Channelling her courage for charity
It was 2:30am, pitch black and the water was barely 16 degrees when Sydney mother of three Rachelle Silver set off to swim across the English Channel to raise funds for Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia.
IT was 2:30am, pitch black and the water was barely 16 degrees when Sydney mother of three Rachelle Silver set off to swim across the English Channel from Dover to Calais to raise funds for Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) on August 13.
Arriving back home a fortnight ago, Silver told The AJN that despite the uninviting conditions, she was determined to go the distance.
“After three years of build-up and training for this, I was just desperate to dive in – I was so excited.”
After suffering post-natal depression following the birth of her third child in 2014, Silver discovered ocean swimming to aid her recovery, joined a local squad and began training for up to five days per week for the Channel swim with the aim of raising $20,000 and posting a sub-16 hour time.
She ended up raising $26,000 and touching the French coastline in 15 hours and 54 minutes.
“It’s a bit strange but for the first 12 hours I was kind of enjoying myself and the occasion out there, and I had a very attentive support team on the boat,” Silver said.
“But when I was about 5km from France the tides changed and there was a lot of water movement, so that slowed my progress and I kind of hit a wall and became exhausted, but at no point did I want to stop.
“After not feeling so great, with the support of my team I put my head down and lifted up my speed.
“When I finally reached the shore, I climbed onto a rock and raised my hands in the air – I was just so relieved.”
Silver said apart from sore arms for a few days, she felt great and was able to savour the moment with her team and spend a few weeks with her family and friends in the UK.
But she said the most satisfying part about her swim, apart from pulling it off, was the money it raised for PANDA through generous individual sponsors on the Mycause website.
“That [$26,000] was well over my target I’d set at the beginning.
“That’s the best part, because it [PANDA] is an organisation very close to my heart.”
Silver said although she isn’t planning to do any swims longer than the English Channel again, she’ll definitely keep training with her open water swimming group.
“Ocean swimming is totally a part of me.
“I’m not going to stop anytime soon.”
SHANE DESIATNIK
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