A year ago, Leszek Naziemiec told us about a planned swim across the Baltic Sea. Swimming 170 km in icy water sounded crazy to me, but as I had already been winter swimming for a while, I provisionally agreed to join, with the proviso that I was already signed up for two other events: the North Channel and a crossing of the Río de la Plata from Uruguay to Buenos Aires. It would depend on the dates. As you know from last year, Zdeněk Tlamicha eventually went to the North Channel, while I, Jakub Valníček, went to Argentina with Zuzana Pátková. Unfortunately, all three events fell at almost the same time, so we did not go to the Baltic. That crossing took place without us, with a team of Leszek Naziemiec, Łukasz Tkacz, Iveta Nováková and Aneta Lokajová. Bad weather forced them to stop after about two days and 70 km.
Baltic Adventure, 16–21 July 2016
This year Leszek approached us again, and we immediately decided to accept and keep July free of other plans. He offered us a training trip aboard the boat in the Baltic in April, but we chose the Czech Cup race at Rumchalpa instead. In hindsight, that was a mistake for me: I later lacked experience swimming alongside a boat. Still, I managed to win at Rumchalpa, so that was something. The competition was thinner: the Brno swimmers were away crossing Gibraltar, which is also on our to-do list once we find sponsors…
The Czech Long-Distance Swimming Cup was our preparation for the Baltic. I managed only two races, but Zdeněk really threw himself into it: he has done about ten and is currently ninth overall. I did not manage so many because I was competing in several underwater orienteering events, and I am currently fourth in the World Cup. Yes, well — not much competition… Before the Baltic, I also trained in Italy at Lake Garda and San Fruttuoso. Look up “Cristo degli Abissi” on YouTube; it is worth a look.
We arranged our departure on Messenger, but communication from Pardubice was a little patchy, so I only learnt the day before leaving that five of us would be travelling from Prague. Then, on the evening before departure, the boat’s departure and the start of the swim were postponed until Sunday because of the weather. That suited me: I could go to work on Friday and still mow the lawn afterwards, following two weeks of growth.
Saturday 16 July 2016
In the end, we all met safely at the station in the morning and set off for Poland: Iveta and Renata Nováková, Zdeněk Tlamicha, Tomáš Pilát and me, Jakub Valníček, at the wheel. The journey was exhausting. First we missed the Berlin turn-off near Dresden while learning how to operate the radio; then we seemed to find every traffic jam going that day.
We did not reach Dziwnów until evening. We settled into the men’s changing room at the local gym, practically in the showers, met the other expedition members, then went shopping for water, fruit, chocolate and so on. At 7 pm we met on the beach for photographs and swam about a kilometre to sample the delights of the local water and waves. There was a briefing at 9 pm, followed by dinner at a local trattoria. On the way back to our accommodation, we bought toilet paper — just in case it all went straight through us… Then we went to bed.
Sunday 17 July 2016
Boarding began at 7 am. By about 8, we had unloaded everything from the cars beside the boat; by about 9, it was all aboard the Comandor. This was an old military transport vessel built to carry 40 soldiers. Formerly Swedish, it had been taken out of service in 2007. Fortunately, there were only twelve of us, plus three crew. We packed the boat from top to bottom with belongings and food until there was nowhere to sit or lie down. Eventually we tidied up enough for the swimmers to have somewhere to sleep, while the rescue team napped on the floor and benches. They were very considerate towards us. The crew slept outside the main cabin. The captain and two sailors took us safely wherever we needed to go. The muscleman at the helm and the cook, nicknamed Cat, helped the moustached captain with whatever he asked. The helmsman was about 170 cm tall and powerfully built, with a triangular torso, slim waist and muscular arms. Cat was shorter, around 160 cm, and very lean, though also all muscle and plenty of tattoos. He moved around the boat as nimbly as a cat — hence the nickname.
The start: Sunday 17 July 2016, 10 am
Leszek and Zdeněk are on the beach giving interviews to journalists and television crews. They swim towards the boat, which has meanwhile come out of the harbour. Zdeněk climbs aboard and Leszek keeps swimming. The first-ever relay aiming to reach Sweden is under way. The waves are around two to three metres high and the wind is blowing straight against us. We change swimmers every hour. After Leszek come Łukasz, Iveta, Tomáš, me and finally Zdeněk. Aneta and Renata are on board as reserves.
Our team
Aneta Lokajová, 22, Univerzita Brno:
- Crossed the English Channel at nineteen, the youngest swimmer to do so that year, in 10 hours 27 minutes.
- Winner of the Czech Winter Swimming Cup in the 2012/2013 season.
- An excellent swimmer and, above all, wonderful company. As her coach puts it: “Anetka, you swim so beautifully, but so slowly…” 😊. She is still faster than all the men on our team.
Iveta Nováková, 25, SCPA Pardubice:
- Second in the 450 m at the 2015 Open Cup of Russia in Murmansk, in 0 °C water.
- Third in the 1,000 m World Championship race in Murmansk, in 0 °C water.
- A great swimmer. She does not say much, but we are glad to have her on the team: she worked hard throughout the trip.
Renata Nováková, 18, SCPA Pardubice:
- World champion over 1,000 m in 0 °C water in Murmansk in 2015.
- Winner of the Czech Winter Swimming Cup in the 2014/2015 season.
Leszek Naziemiec, 42, I. PKO Praha:
- Organiser of the whole event, infant physiotherapist and child psychologist.
- He only learnt front crawl seven years ago, but is now a well-known international swimmer. He very successfully organises 1,000 m races in 2 °C water in Katowice.
- He attempted the English Channel in 2014, but unfortunately had to stop after six hours. He never gives up; we will soon see him on another major swim.
Łukasz Tkacz, 37, I. PKO Praha:
- An excellent swimmer, calm and quietly hardworking, and a great support to Leszek in organising events.
Tomáš Pilát, 36, I. PKO Praha:
- A graphic designer and I. PKO Praha swimmer with a huge heart. Regularly among the leaders in Czech winter swimming, and an excellent teammate.
Zdeněk Tlamicha, 44, I. PKO Praha:
- Completed a two-way North Channel crossing in 2015 with FAST and FROZEN, the first relay team in history to do so.
- Took part in the 2013 Bering Strait relay.
- Always near the front in winter swimming competitions, and an irreplaceable entertainer and mascot at every event he attends. A big-hearted man who has always finished his swims and never given up.
Jakub Valníček, 46, I. PKO Praha:
- You all know me.
Our first turns are over. I realise how much I am missing that April training. I cannot find my bearings in the waves and keep zigzagging in front of, beside and behind the boat. I am full of energy and working flat out, but swimming very inefficiently. In an hour I cover around two kilometres; without all that zigzagging, I could have done better. The others are in much the same position, though they zigzag less. The waves remain big and strong, and the opposing current is doing nothing to help us reach Sweden. That evening, swimming with an illuminated buoy, I find a way to stop zigzagging and cover about 2.4 km. I enjoy it more than my first turn. I focus on Zdeněk’s advice: above all, do not fight the water. Between turns, you eat and sleep; there is no room in your head for anything else. Whenever I lie down, I sleep like a log. I am too lazy to get up for a pee, but always make myself do it two hours before my next swim so I can have another two uninterrupted hours of sleep. At first I start getting ready thirty minutes before my turn, later cutting that to fifteen or even ten. One more blood-pressure check, then into the water. My first night swim, at 2 am, is a real ordeal. The boat nearly sweeps me aside several times, but I just escape each time and prefer to swim away from it. I keep going round in a loop: around the boat, away from it, the boat overtakes me, then it all starts again. Later, watching Tomáš and the women, I try to stay alongside, though I do not always manage it. We continue taking turns like this, day and night, for two days.
Monday 18 July 2016
After twenty-four hours, we have all had more than enough. Aneta first has to join the relay because Iveta is vomiting and stops after half an hour; then Renata joins too. The women are also faster than us “non-swimmers”, so progress becomes quicker and spirits lift, with everyone getting longer to recover. The rescue team handles everything faultlessly, and we begin to believe we can reach our destination. But conditions keep turning bad. Leszek therefore makes a crucial decision: instead of swimming directly to Sweden, we will reach the Danish island of Bornholm, record our time, take the boat around to the island’s north side and resume swimming towards Sweden. Easy to say, but Bornholm is still twenty hours away, followed by a three-hour break on the boat and another twenty hours of swimming…
The rescue team
Our support team was superb.
Doctor Michal:
- Talkative and friendly.
- He performed our “badanie” — checking blood pressure, oxygen, pulse and blood sugar before and after every swim.
Adrian, the official:
- Everything was always great, whoever was swimming and whether they swam well or badly: he always praised us.
Rescuer Češek:
- His blood-sugar tests hurt more than Doctor Michal’s, but Češek is a very kind man, always willing to help and prepared for anything.
- A diver and rescuer, modest and unassuming.
Photographer Michal:
- A good-looking fellow, constantly taking photographs and filming us. The results will certainly be worth seeing.
Tuesday 19 July 2016 — Bornholm
After almost fifty-four hours at sea, we finally reach the south coast of Bornholm at 3.34 pm on Tuesday 19 July 2016. Renata is the final swimmer; four hundred metres from shore, we all jump in and swim the last stretch with her. After the enormous effort we have all put in, we are overjoyed. We take a photograph on shore and hurry back aboard. The boat carries us to the island’s opposite, northern side, where Iveta jumps in, swims to a pier, waves to us and starts again at 6.36 pm. From now on, changeovers take place at thirty-six minutes past each hour. We calculate that each of us has two more one-hour turns ahead. And that is how it works out.
Wednesday 20 July 2016 — Sweden
The night is relatively calm. I finally manage to swim alongside the boat, helped by an illuminated orange lifejacket fastened to the steps amidships. Morning is more difficult. We are fairly close to land now, and I swim straight towards the shore, while the boat heads sharply to the left. The surface is as calm as a pond in the morning. I feel great and swim as hard as I can, but the crew are not happy with my direction. They keep trying to correct me, without success. In the end, the captain cuts right across my path and turns the boat through 360 degrees to make it quite clear who is in charge. I swear loudly and colourfully, but I do not mean it seriously. Nobody realises that, and if it had not been for Češek, no one would even have offered me a hand back aboard. Everyone is stunned; Leszek calms things down while I try to explain where I was swimming. Then we put it behind us. We are so close to land that there is no point arguing. Besides, I did not mean it seriously; I just needed to let off steam after seventy-two hours on the boat. Zdeněk swims after me, and he swears as he gets out too. Renata once again brings us home, just as she did at Bornholm. Sweden welcomes us at 10.28 am on Wednesday 20 July 2016 with a beautiful sunlit sandy beach. We walk to the lighthouse, take a few photographs, then head back aboard and towards Poland. On the boat, we toast our achievement with Polish vodka and enjoy goulash cooked by Cat.
We slowly approach the Polish coast, and our Baltic adventure draws to a close. Just a press conference in the morning, then we are off home.
Thank you, Leszek, for a wonderful experience. Whenever you need a few mad people ready for anything — or to swim across anything — you can count on us.
Official event page: Balviten Baltic Challenge, with photographs, videos and details of the kilometres covered, hours spent in the water and more.
Thank you for reading.
Best wishes, Jakub
Thursday 21 July 2016
Postscript: In the morning, Zdeněk went to fetch some things from the car and shut the keys in the boot. That made for a hectic morning. After the press conference, we began debating which window to break, calling everyone we could and trying to persuade friends to bring spare keys from Prague, which would cost about CZK 3,000. A garage told me the cheapest window to replace was the front passenger one. It was quite a saga: we all wanted to go home, and suddenly we could not. We tried everything. The insurance company promised EUR 170 towards the cost, but did not help us get in. The garage said to break a window and come over for a CZK 3,000 replacement. Škoda Assistance offered to send someone, but because our mobility cover was no longer valid, they also wanted about CZK 3,000. A local friend called the police, who recommended someone able to open the car. He promised to come and do it — for CZK 3,000. Zdeněk refused to give up, not wanting to pay that sum, and kept working at the door, trying to prise it out enough to get a wire inside. He even borrowed a jack from some men parked nearby in a van. Seeing our struggle, they came to ask what was wrong with the car and why we were jacking it up. We wanted to open the bonnet, disconnect the battery and reconnect it: supposedly the car would then unlock itself…
When the men came closer and understood the problem, they brought a piece of plastic and some rubber. They used the plastic to ease the door out, wedged in the rubber, then fed through Zdeněk’s wire, which he had unwoven from a woman’s fence. Within a minute, they hooked the door handle and opened the car. We set off home at noon and reached Prague that evening, dropped the women at the station and headed home ourselves. And that was the happy ending to our Swedish trip and Baltic crossing.