On a very wet, misty Sunday in August 2010, I filmed John Docker in Dover taking his swimming to the next level, braving the unpredictable waves in the open sea for the first time.
Ironically, next year he will be swimming from a beach nearby and hopefully won't stop until he reaches France - at least that’s the optimistic plan!
I better introduce myself... I'm Ted Evans. I'm a filmmaker. I'll be following John on his quest to swim the Channel, capturing his adventure and recounting his story to the end - whatever that end may be. I’ll reveal all John’s highs and low in the documentary I’m making entitled, Channel of Dreams.
Anyway back to Day 1 in Dover... The weather was bloody awful and posed many difficulties for me filming in such conditions. As for John, I don't think it bothered him at all. In fact, when he emerged out of the water, he commented how the rain pelting down on him actually felt warm!
Weather aside, we were both in for a bit of an eye opener. For John it was the harshness of the merciless sea. Irrespective of how frequently you swim in pools or lidos, how many cold showers you endure, nothing prepares you for swimming in the sea. The relentless crashing waves, the choking salt water and the cold, freezing, bone chilling temperature of the water!
For me it was trying to capture everything! I was filming on my Sony Z7 with no zoom or telephoto lens. When John swam in front of me, I was able to focus in on the intensity of the waves and the strength John needed to swim against them. However, when he had gone only a few hundred meters, he just became a bobbing head, floating off into the horizon, a startling contrast next to the gigantic ferries setting off to France, but only worth capturing a number of times.
In the end, we both felt better for having come down to Dover's Harbour Beach. We now know what’s in store for us and what we have to do to prepare for the challenges we witnessed.
Next chapter is the Wales Swim in Tenby, which takes place in September!
For now here is a teaser!
Channel of Dreams Teaser from Ted Evans on Vimeo.
