Meet the Kelp-supporting Blue-footed Boobies

We caught up with the six fine women who comprise the Blue-footed Boobies swimming team. They are preparing to swim an epic Channel Relay to support the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project.

Tell us a bit about yourselves

We are a team of women who have taken up, or come back to, swimming in the last few years. We are ably coached by Christine, a marathon swimmer herself, and have come together through the Salty Seabirds swim courses and Miranda’s (Boss Booby) able organisation. 

What are you doing, when?

We’re doing the Channel Relay sometime during our tide window, which is 29th June-5th July 2024. The sea will be warming up then, but still pretty cold, around 16-17 degrees. None of us have ever done anything like this before, though for some it’s been on their bucket list.

What's the name about?

This came about from our first 5k swim as a team when each team had to have a name with a colour. Blue-Footed Boobies was suggested as an animal with a colour, which alongside Miranda’s propensity for her extremities to go blue, and the fact we’re a team of women, so 'Boobies', well …

How’s it going?

OK, well we think ok, but our challenge is to calm our minds and not be scared. It helps all of us to have a wonderful supportive team.

What prep are you doing?

So much training, we feel as if we’ve been doing it forever but we started from a very low bar! We’ve now got to the stage where we’re double-dipping in the sea every week, initially going in for 15 minutes, out for one hour and then in again for 30 minutes, and adding another 15 minutes for each dip. This week (at the end of May) is one hour in, 60-90 mins out, then 1 hour 20 in. Brrr!

We’re also trying out different food combinations to keep up our energy. It’s a great excuse to eat lots of carby, sweet treats.

Why did you kindly decide to support the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project?

The Blue-footed Boobies team all live in Brighton and Hove, so for us, the sea is an eternal presence. We go to it when we feel good, or when we have difficulties. We come out feeling elated and, in my case at least, also with a sense of achievement having overcome yet another fear, or perhaps the same fear, of the sea - the deep, the waves, the cold.

We all know about the terrible state of our seas and rivers and the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project is such a positive way of trying to improve the marine environment, whilst at the same time, campaigning to prevent human degradation of the marine ecology. We all depend on our seas, so let’s do something about it.

Click here to support these amazing women 

Here is a short bio of all the Boobies:

Miranda (Boss Booby): is the driver behind the team. She embarked on a Seabirds basic swimming course, with a fear that persists to this day of getting out of her depth, possibly due to nearly drowning as a toddler. When she overheard two women talking about their Channel Relay experience she thought it sounded fun, so she gathered a group of BFBs together and started training.

Cathy (Bling Booby): Cathy has always been able to swim but for most of her life it’s been an occasional bob about in the sea. She discovered the benefits of sea swimming three years ago and quickly became addicted. She joined the Salty Seabirds to improve her fitness and technique. She has been lucky enough to have a great coach and meet a community of lovely ladies who she now calls her team. She is always looking for a new challenge and the support of her husband, daughters, granddaughter and close friends have encouraged her on this latest one.

Gemma (Bantz Booby): Gemma always loved swimming and being in the water as a kid but as an adult she’d forgotten how much she loved it until a couple of Brighton friends suggested she test the water with them. She was hooked, and quickly moved to front crawl lessons with the Seabirds and the Pool to Pier course. She lives in Brighton with her partner and two sons and she is eternally grateful for their support and not minding her disappearing so often to train.

Jo (Bouncy Booby): Jo learnt how to swim, sail and dive in the Far East, but recognised that the swimming piece was more splashing around and getting out of the water once capsized than actually progressing quickly. She started swimming in the Hove sea and now swims all year round, lessons soon followed and she met Miranda and Christine and the seed of swimming the channel was planted. Always one for a challenge - it seemed like a good idea at the time

Julia (Baby Booby): Julia spent her childhood bobbing and splashing about in the sea, but only realised two years ago that it was possible to actually swim in the sea. When not sea swimming, Julia can be found in Ovingdean, reading, walking or performing in the local drama society.

Sarah (Bovvered Booby): Sarah has always loved swimming and, growing up in New Zealand, family holidays were always by the water, camping at the river or lakes. Despite having a scary experience learning to swim and having to be rescued, she has overcome her fear of deep water and is excited to be part of this fabulous team and experience. She lives in Brighton with her daughter and can regularly be found in the sea by Hove Lagoon or drinking coffee at the Big Beach Café.