All the way from Switzerland we had seasoned swimmer Martyn Webster join us for a Loch Lomond Solo. Martyn has had an amazing year completing an English Channel Solo and a Loch Awe Solo to name a couple, so he was in tip top shape and wanting to finish the season off with 21.6 miles of Scottish Loch.
After the usual wait for better wind conditions, on Monday 17th September Martyn started his swim at Balloch Slipway wearing nothing but his budgie smugglers, cap and goggles supported by Dave and myself on Gemini Warrior. The Loch was a chilly 13.3 degrees and the air temperature was similar but the conditions were great. The wind was minimal and southerly allowing Martyn to make a fantastic start.

Martyn kept the pressure on his stroke , feeding hourly as per his regime with no obvious signs of discomfort but this does not mean he wasn't going through a dark patch. Just over 3 hours in and passing Wallaby Island , Martyn had started to feel cold, and had relayed back that he was not in a good place. He had began to cramp in his hips and thighs and was generally feeling crappy. Some encouraging words given and a returned look of "yeh whatever" and Martyn just kept chipping away at the kms.

Martyns feeding pattern had changed now and we were able to have more communication with him at feeds, although kept brief this enabled us to assess his state of mind and how he was doing generally. The water temperature had not risen above 14 degrees and whilst Martyn had completed long swims, the temperature was the coolest he had swam in for this length of time. As a crew we had no concerns with Martyn especially when we told him that he had 11km to go as his response was "lying bas*****" showing us his humour was still intact.

The wind remained very minimal and the Loch was smooth. Rain had started towards the last couple of miles and as we moved closer to the end Ardlui we heard shouts of encouragement from the bankings. His friends had come to welcome him in. After a supersonic 12 hours and 4 minutes Martyn had completed his Loch Lomond Solo.

This swim was a true test of psychological strength and its power and indeed the capability of the human body to endure hardship. Martyn made a tremendous recovery which was aided by Team Ralph meeting us with warm towels and a toasty lodge just 10 seconds walk from the swim end. Well Done Martyn