Downstream

that’s three I’ve drunk and I
really need the toilet. We’ve
been advised not to drink any
alcohol the night before, but I
overhear a woman saying she
had three beers and a curry.
We’re let into the
acclimatisation area, a roped-
off section of the dock next to
the starting pontoon. This is a
chance to get used to the
water, and we’re told to swim
clockwise. I walk down what
appears to be an underwater