I had been living in St Margaret’s Bay for some months and had begun running as the weather improved

It was then that I noticed a woman who must have weighed some 100 kilos swimming in the sea each morning

She was as naked as the day was clear which surprised me a little given the locality

One morning after swimming and getting dressed in what can best described as a tent she came up to me

Molly was her name and she informed me that she was about to swim across the channel to France

As I was a kind person I said that if she was serious then she could use my villa at the end of the beach

This would make life easier for her a she could leave her clothes and training gear in complete security

After a few days Molly said that she would like me to swim with her if I so desired as she was keen on her timings

We had been training for about a week when Molly asked me whether I would like to swim across the channel with her

At first I said that such a journey was beyond my endurance but slowly she convinced me and by July we were ready

On the morning of our swim I was introduced to an almost anorexic girl also called Molly who was to row across the channel

In a small pea green boat and act as a marshal as well as a timekeeper she was also quite naked which I found a little strange

I had expected the safety boat to contain various kinds of navigational equipment but apart from the orange life preservers

It contained only three retro looking brown suitcases which appeared to have dated from the 1950s

When I enquired about these suitcases Molly said that when we arrived in France we would have to dress for dinner

As even in these liberated times a small amount of etiquette was traditional when dining after a channel swim