Fundraiser aims for wild swim record during week on Rockall
THERE was a return to native shores for a Buckie man as he prepares for a fundraising expedition to Rockall.
Cam Cameron, who now lives in Wiltshire, is hoping to take a team of naval officers to the rock – which sits 200 miles off the coast of Scotland in the Atlantic Ocean – for a week in June to coincide with the Queen's platinum jubilee. Their bold aim is to raise £1 million.
The former Gordon Highlander and current Royal Navy Reservist – where he is Senior Training Officer with the rank of Lieutenant – is aiming to raise cash for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, the Children's Hospice West as well as a wide variety of other charities.
Mr Cameron and his two companions will be perching on a ledge measuring just 3m x 1.4m which can only be reached after undertaking a 17m climb. In addition to conducting experiments and posting daily blogs, Mr Cameron revealed he intends to wild swim round Rockall during his stay.
As part of training for what he believes is a first attempt ever to swim round Rockall, he returned to local shores in order to swim round Portknockie's iconic Bow Fiddle Rock. During his swim, he encountered water temperatures of around 8C while the mercury plummeted to -1C for the air temperature.
He said: "My intention is to swim round Rockall when we get there.
"Obviously I need to be careful as timing is everything, I don't want to get swept away from the Rock as there's no one to come and get me.
"There is no record of anyone ever attempting this before so it'll be a first if I can pull it off. The Bow Fiddle swim was for practice and also to mitigate cold water shock. Bow Fiddle also provided a dramatic background for the swim because it is the most beautiful place in the world and also just so folks down south could see what a beautiful place I come from.
"It was very cold, in summer the sea temperature is cold at 16C. This was nearly as cold as it gets at 8C. Cold water shock is a killer and anyone who falls into the water can die of it. Regular immersion in cold water at least once every six months reduces the chance of death from it.
"My team are all trained in sea survival so this is just a way of being safe under controlled conditions. Cold water swimming is, of course, really popular now and a very healthy pursuit. So, I'll do at least one cold water swim a month just to keep in shape and reduce cold water shock.
"It also helps raise awareness of cold water shock.
Thanks to a combination of a Go Pro head camera and a drone operated by Charlie Lovelace he has produced a short YouTube film of the swim which shows the world-famous rock formation from a viewpoint most people do not get to see.
Watch the video here.
Mr |Cameron and his team are keen to hear from anyone who has a suitable boat in which they could get a lift to and from Rockall. All expenses would be paid by the team.
Anyone who thinks they can help the expedition team or would like the team to conduct experiments for their school or institution, should get in touch with Mr Cameron via his email at freuchny@gmail.com
For more information and updates on the fund-raiser, visit https://www.rockall2022.org/
Related story: It's Rockall or bust for brave Buckie fund-raiser Cam
