This is it. Dawn. Samphire Hoe in Dover. Mel Dawsons long-awaited English Channel solo and one of the most eagerly looked forward to swims of the Season. Bring it on!!

Our swimmer jumps into the water from the CSA escort boat 'Connemara' after being vaselined and suncreamed to perfection. The pre-swim chat had already happened and Mel knew 'just swim to the next feed'. She was determined to conquer one of the toughest solos on the Planet, the English Channel. The horn blew and the clock started.

For anybody undertaking a Channel swim it requires sacrifices. Indoor pool sessions increase as you wait for open water temperatures to enable you to start the acclimatization swims. Family takes a bit of a back seat not to mention the financial commitment. On average the boat alone costs from £2700 to over £3200. It is a huge commitment on every level.

Mel had to balance running her own business, her training and family for over two years to follow her dream. She wholeheartedly followed her bespoke training programme and improved consistently. Her physical and mental strength were unquestionably in the right place and she was supported by a great family network with lots of encouragement from Uswimmers who witnessed Mel long training sessions.

Obviously everyone has their hurdle to get over, and for Mel it was feeding regularly which was perfected on her 2-way Ullswater swim. Strawberry custard proved to be a winner, jelly babies were a revelation and hot vimto a great comforter.

Another challenge for Mel was completing her 6 hour qualifier in 15.4 degrees which is compulsory to be able to attempt a Channel Solo with the Channel Swimming Association. Mel made this look easy and almost jogged out of the sea after.

This was Mel's second visit to Dover this year. Several weeks previously she had not been able to swim in her slot due to the weather and so she had to wait for another. This time the weather was on our side and Mel had a great day for it. She swam for the first two hours without stopping to feed and had settled into a great rhythm. She was so focused and determined which was proved when a small pod of dolphins joined her which she was oblivious to.

The Channel should never be underestimated and you can look at the wind charts and the weather forecast but it truly can still surprise you. Mel had made good progress but it was looking like we were going to miss the opportunity to benefit from the slack waters . Our pilot Kevin is unbelievably experienced and knowledgeable and this team approach is what's needed. Kevin advised us that if Mel would continue at the pace she was at, she would miss this and already be looking at an even tougher challenge ahead. Feed time came and Mel was asked to step it up a gear and informed that the next two hours were crucial. Feeds changed accordingly and Mel delivered the goods.

We were out of danger and taking full advantage of the tide assistance sweeping her down to wards the Cap.

Throughout Mel's training she had not only had her family and friends supporting her but the whole open water swim community itself encouraging and pushing her. Mel was usually always the first and last swimmer at our sessions so regular Uswimmers were in awe of her ever increasing achievements. Uswim Teams Delta and Echo were ever present as they were also training for their Channel Relay Swims. If they weren't there in person they were there in spirit and became part of a wider support team all helping Mel's confidence increase. Facebook also played a huge part in this with hundreds following her training swims and achievements.

Mel had been swimming in the Channel for just over 11 hours and it was now dark. We were sat in the Ferry lane seven miles outside the entrance of Calais port and the large vessels were now having to change course to avoid us. Unfortunately this was where we stayed for the next two hours. Mel continued to swim gamely but it became obvious that we were not making any headway. We noticed the Observers putting the exit ladder over the other side of the boat and our hearts sank. It is impossible to put into words the feelings. Mel was struggling to stay close to the boat with each stroke and with the skipper becoming increasingly concerned for her safety he was about to stop the swim. We had a discussion between us and due to our long term relationship with Kevin we were able to fight Mel's corner and keep her in a little longer. Mel had not shown signs of hypothermia, had no cramps, injury or sickness and all her preparation had been perfect.

At this point we stopped Mel and made her aware of the situation. She understood but as anyone knows it is disorientating swimming in the darkness and whilst she felt she was swimming next to the boat she was unable to stay close. As time went on she drifted further each time and the boat was having to circle her to get alongside . In the darkness and sat in the middle of the French ferry lane it was becoming increasingly dangerous for her and safety is always number one. After an additional 1 and a half hours we had only moved 200 metres , making that 800 metres in three hours we had also started to head in the wrong direction in slack water.

After 14 hours and 30 minutes it was over and Mel's swim was sadly aborted.

Whilst Mel may not have officially landed in France she is still our Champion! Despite the obvious disappointment this amazing lady quickly reflected on her journey and whilst she may have fallen out with swimming for a while is still super positive. Other swimmers went out that day and had to abort their swim for sickness , injury or fatigue after 3-7 hours of swimming. Mel our superstar did 14 hours and 30 minutes covering 29 miles raising money for her charity.