The swim has been cancelled!!!!!! For the first time in its 28 year history, the Hellespont swim from Europe to Asia across the Dardanelles has been cancelled. A real disappointment all around but I can't say that it was entirely unexpected. The winds in the strait today were 25 knots with 35 knots expected for tomorrow, which was to have been the swim day. I would have thought that most swimmers would have had difficulty in those conditions and rescues would have been almost impossible with seconded fishing boats as water safety with unprotected propellers and high sides. The announcement could have been done better - it was made to all swimmers assembled in an auditorium or the registration and after a ridiculously long video and similarly long speech (both in Turkish).

Anyway, disappointed as I am, I am also relieved. I was considering pulling out anyway considering the conditions.

By the way, does anyone read these blogs? If you do and would like to continue reading them, could you please leave a comment? Otherwise, it seems to me that I am just banging away into the ether for no purpose at all.

In Canakkale. Terrible night's sleep. Air con not working and lots of outside noise.

Had an 'acclimatisation' swim this morning in a sheltered bay - excellent. Air temp 35 degrees, water temp 25 degrees. Wind in the open strait 25 knots plus - i.e. gale force. Lots of white horses. Doing the course  by boat this afternoon. Decision on whether to swim will be made in the morning but organisers are not too confident that it will proceed. Actually, they said that they do not formally cancel but they may advise swimmers not to swim. If no go, we will do a similar distance along the coast in sheltered waters. Let's see tomorrow

Looks like I missed a post yesterday. Anyway, today we transferred from Istanbul to Canakkale, crossing the Dardanelles by ferry. Terrified me. Too bloody far and far too bloody rough. Briefing by the swim organisers tonight, then a practice swim tomorrow. Not feeling too good about all this. Don't be too upset if it doesn't work out. I hope you will all still speak to me if it doesn't.

Rest of the Australian contingent arrived today. Most are from Melbourne where they regularly swim in 10 degree water - without wetsuits. One of them swam the Channel last year. I think I am a little  out  of my class. We all go for a training swim in an Olympic pool tomorrow and then head off down south on Thursday.

Today I visited the world's oldest and largest shopping mall. 4000 shops and built in the 16th Century. I've already bought more stuff than can fit in my suitcase.

Walked my legs off today. The antiquity of Istanbul is mind boggling. So much to see and so different. But that is why we travel, n'est-ce pas? I also saw the sea for the first time and had a mild panic attack - it was bloody rough. But that was just the Bosphorous. I'll wait until I get to the proper stuff - the Dardanelles. I meet up with the rest of the Australian group tomorrow

Amazing how much better a place looks when one does not have jetlag. Istanbul is really an amazing city. Big, crowded, dirty and all the rest, but what an astonishing array of stupendous buildings. I have only just seen the Aya Sophia and Blue Mosques from outside and at night so far, but they are incredible. This place really is a meeting place of civilisations.

I'll try to upload a photo of the Blue Mosque

I am now in Dubai. I stayed in the airport hotel last night as the gap between flights from Singapore to Istanbul is something like 10 hours. Didn't sleep very well - silly jetlag. Body trying to get used to being awake at odd times. I had a swim at Singapore airport - can never pass up on the opportunity for a swim. It is something I used to do all the time on my frequent travels through Singapore between Australia and Europe - all back in the dark days when I worked for a living.

Next blog from Turkey. It's exactly a week before my big swim.

What a busy, bustling place is Istanbul. Crowded, dirty and disorganised. Bit I'm sure it will improve when I am over my jetlag. My hotel is right next to the Aya Sofya Mosque - wow! I'm going to play the tourist for the next couple of days

'Let's just make it a short one today, John', I said standing in the shallows in freezing water at the start of my last open water practice this morning, reflecting my normal anxiety which had become worse in the last week or so. 'No', said John, 'we will do our normal 2k'. So I struggled with rising anxiety for the first couple of hundred metres wondering what had gone wrong with my otherwise perfect preparation. Then I had a light bulb moment. 'Some degree of anxiety is normal at the start of any event', I said to myself. The trick is to get it under control as quickly as possible, knowing that everything will be fine very soon. And so it was. 'Remember to lengthen your stroke, concentrate on exhalation, and recite the mantras', I repeated to myself. I was back under control. My head was in place again. Even in the moderately rough conditions, I could have done 5k. Bloody hell! I will be doing just that - and very soon. Thanks, John, for your understanding, for pushing me and for doing your best to toughen up this wimp.

20th August. Amazing how many people are saying their farewells to me - the folk in my training squad, the yoga class (with hugs - nice) and various friends. Do they know something I don't? And why is my family checking on the wording of my will? They are all saying that I'll be fine - but do they really mean it? And why is DFAT issuing new warnings about Turkey?