaching staff…

Let’s not forget what its all about: Raising money for SOS Children’s Villages to support 2 orphanages in Haiti http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/pages/default.aspx Not sure if yellow is any better than the pink!...

Minutes to go, and spirits are high

And we are off… Notice the near-perfect arm movement…(yes, It is me!)

Off into the distance under the watchful eyes of the rescue crews

Going round the bend…. (Compare with low tide picture earlier)

…including several gallons of tea and Frenetic activity at the finish line in hot soup… preparation for the first arrivals….

Swimmer 38 appears out of the murky waters 2 hours 38 minutes after the start…

How was it? Wet!….

Did the swim, got the shirt…

The secret of a good swim?...Feed the ground support crew!… AND…

A small snack to regain strength….…

And finally, Dirks says…Mesi Anpil (that’s Haitian Creole for Thank You) for supporting by Big Swim for Haiti. Donations came in from far and wide: Professors in Australia, film makers in California, owners of a shellfish restaurant in Devon (UK), friends and family from Canada to Spain via Brazil, Germany and the UK, neighbours from today and the distant past, school friends I haven't seen in decades, colleagues I work with every day…my life history in a nutshell. In total, we raised £1200, and with some post-event publicity might notch up a bit more. I had a wonderful experience, and I am grateful to everyone for donating. With that kind of support, I was never going to quit! Link to make donations to Dirk’s Haiti fundraiser: http://www.justgiving.com/Dirk-Gewert

Dart slides v2

by Biolauncher on Sep 20, 2010

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Dart slides v2 — Presentation Transcript