The Sisterhood

The Freedom Swim is one of the toughest, most extreme long-distance cold water sea swim races in the world – traditionally 7.5km from Robben Island to Blouberg, Cape Town. In May this year Sister Kirsty decided to brave the icy shark infested waters in what was The Sisterhood South Africa’s first local event!

Here is how she saw it…

The day of the race dawned and there was not a cloud in the sky! The boats were ready and the water was a warm 13°C – I still pinch myself saying it was warm but after training in 10.5°C to 13°C it is amazing how every degree counts. Supported by Sisters Lucia and Tiffany and partnered with an ex professional rugby player Guy, we set out on our boats to Robben Island for the start.

We had choices…

1. 1. Teams of up to four members – naturally we chose just the two of us.
2. 2. Wetsuits or no wetsuits – obviously not. Speedo, cap and goggles only for the purists.
3. 3. Protective layer of Vaseline or not – what do you think?

Unfortunately the conditions deteriorated rapidly that morning. By the time we were positioned off Nelson Mandela’s old prison island there was a 25 knot wind, a 4 metre swell and three of the support boats had sank! We were still determined to swim but the organisers were forced to postpone the event until the following day when the NSRI were called to help two tankers that had bumped into each other while seeking refuge from the stormy seas.

With safety concerns and ominous weather conditions looming for the Sunday an alternative swim course had to be arranged. Little did we know that the new route would end up being longer, harder and a finger freezing 11°C (51°F) water temperature!

The race was intense and many swimmers did not make it to the end. In fact only one thirds of the solo swimmers and half the teams had what it took to cross the finish line. There were numerous swimmers treated for hypothermia and some shipped straight off to hospital. Thanks to the support of Sisters Lucia and Tiff I managed to stay on top of my game and loved the challenge the cold water posed. A slideshow of images showing Sisters facing challenges all over the world played in my mind as The Killers “Human” rang in my throbbing ears.. just like our promo video!  After the race in the medical tent the doctors discovered my core temperature had dropped to 30.5°C.Theoretically one would be classified as moderately hypothermic. I felt surprisingly fine…perhaps supporting the perceived theory that Sisterhood girls are perhaps somewhat superhuman…or perhaps it had something to do with the winner, a strapping Bulgarian World No1 open water swimmer, personally interested in how I found the swim. Tough to say…

Anyway, somewhere on that hour and a half swim I was bitten by the bug. I am already excited to partake in the Robben Island route next year alongside fellow Sisters including Lucia and Tiff in the water. Until then you will find me on Camps Bay or Clifton beach a Sunday morning braving the icy water, dodging sharks, for a little training and the world best hangover remedy. See you there?

Thanks to Guy for kindly sponsoring our boat.