Been about 6 days here in Dover and here is where we stand....(or swim)

Greetings,

I am laying down in our awesome room nestled deep in the heart of the Churchill Guest House.  It is breezy today and I feel completely comfortable after my morning dip in Dover harbor followed by another outstanding meal at Il Rustico.   Each day - save for one - I swam in the harbor for at least an hour and then enjoyed a leisurely day of naps and meals.  We are ready as a crew to tackle this swim but the wind and waves seem to have different plans.  As we wait, I wanted to give you a brief update.  Below are some pictures from the past few days.  As you can see, we are enjoying ourselves.

A view up Castle Street - the street that amazingly enough heads up to the castle.  Go figure.

One of our early meals at Il Rustico.  I believe we ate there every day so far.  If you find a winner, stick with it.

Dover Harbor - the place where all the channel swimmers come to get accustomed to the water (wind, waves, and temperature).

Hey, I know that guy.  I am relaxing today because I thought I might swim the next day.  No use tiring myself out.  Kat swam for the family.

There she is...Kat swimming in one of those seal costumes.  

...and she was playing the part of seal very well.  Here, Sean is lending a hand and helping Kat and her new friend out of the water.  Actually, he just offered them their shoes so they wouldn't have to walk upon the tough rocks with cold feet.

I have no idea if I will get off for my swim.  The beauty is that I remain optimistic and relatively care-free.  It has been an outstanding event so far even though I remain uncertain.  The people here are wonderful.  I met the King of the Channel (aka Kevin Murphy - the Honorable Secretary of the English Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation) along with many swimmers - both old and young (well, relatively young and certainly young at heart).  Also, my family and I have become fast friends with the proprietors of our B&B (Alastair, Betty and Alex Dimech); they are gracious hosts and tell outstanding stories - some that will crack you up for years to come.  If you have any interest or ever watched Fawlty Towers, then you must come and spend time chatting with them.  They are wonderful people who love to laugh and have stories that will remind you of Basil Fawlty - all good stories.

At any rate, I am just biding my time.  I hope to be able to swim before I head off to Sam and Alex's wedding.  The swims in Dover harbor have been magical but they don't satisfy my yearning to swim to France.  If the swim doesn't materialize, I will return to Dover in the near future to give it a real go.  Yes, these setbacks can be expensive and irritating but if Mother Nature forces my hand to abort, then I must and return I shall....soon.  Everest will be 3 times (I hope no more) - fingers crossed the channel does not take that many tries.

Stay tuned for more updates shortly.  Tomorrow is another day but the weather looks foul.  Perhaps I get out on Thursday.  Don't know yet.  I think I'll take a nap.   Thanks for following along.