Photo credit: explorersweb.com
Adventurers Angela Maxwell and Karl Bushby Take on Monumental Caspian Sea Swim
Angela Maxwell and Karl Bushby have dedicated years to their individual journeys around the globe, often reuniting but more frequently continuing on separate paths. This year, they faced a formidable new challenge: an ambitious 288-kilometer swim across the Caspian Sea.
This swim forms part of Bushby’s extensive Goliath Expedition, which aims to complete a journey by foot around the world. Bushby embarked on this adventure in 1998, beginning in Punta Arenas, Chile, with the aspiration of walking back to the UK. From the onset, two key rules defined his trek: he must eschew any form of transportation and cannot return home until his expedition concludes.
Maxwell and Bushby first crossed paths several years ago while traversing the Gobi Desert. At that time, Maxwell was engaged in her own lengthy solo walking journey that was set to span 6.5 years. After briefly joining forces, the two adventurers continued on their separate ways.
Bushby’s journey has been fraught with logistical challenges. One particularly significant hurdle arose in Turkmenistan when he encountered issues securing a visa to enter Iran, the subsequent country on his itinerary.
Faced with these obstacles, he ultimately chose to amend one of his foundational rules: he flew to Los Angeles in search of alternative routes. However, the outbreak of the pandemic soon halted all further mobility.
During this period, Maxwell decided to rejoin him, and together, they devised an unconventional Plan B. Their strategy involved retracing Bushby’s previous route back to Uzbekistan, trekking through the Kyzylkum Desert, and culminating the adventure with a swim across the Caspian Sea to reach Azerbaijan. With Iran no longer a viable option, this innovative alternative became their only path forward. “Failure would be crippling,” Bushby reflected on the situation.
The Caspian Sea swim proved to be anything but easy. Maxwell candidly shared her struggles with swimming, admitting she was not a natural. Although she recognized that swimming posed its challenges, she emphasized that the greatest difficulty lay in maintaining a positive mindset throughout the ordeal. “It wasn’t so hard physically,” she noted, “it was definitely more the mentality.”
In parallel, Bushby expressed similar sentiments, stating, “I’m definitely not a swimmer, nor do I like swimming.”
Both adventurers found themselves well beyond their comfort zones. During their 32-day odyssey at sea, 27 of those days were spent battling turbulent waters and fierce winds, leading to mental exhaustion. Ultimately, they persevered, successfully crossing over from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
For enhanced safety, they were supported by accompanying safety boats throughout their swim. Their schedule involved swimming for three hours each morning and again for three hours each afternoon, resting aboard the boats in between. They were joined by two local Azerbaijani swimmers, Abdurrahman Rustamov and 16-year-old Anastasia Boborkina.
In their downtime, the groups kept entertained by playing dominoes on the boats, though there were moments when they simply had to hang on, attempting to keep their meals down as their vessels rocked violently on the waves.
Looking ahead, Bushby plans to resume his walking, heading into Europe and eventually making his way back to the UK. However, the future of Maxwell’s participation remains uncertain. Bushby acknowledged that the journey is becoming progressively more arduous, especially during the long stretches he spends in solitude, a challenge he had not anticipated. When he will finally cross the finish line in Hull is still an open question.
Source
explorersweb.com