Interview with Guy Wilson About his Robben Island Crossing.

Guy Wilson (age 78) recently completed his Robben Island Crossing in the Wetsuit Category.

Tell us about your Robben Island Crossing.
It was a magical swim from the start. I fell backwards off Roger’s boat and during that little swim from the boat to the island, I felt calm and light in the water. I made my way through the kelp.

“I Have a Story about Kelp Several years ago, 40/50 years ago, I was swimming at Miller’s Point with my sister and we decided to swim across the small bay together. It was a beautiful day, but just as we got going the wind came up and we were struggling to make our way, we took a short-cut to the rocks. We managed to hang onto the kelp, and it helped us to get us to safety. Since that day I have been friends with the kelp.“

Why did you swim Robben Island?

It was on my bucket list for years. It turns out a Robben Island Crossing is part of a life-long swimming journey.

Tell us About your Swimming Journey:

My earliest swimming memory was at a place called Riverton on the Orange River, where I fell in the water and my dad had to rescue me. I grew up as a swimmer, but didn’t have a lot of chance to compete, apart from the annual school gala. When I came to Cape Town for high school, I was at St. George’s Grammar School, which is a very small school with a very dedicated coach, our swim team excelled. I swam backstroke for Western Province. Then life got in the way somewhat and swimming took a back seat. Several years later I ended up living in Cape St. Francis, a very small town, where I enjoyed daily body surfing. A young man arrived in town and built a 20 meter pool for training and he told me about Master’s Swimming. People came from all over the region to train in his pool, and from there I started open water swimming. I entered the 99th river mile and before I knew it, I had entered the Ocean Racing series in Port Elizabeth. My coach suggested I swim a Robben Island Crossing, and the seed of the idea was sown. I got caught up in Master’s Swimming, and went to World Masters Championships. I ended up training hard for Open Water and Masters. All the hard work and I was excited about my training.

What was a Set Back for your Training for Robben Isalnd?

At my fittest of fit, I was struggling with a cough. I developed chest pain during a swim, but wasn’t concerned, I stopped swimming and recovered. But a visit to the doctor, and an ECG later, I discovered that I had had a heart attack. A year of rehab and and slow training, I couldn’t accept that I couldn’t swim, considering that I never felt sick at all. With the guidance of my heart doctor, and a heart monitor, I had a very very slow year of recovery swimming. Then covid entered the picture, and no more gym swimming. So I started swimming on my own in the Canals at Cape St. Francis. We moved back to Cape Town and I still had Robben Island lurking in the back of my mind. I joined the nearest gym, and that wasn’t working for me, so I went online and searched for open water swimming in Cape Town, and found a twelve week programme. I got clearance from my doctor before and during the programme and worked my way through it step by step.

What was the Biggest Challenge During Your Crossing?

I was ready to swim but the weather didn’t play along, so waiting for the weather to clear was a problem. While I was waiting I fell ill, and that knocked my confidence. And then we had a false start, when I got there ready to swim, conditions weren’t conducive, so we cancelled and waited a few days more. I felt tense during my swim, I was worried that some achy muscles wouldn’t last the distance. I tried to stay calm and figure out how I was feeling. Naturally, I was worried about my heart, but I couldn’t stop and check my heart rate monitor, because the water was 12 degrees, and I didn’t want to slow down or stop. So mentally, I had a lot of concerns and in that respect it was tough.

What is Next for you?

World Master’s in Tokyo, it just so happens that the event will be over my eightieth birthday. I am looking forward to that.