Portobello swimmers to take on lifelong ambition English Channel challenge for Action Porty
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Four Edinburgh dads are set to fulfil a lifelong ambition and swim the English Channel to raise money for a charity close to their hearts.
Alistair Smith, 49, is one of four dads who are taking on the relay challenge, which will see them swim from England to France this summer in aid of Portobello’s Action Porty charity.
He will be joined by James Lewis, 45, Bruce Kidd, 62, and Andrew Leiper, 44, all of whom are from Edinburgh. The four first discussed the idea last year, which was a long held ambition for them.
.jpeg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
Alistair, who is president of Portobello Amateur Swimming Club, said: “We all kind of knew each other, and we're all quite outdoor swimmers. So Drew just asked us and I said ‘yeah, I'd totally be up for that’. Bruce, we've both known in Portobello for a long time, and I knew James that I trained with. So the four of us were just like, ‘yeah, we'd definitely be up for that’.”
With the crossing in such demand, they were only able to secure a slot for this July. It will, however, mean that they have to take on a greater challenge than most - with tides likely to affect their route.
Alistair said: “Ideally you want a neat tide, which effectively means you get to swim as the crow flies, which is about 20 miles. But when it's a spring tide, you end up getting swept massively to the east and then back out to the West and then back into the east again. And pretty much that meant that no individual would pick this slot, because it becomes a 30 mile swim rather than a 20 mile swim.”
Training is well under way, with the Royal Commonwealth Pool providing a training ground during the winter months. The four will also have to prove that they can last in the channel’s chilly temperatures for two hours. With the waters around Portobello helping them acclimatise, Alistair is confident they will be ready when team captain Drew kicks off the challenge in July.
Alistair, James, Bruce and Andrew will swim for one hour each, before resting on the boat. It is estimated that the swim will take around 14-16 hours.
They will be raising much needed funds for Action Porty, who took on a campaign to save the former Portobello Old Parish Church buildings for community use. The community-focused charity has also secured funding to buy the police station on Portobello High Street.
“I just think, as a Portobello resident, they're an absolutely fantastic charity,” said Alistair. “I just thought that it's a great charity. It's completely linked to Porty. It's down near the beach. Even just the word Action Porty links into what we're doing.”