Caper Talk Series: Michelle Petring on Preparing for a Robben Island Crossing…

Preparing for a Robben Island Crossing

with Michelle Petring

As we say good bye to the Cape Town winter and head into our summer season, a lot of aspiring swimmers are looking to fulfil a bucket list swim, the Robben Island Crossing. The CLDSA has a series of talks where we ask several professional and experienced speakers to tell us about their swimming experiences. In this Caper Talk we asked experienced swimmer and skipper, Michelle Petring about the preparations required for a Robben Island Crossing.

I’m an English Channel Swimmer. I have completed 34 Robben Island crossings, including being the first female swimmer to complete the Triple RI in Skins. Currently I am focused on supporting swimmers reach their dreams as a boat support pilot.

As an experienced Robben Island swimmer and skipper, Michelle Petring is definitely someone with a lot of wisdom to share regarding this crossing. In her Cold Caper Talk she covers the history of the route, the training involved, as well as nutrition and coping with the cold, and of course recovery and logistics and how to register your swim.

The key factor, is that one cannot underestimate the Robben Island Crossing, you need to prepare for every eventuality as conditions can change dramatically over the swim. She covers how to get your most effective training in, as well as tips on how to swim alongside your boat and get effective feeds. Her tips on Cold water swimming are superb, train in the cold for the cold, there is a lot of great information here, not just for a Robben Crossing, but for any open water swimming event.

Previous Cold Water Caper Talks

Kat Persson on Ultra Swim Preparation

Video Presented by:  Michelle Petring

Video Produced by Monene Murray

Feature Photograph Credit: Chris Hitchcock