BN member Phil Pool braved near-daily skinny dips in the teeth-chattering waters off Brighton through to New Year’s Eve to raise funds for the RNLI. BN caught up with him to find out how it went,’ writes BN ace reporter Dugie Eyton-Hughes.
Phil started winter sea swimming in the autumn of 2020 and continued through 2021. As the cold months approached, he wanted to continue but “knowing how hard it had been, I knew I’d need something to motivate me.”
That motivation came from hearing a report about a group of migrants having died at sea. Phil reflected on how terrible and terrifying their last moments will have been. He knew the RNLI rescued many people but can’t be there in time for everyone. “The idea grew in my mind about doing something to support them. At the same time Nigel Farage started making negative comments about the RNLI – and that made up my mind!”
Combining his support for the Lifeboats with the need to motivate himself, Phil decided to swim every day from the start of September through to New Year’s Eve. And, knowing that many people swim in the sea year-round in wetsuits, he decided to do it naked, counting on the novelty value to attract more attention and sponsorship.
All went well until he attended a family wedding in Dartmoor and moved his daily plunge to the River Dart. High up on the moor the water was crystal clear and very cold, but the swimming stunning. Two days later, he came down with Weil’s disease. Some antibiotics soon sorted that out and Phil lost only a day or two of swimming but he also had to take 10 days off when he tested positive for Covid. He also missed a couple of days when the sea was too rough even in the harbour.
Phil originally hoped to raise around £250 for the RNLI in sponsorship from friends and family. In the end, having been interviewed twice on BBC local radio and Heart FM, and through the BN website, Facebook and Twitter, he attracted nearly £3,500, and counting. On the last day of his swims, Phil discovered that around 40 people had turned out to support him. “I came out of the water, to gentle applause, and while I stood there, naked but for swim socks, gloves and a woolly hat, I was photographed by several people including the RNLI’s media lead for the South East of England – quite chilly on New Year’s Eve!”
Phil’s still swimming in the sea. He’s rightfully proud that he completed his challenge and, as a Naturist, did something positive that got media attention, “even if it was only in a small way.”
Way to go, Phil!