Field Notes 43: Not As Planned. Ben Lynn, Randy Perkins.

That photo in the header? That's Ben Lynn on his chartered Catamaran.
Going in search of whale sharks in the Caribbean waters off the coast of Belize and an attempt at swimming across the extremely rough waters of the English Channel. Rethinking the way we talk about unsuccessful attempts when undertaking difficult challenges.
Storytellers: Ben Lynn, Randy Perkins
Seattle, WA

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Bonus!
Ep. 43.1

by Wyoming Public Media. Click buffalo for more info.

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AdventShorts podcast. Interview with 100 mile swimmer, Sarah Thomas.
Insiders look at winner's postcards.
Discounts on Boldly Went hats.

Ben Lynn: "You're going to learn to sail!"

Ben's yoga teacher, Molly Lannon Kenny, has a podcast episode about creating altars. Listen Now.

Create an adventure like Ben's.
Belize is super cheap. The official language is English.

Start Sailing. If in Seattle, Ben recommends Mount Baker Sailing Center, the Seattle Sealing Club, sailing community at the Lakewood Marina and the Leschi Marina.
Go to Belize during the full moon to find whale sharks.
Charter a boat, hire a skipper, or book a tour. Ben had this to say:

I thought Sunsail was excellent, and we really had a great trip. In retrospect, for a first time catamaran charter, I might recommend the BVI, which is (I am told) a great beginning charter option. Unfortunately, Tortola was hit hard by Hurricane Irma and they may take some time to get running. We did fine in Belize, but our biggest challenge was the shallow water and excess presence of reefs.
The area we sailed outside of Placencia is much more remote than the north part of the reef. Half of the time there were no other people around. There are deserted islands and resort islands and islands with little families living on it that if you order in advance they will bake you fresh bread and deliver by kayak come breakfast.

Hot tips:

Go before lobster season ends!
Beyond the barrier reef in Belize, there are 3 coral atolls, which are pretty unique in the Caribbean. Worth checking them out, but you need a Belizean guide to get there.
Land tour too in order to see the Mayan ruins. Ben said, "The thing I absolutely would not miss is the ATM Cave tour with Patrick.
Hop over the border to Guatamala and check out Tikal.

Did you know Boldly Went is writing a book?
It's about what it means to be a dirtbag. Get it first.

Yes, tell me when the book's out.

Randy Perkins: "How does somebody who swims 30,000 yards per week drown?"

Randy Perkins after ending his swim of the English Channel.

Randy Perkins swimming in the English Channel

Channel swimming statistics and information

The following information is from www.dover.uk.com/channel-swimming/statistics:

There have been a total of 3,948 Channel swims, with 1,834 swimmers completing 2,370 solo swims.
Approximately 7,677 swimmers have taken part in 1,023 relay swims and 555 special category swims.

63.2% of swimmers have been male.
36.8% of swimmers have been female.

The average age of a solo swimmer is 35 years, 124 days (based on 917 swims, 39% of all solo swims).
The average age of a relay swimmer is 34 years, 299 days.

32% of solo swims have been made by swimmers from the UK, 17% from the USA and 9% from Australia.

Average solo crossing time: 13 hours, 32 minutes, 32 seconds.
Average relay crossing time: 12 hours, 45 minutes, 2 seconds.
Average special category crossing time: 13 hours, 21 minutes, 23 seconds.

If every successful Channel swim was made consecutively, it would take 5 years, 363 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes, 46 seconds.

Music: Free Music Archive

Ryan Little. West Coast.
Laszlo Harsanyi. Dawn Sailing.
Squire Tuck. The Long Way Home.
Babe Parade. Swims.
Squire Tuck. Fait Accompli.

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