Food: Not Maxim. We know that won’t work for 24 hours in a pool. 🙂

Fruit. (Especially berries, bananas)

Soup

Hot or cold Pasta (ugh)

Sandwiches

Smoothies

Chocolate, biscuits, mint cake, jelly babies. The usual.

Fruit Cake/flapjacks

I’ll have a tub of Maxim for the times we need a boost.

Coffee for the night.

Lots of water. I’ll probably bring 2x 5l bottles for myself. One will 20% Miwadi + salt.

Cordial or squash to add a bit of flavour.

Mouthwash also, just in case of sore throats.

A few high energy bars.

Other things :

3 togs, 3 goggles, 3 hats, 3 nose plugs.

Vaseline/lanolin or Channel grease. Vaseline should work fine for this.

Towels (I’ll be bringing my sports chamois towel for quick drying off but will still need/bring 3 or 4 regular towels).

Few pairs of shorts and track suit bottom.

Sandals/flip flops.

5 or 6 t-shirts and a few hoodies.

A warm coat for the middle of the night when tired.

Wet wipes or damp cloth, and dishwashing liquid for getting off the lanolin.

Baby oil.

Something to keep faces moisturised.

Painkillers. And different painkillers. And other painkillers. At least one with an anti-inflammatory.

Anti-diarrhea tablets & Peppermint oil tablets (in case of stomach cramps)

Asthma Inhaler, which I recommend everyone uses a couple of times since you are in a pool environment for 24 hours.

Some Biofreeze and Volterol for topical pain.

Talked to Aoife. Chlorine levels to be between 0.8 and 1.0. Great! Pool is normally cool.

Cocaine and/or Amphetamines.

No MP3 players allowed, as usual.

Lisa Cummins, Ireland’s Double English Channel Queen

Danny Walsh, 2010 & 2102 Solo Aspirant, National Double English Channel relay team record

Marie Barry, 2010 English Channel single relay

Myself.

(Possibly one other if she shows up).

Many thanks to Aoife Mullins, Pool Manager in The Watershed for being so positive when I asked her about this all those months ago and being so helpful in organising.