Readers of Wild Swims Guernsey can expect a broad-reaching approach to the topic, covering its health and social benefits, as well as a look back over some of the top swimming events and achievements undertaken by local folk.
It also contains plenty of tips and tricks to help those looking to take the plunge do so safely.
‘I’ve covered things about the environment, so tides, currents, wind conditions, so on and so forth,’ Nick said. ‘It’s got a chapter with over 40 locations in the Bailiwick where it’s good and safe to swim, with a description of what people can expect to find and when they get to each particular venue. So, it’s got a lot of useful practical information.’
The idea to put together the book first came to Nick upon finishing writing his first, which covered the history of insurance businesses in Guernsey as that was the area he had built his career in.
‘Once I’d done that, I realised, actually, I can write a book. Because when you start, you don’t have an idea whether you can or not,’ he said. ‘And then somebody said, “Oh, what’s the next thing?”’
It was considering that question that Nick’s mind naturally fell to his life-long love of wild swimming, something he first got a taste of 60 years ago, aged four.
At the time, the only location readily available for him to learn was the sea.
‘Beau Sejour wasn’t there at the time, and even the schools hadn’t built their pools at that point,’ he said. ‘So, it had to be the sea. It was the sea or nothing.’
‘I do everything around the sea,’ he added. ‘I just love it. One of the things I love about swimming is once I get in there, my mind just shuts off to everything else. And quite often, it sounds really weird, but I do actually find my mind just goes off on its own somewhere. So, it’s a very cleansing type of experience for me.’
The book’s launch coincided with this year’s 50th Skipton Swimarathon, which has been running this week, ending tomorrow.
‘The Skipton Swimarathon is something I’ve participated in, on and off, many, many times over the years, and I thought it was a great sort of reference point for the book to launch its sale at the Swimarathon, which the organisers kindly agreed to. So as a result, £5 from every book is going to the Swimarathon,’ Nick explained.
Nick has been present across the event to sign books, setting up shop at Beau Sejour, and will be there tomorrow morning. He was also at La Vallette bathing pools for the inaugural Salty Swim for those who prefer to swim in open water.
After the Skipton Swimarathon, the book will be available to buy at the Lexicon, where proceeds will continue to be donated this time to the Sports Commission.
‘Whilst I was doing the research for the book, I came to realise something I hadn’t appreciated because I’ve swam pretty much all my life. I feel very comfortable and enjoy it. It’s a great thrill for me to go swimming. But there’s a lot of people who don’t swim, can’t swim, and part of that is maybe a fear of the water,’ he explained.
‘I’ve been working with Steve Sharman from the Sports Commission, and we’re setting up something called the Wild Swimming Initiative, which is basically trying to do everything we can to get people swimming, to get them learning to swim, learning about sea and water safety, getting confidence around the water.’
‘And so the money that’s being raised through the book sales, that’s where that’s going, apart from the piece that’s going to the Skipton Swimarathon. Everything else, all the proceeds of the book, are going to go to the Guernsey Sports Commission.’
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