A Sea Point resident managed to realise her dream of swimming the False Bay crossing from Rooi Els to Miller\u2019s Point, making her the fourth woman to complete the swim without a wetsuit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday 6 May, Linda Thompson became one of only 12 people to complete the 33 km swim. The swim is known as the Everest of Cape swims due to strong and unpredictable currents, winds, icy and often inconsistent water temperatures. False Bay is also popularly known for Great White sharks. The first successful solo False Bay crossing was completed by Annemie Landmeters in 1989.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson completed the mammoth swim in 11 hours and 28 minutes. The weather and water temperatures played in her favour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy mission was to do the swim for myself. I am not nearly as accomplished as many of the other local open water swimmers who have completed more Robben Island swims. I set myself this goal and knew it was a route well suited to my mental tenacity and physical endurance even though I knew it would require much training.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson says she experienced many setbacks before the crossing, including developing a shoulder injury and having the swim cancelled three times due to cold water temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI developed a shoulder injury in November last year. I had to scale back on swimming. This was a setback, but the goal didn\u2019t change. I used to do around 30 km of swimming a week and with the injury, I had to scale down and couldn\u2019t do much swimming. I worked with a pilates instructor for the past two years to strengthen my upper body and improve my muscle. I only got the go-ahead from my physiotherapist in February.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked how she managed the full 11-hour swim, Thompson says: \u201cYou are not allowed to climb out of the water or touch the boat. Every 45 minutes my coach would whistle, and I would then stop, and my crew member would throw me a water bottle and that would contain a protein carb mix.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson says open water swimming is \u201cisolating\u201d but says she didn\u2019t experience too many challenges during her swim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is not like other sports where people can cheer for you. It is quite isolating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe length of the swim was not hard for me and the water temperature was great, but the biggest challenge was keeping a focus on the swimming when the water conditions became tougher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI did experience some calve cramping for the last 7 km. I didn\u2019t feel stiff or tired or muscle pain. I am so grateful that I didn\u2019t feel that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson says she was always a pool swimmer and competed in competitions and galas while at school. But she explains that she only started open water swimming about three years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCompared to many other open water swimmers who have been competing and doing open water swims for decades, it was only about three years ago that I started applying myself to my open water swimming which I had taken up when I moved to Cape Town in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had originally started swimming in the sea in 2017 to meet people when I moved here and knowing I enjoyed being in the sea. Until about three years ago, I was much a \u2018social swimmer\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson is no stranger to the open sea and has completed various local swims such as the Robben Island crossing from Blouberg as well as swimming races in Langebaan including three 12 km events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were swimming routes such as the 10 km Kommetjie to Hout Bay and the 10 km Hout Bay to Sandy Bay routes to prepare me for this swim among other preparation swims. I hadn\u2019t swum longer than a 12 km swim in a continuous swim prior to this False Bay Crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson says the experience still feels surreal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am happy! This achievement reflected the importance of mental strength and putting in the work to achieve a goal. A swimmer who hasn\u2019t completed or finished numerous marathon swims to pull off this swim which makes my personal victory even sweeter for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Derrick Frazer, swim support specialist, was the skipper who piloted her route on the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frazer has been involved in the planning, scheduling, and piloting of five of these crossings, and coupled with 100% success in all False Bay attempts. Frazer says since 1976 to 2009, there were five successful crossings. In the last three years, he did 16 crossings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frazer praised Thompson on her achievement and said she \u201cdid very well\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was never a competitive swimmer. She just set herself a big goal and did all the work that needed to be done to achieve that goal. The water temperatures were 17,6 \u00b0C. We were not expecting to get a crossing at this late stage of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI spent a lot of time monitoring the conditions and I noticed that the water temperature was still relatively high, so I contacted her on May third and said \u2018don\u2019t plan anything for (Saturday) 6 May because it looks like we can do it then\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am so appreciative to the skipper and my crew on the boat and everyone who supported me,\u201d concludes Thompson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Sea Point resident managed to realise her dream of swimming the False Bay crossing from Rooi Els to Miller\u2019s Point, making her the fourth woman to complete the swim without a 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