Please give generously!

Right, so I promised a few more photos so here they are (once again courtesy of Kim).

I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to all those of you who have given so generously to our fundraising page. So far we have raised roughly £1000 which with the 'Gift Aid' added rounds up to something like £1300. Not bad hey?

Of course if anyone still wishes to donate it is still possible to do so. So please Do...


Darren performed awesomely well. He easily led the team and made us look pretty professional!

John looked very strong on the bike (thanks Jason), tour de farce next year?

As usual I cruised along in my comfort zone enjoying the view.

Darren still looked annoyingly strong at the finish.

Indeed, many of the supporters looked more jaded than Darren! Notice the dynamic of this photo. All eyes are focused on Deasy...presumably he is in the middle of telling them all how well he did?!

Swanage Classic Triathlon

Well, I promised a few photos of the big day, here are a few of Kim's which she dropped off earlier this afternoon. They are superb and really capture the fun (and the pain) of the event. There's just a few for now as I'm a bit tired, perhaps more in the morning!So this was Deasy and I preparing for the start of the swim.And this is us underway. Hint, we're the one's wearing yellow caps!This is Liz just coming up into the transition area after her swim...looking fresh and ready for action!Followed by Deasy...Then holding the Lantern Rouge...yours truly.

More tomorrow. Goodnight.

(Thanks to Kim Notley for the superb photos.)

Job done.....

Well, finally the long awaited day has come. Team Swanage Lifeboat has completed the Swanage Classic Triathlon and, if I might be permitted to say, has done so in fine style.

We each had our own personal goals and mostly achieved them, so well done Darren, Liz and John (x2).

Later this evening when I have recovered a bit (and Kim has sent me her photos...hint, hint) I will post a few pictures of the action and tell a few stories about the event. For now though I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the crew, wives, girlfriends and mates who turned up so early to cheer us on, laugh and generally take the piss! You know who you all are (except Matt who's probably forgotten) so thanks, it was much appreciated. Mwa!

Training partner

A couple of weeks ago John Deas decided that he too would like to train for and take part in the Swanage triathlon. So I have a training partner. And believe me John makes a good training partner. You see, he's ever so slightly competitive and so he is always going to make you go that little bit further and try that little bit harder.

So on Tuesday we went to the pool and churned out 1500m which is a good addition to the training so far. We hope to do this each Tuesday and perhaps also get a bike ride in together every now and then.

Of course the funniest thing is that John understood that we were going to do the Sprint distance triathlon (400m swim, 15 mile cycle and 4 mile run). Imagine his horror then on discovering last night that in fact we're going to do the full Olympic distance (1500m, 40km and 10km). Luckily John is not the sort of person to back out of anything.

New recruit #1

Along for the ride on Sunday we also had Darren who is one of our newest recruits. He has been hanging around the station 'showing an interest' for the last 6 months or so and was promoted to shore helper at the last crew-meeting. This also means that he is now insured and so can be taken to sea once or twice to whet his appetite and give him a flavour of what we do. Judging by the grins he enjoyed himself and wants more. Good news too because he works locally as a butcher and is fit and healthy......just what we need. In due course, provided he turns up, completes his training, avoids annoying too many people and makes enough cups of tea, then I'm sure he will be elevated to the dizzy heights of 'probationary' crewmember. Good luck!

Oh, by the way. The Triathlon training is going well so far. I completed 1200m in the pool tonight which is a first. The only slight downside is I also discovered that triathletes seem to complete the bike and run part of the race wearing something that closely resembles a pair of underpants! I'm shocked.......

Adventurous living

Being an adventurous sort of a person, I have ambitions to wear more rubber this year. I also plan to wear more lycra. Being the season for making oneself daft promises I've decided to take part in the Swanage Triathlon in August. Now I'm a competent runner and we can all cycle (can't we?) However, I swim like a brick! Should be fun.

On a related note. I'll be doing this to raise money for the lifeboats. Watch this space for further details. Also, I have a shortage of the necessary equipment. So if you have any spare Triathlon kit lying around (or would like to sponsor kit!) that you are willing to donate to the cause it would be gratefully accepted. I'm large (6ft, 34inch waist) and specifically need: a triathlon wetsuit, goggles, a triathlon race suit, size 11 cycling shoes, bike helmet and tri-bars for a racing bike. Worth a try!

We are exercising tomorrow so be sure to visit for the first sight of the Robert Charles Brown at sea in 2008.