Clearing The Water In Channel Swims

Ron Collins, founder of the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim commented on our previous story on the Greatest Fears of Open Water Swimming.

Ron asked about the bottom and how many injuries are caused by open water swimmers cutting themselves on a sharp rock or on coral as they get in or out of the water?

He observed on how people fear events that have no - or little - chance of happening versus at common injury in the real world.

He has a point.

How many people have successfully completed the English Channel or the Catalina Channel - fighting currents, ocean swells and hypothermia hour after hour, occasionally surrounded by sharks and frequently stung by jellyfish, pushing themselves to the outer limits of human endurance in the water...only to safely arrive to the distant shore - and they get cut or hurt on the rocks at the very end of their swim?

We have seen cuts, bruises and, on one extreme occasion, broken ribs as the athlete was navigating between the rocks.

According to the rules of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognized, a swimmer must cross the channel from the natural connecting shore, touch the opposite natural connecting shore and clear the water."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must walk into the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel (i) to finish on dry land, or (ii) to touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no sea-water beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as in (i)."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming Association, "For a Swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must enter the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel and finish on dry land, or touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no seawater beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as noted above."

According to the Gilbraltar Strait Swimming Association (Asociación Para El Cruce A Nado Del Estrecho De Gibraltar), "The crossing starts from the boat located at Tarifa Island and the swimmer must touch the rocks. The crossing will end at a natural point on the Morroccan coast or, in the case where that may be a difficult point to access by the boats, when the event is considered to have been sufficiently carried out, touching morrocan land or entering in a natural bay."

The Tsugaru Channel, the Cook Strait, swims in the Great Lakes of North America, the North (Irish) Channel, the Molokai Channel and other channels in the Hawaiian Islands follow the English Channel rules - whether the swimmers have to navigate around rocks, jetties, cliffs and/or large surf.

So for channel swimmers to successfully and safely achieve their goals, it is always best to "clear the water" with the same mindset of care onshore as is utilized between shores.

Upper photo shows Laurin Weisenthal finishing on the French shore after an English Channel swim of 8:33. Lower photo shows Mackenzie Miller finishing up on the Oahu shore after a Molokai Channel swim of 14:52.

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Source

All Hands On Deck

According to the Channel Swimming Association, Peter Frayne was an observer on Florence Chadwick's swim and had to jump in the English Channel to guide her after the water pump on her escort boat failed within three miles of shore.

Prior to that call of duty, Frayne was below decks on her escort boat pumping water out of the bilge.

Cold, tired and tough, Frayne is certainly the epitome of a supportive crew member for any marathon swimmer, especially Chadwick (see below on American television).

Photo from the Channel Swimming Association archives.



Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Photography In The English Channel

When we observe photographs of swimming doing an English Channel swim, whether it is a solo attempt or a relay, we frequently see two types of photos - either the swimmer in the middle of the Channel with a ferry or cargo ship in the distance or a swimmer crawling onto the French shore.

So we asked experienced Channel hands why? These are the answers we received:

"Photographing channel swims is a challenge I have found. Having a ship in the distance makes a better composition. It's hard to make those photos look interesting with all that ocean and the tiny swimmer even with telephoto,," said Foundation for Women honoree Anne Cleveland who did a two-way crossing in 2004.


"I think that everyone who swims the Channel – is always a little wary about tankers in the Channel – especially the boat crews who support. When you actually get out there as crew yourself, it is great for the swimmers to have photos like this. I have several and for the swimmers albums, it is marvellous to have photos like this to remember – unless the swimmers are very close, they do not always see what passes them! It does make one (and many others!) realise how small we all are in comparison – and always makes a good story too as to how close the ships got," said International Marathon Swimming Hall of Famer Sally Minty-Gravett of the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club.

"This type of photo yin the English Channel is popular because it clearly portrays the fact that the swimmer is swimming in open ocean through a major shipping lane. Dealing with large ships and swimming through heavy shipping lanes is one of the potential hazards of this sport – particularly in the very busy English Channel. Including a ship in the background also adds perspective as well as a point of interest in the photo," said Paula Selby of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation who has traveled the world on assignment taking photos of marathon swimmers.

We wonder if there are other reasons for these camera shots?

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Nurturing Success In The Channel

We wrote a nature vs. nurture story earlier this year about cold-water swim preparations.

What is more important to swim well in cold water, a swimmer’s innate qualities (e.g., body fat percentage and mental toughness) or the swimmer’s training and acclimatization to cold water through hard work and commitment?

One 25-year-old former pool swimmer of slender build (170 cm, 54.4 kg or 5'-7", 120 lbs. or 8.5 stone), Laurin Weisenthal, is one example that nurture (i.e., hard training) played a very important role in her solid performance yesterday in the English Channel.

Laurin, in her first major marathon swim and first try in the English Channel swam a quick 8:33.

She said, "I had a great day: very calm, sunny, warm water. I got sliced on the rocks, but totally worth it. Karri (sister) and Neal (fiance) had to practically pry me off the rock I was clinging to, I just wanted to rest so badly."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Alive To Swim Another Day In The Channel

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Last year, Rosalinda Hardiman was pulled only 0.7 miles from the French shore in a dramatic 25 hour 14 minute attempt of the English Channel. Paralyzed from the waist down due to polio in her childhood and needing a wheelchair, her initial attempt did not put a damper on her dreams.

Yesterday, in joyful news from the English Channel community, Hardiman finally achieved her dream and successfully swam the Channel in 20 hours 17 minutes.

In contrast to last year when Rosalinda slipped in and out of consciousness, she reportedly swam strongly to the end. Last year, she said, "I was so nearly there. I'm devastated that I didn't complete the swim, but I was in a bad way. The boat crew left me in the water until it was clear I was no longer making any headway against the current. They are concerned about the safety of the swimmers and have years of experience. I'm bitterly disappointed, but I'm alive to swim another day."

And so she did yesterday - wonderfully, inspirationally and courageously.

Photos from The News.

Copyright © 2008 - 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Irish Success In The Channel

The Irish media has a lot to celebrate after this week's dual successes in the English Channel. First Lisa Cummins completed her 35:31 double-crossing, then 16-year-old Owen O'Keefe became as the youngest-ever and fastest-ever Irish citizen by swimming a 10 hour 19 minute solo in the Channel.

Liked The Channel

As always, this year's English Channel season has seen numerous successful swims, failed swims and swims that never started due to the turbulent weather.

This week on Wednesday, 16-year-old Nicholas Caine from northern California completed his Channel swim in 13 hours and 11 minutes. "3-5 foot swells along with the current changing 2 hours early added about 4 hours to my swim, but I made it and that's what's important. My Santa Barbara channel swim was great practice before the English Channel, thank you for the opportunity," wrote Nicholas to his colleagues from California.

His mother, Marilyn Caine, and other family members were with Nicholas on his support boat that took off at 4:20 am, "The last 7 miles took thee hours. It was very stressful So hard to watch Nick in all the waves, hour after hour. He battled till the end."

Nicholas sent his initial thoughts via text, "...didn't get cold at all. 1st 10 hrs. of the swim (I) loved. Liked the channel."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

English Channel - Words Of Wisdom

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Michael Oram, an inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame with hundreds of successful English Channel swims under his belt, gave these words of wisdom* to the Google Channel Swimmers Group:

"If you attempt to swim the English Channel, you can be risking death or serious injury."

"[Channel swimming] is a serious sport that should be treated with the greatest of respect. It is defiantly in the same category as Mount Everest and the many other extreme endurance sports that people try these days."

"Mount Everest has been climbed by about 3,800 people at the last count I saw - about three time more than those that have successfully swim the English Channel - and in half the number of years."

"The death rate [of Mount Everest] can be around 10% every year. You get what you pay for - the standard of your guides and organisers is optional as is the price. You should carefully choose who you put your life expectancy with. Without the support backup the climber is nothing."

"Likewise in the English Channel, you rely on the organisation that is put together by volunteers and you swim under a tight set of rules. Your pilot and their team are the professionals you rely on to get you across safely - without them, the swimmer might just as well stay on the beach. For years now, the pilots have been tucked away in the shadows. We know our place and as pilots have a understanding of attitudes - if the swim is successful, it's down to the swimmer; if it's a failure, it's down to the pilot and the weather."

"We live with that, knowing that what we do to the best of our abilities and as safely and professionally as we can considering the environment we work in. Lack of preparation, egos and dreams are all part of the pitfalls that unprepared swimmers hit when they turn up at Dover and look at the cliffs of France on a sunny day."

"Channel swimming looks safe (from a distance) and safety comes first, second and third. The pilots and shore support are continually trying to keep things as safe as possible."

"This was the case [last week] by the way [a swimmer] was taken from the water and everything was put in place for speedy attention. [Another swimmer] made the extreme effort [last week] knowing what she was taking on, it was her second [attempt] and unfortunately, it ended a half mile from the [French] beach. Last year, Ros Hardiman did 24 hours and had to be taken out of the water 1,400 metres from the French shore."

"This is one of the world's top swim, if not the world's top swim. It is so because it is the combination of the tides, wind, sea conditions, water temperature, air temperature, the restriction of two land masses and the fact that it lies in the area of the polar front / jetstream effect. When all that is taken into effect, you add things like the movement of water between the Atlantic and the North Sea through a 18 nautical mile bottleneck, the weather patterns that run up the east coast of America and cross the Atlantic collecting moisture, a little bit of the warm air from the Azores high-pressure region and the temperature of the land mass of Europe."

"It's the pilot that has to draw the line between hope, expectation, success and safety. Safety always has to win."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Inner Thoughts of a Marathon Swimmer

Ned Denison of Cork Ireland who has completed six swims of at least 16 miles: the English Channel, the Santa Barbara Channel, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Valencia, The Great Island and Lake Zurich. We had time to discuss the unique world of marathon swimming with Ned.


10Kswimmer: What was your most difficult swim?
Ned: The Santa Barbara Channel on October 4th, 2006 in 10 hours and 27 minutes. I completed the swim, but ended up in the hospital for a half day with hypothermia with a core body temperature below 30°C (86°F).

10Kswimmer: What was going through your mind as you were doing this swim?
Ned: The first thoughts were relief. We started in calm seas to travel [to the island where we started] for several hours to the start of the swim. [Then we found ourselves in] Force 5 conditions (29-38 km/h or 18-24 mph). A decision was then taken to move the boat around the lee (Eastern end) of the island. Eventually just before dawn, I decided to swim a different channel that the one I visually planned for during the previous year.

After a few hours the conditions were fantastic.

Only at the end did the conditions change – a deep sea cavern creates an upwelling of even colder water and a unexpected current away from the finish. My wife learned over at one point and told me that I had 'one Sandycove Island lap to go.' This is my training location in Cork and I put my head down and concentrated on counting out 800 right arm strokes. This normally would have taken me 1,800 meters, but with the current, I covered only 300 meters – at this point we all knew that I was in trouble.

10Kswimmer: How often did you think of quitting?
Ned: Thoughts of quitting don’t enter my head. I have a much more subtle thought which goes along the lines of "What are you doing? Why do you put yourself though this? Ok, this is now for sure the last long swim – in the future just enjoy the little one to five-mile swims." This normally kicks in around the two-hour mark, but eventually goes away at about seven hours. After seven hours I just have too much invested and I am driven to get there.

10Kswimmer: Were you concerned for your family if you 'went too far' and hurt yourself during the swim?
Ned: No – never. My wife has more than enough of this concern for the two of us. Then again she was nearly killed when her galloping horse stepped in an aardvark hole in Kenya two years ago. I tell her that it is nearly impossible to get injured falling off the sea.

10Kswimmer: Was there any particular song or words that you repeated to yourself over and over again during the swim?
Ned: Unfortunately not. I am one of those sad individuals who count my right arm strokes. 1,000 strokes and the 30 minutes are up and here comes my feed bottle. Towards the end of the long swim I often have to count to 100 and tell myself that I need another 100 and another. My friend Adrian has a mental tape he plays of him as the king of a South Pacific island and his subjects are bringing his food, kind words and new wives. I have offered to swap metal images.

10Kswimmer: Did you think of food during the swim?
Ned: Never. I just focus on drinking down whatever is in the bottle and keeping it down. This is normally about 450ml of Hi5 carbo mix with water. For comfort (and if my wife is happy with me), I might get a jelly bean reward after each stop. If my spirits are low, I have a thermos of chicken broth on the boat and yell 'broth' midway between feeds. The taste is just fantastic – and it tastes just as good being thrown up.

10Kswimmer: Was there any kind of mental games that you played to help you overcome the cold water?
Ned: I have lots of tricks. First, I have the images of swimming around Sandycove in 7°C (44°F) water in February one year and swimming around one Christmas Day with Danny in a blizzard. So, whatever I am in – is a bath in comparison. Second, I just pick up my head and yell 'COLD' and see the boat crew scrambling to make sure my next drink is hot. Third, I can pick up my stroke rate by 5 to 15% at any time – which pumps more warm blood around my 6'-6" body (yes the wrong shape for cold water). Finally and dangerously, I simply convince myself that the water is now warmer than it was five minutes ago.

10Kswimmer: What advice can you give others who put themselves in a similar situation?
Ned: Marathon swimming comes in many flavors – browse and select the one you actually want. Then build up to it mentally and physically. Too many shoot for the English Channel before they have any real experience above three miles in the open water.

For most swimmers, 21°C (70°F) water is probably their most comfortable over distance. Also, most will find a group swim in a lake mentally easier than a lonely sea solo subjected to currents/tides.

Build your mental confidence and test yourself physically in a long, warm, group swim as a milestone swim. Take part in a five-mile [race], then ten-mile [race], then perhaps the 16-mile Lake Zurich swim.

Swimming in water above 24°C (75°F) is a completely different story – and I have no real experience. Talk to the folks in Australia or Fiji.

Colder water – so 16°C (60°F) and below is a different story. Then toss in a strong and cold North wind! I have the luxury of being able to train near to home in cold water. So, by the time my next big swim comes along (Aspirant for Round the Island of Jersey) on August 5th 2009, I will have done long distances in colder and hopefully rougher water and subjected myself to adverse tides.

The warm water swimmers from Australia seem to be able to come to Dover for a week – get used to 16°C (75°F) water and make the channel swim. I have no idea how they do it.

Thank you very much, Ned - and good wishes on your Round Jersey solo swim. We have an idea of what you will be thinking about.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

An Incredible Three-Peat

The legendary Ted Erikson provided us with this incredible photo of his son, Jon Erikson and a map of his epic triple-crossing of the English Channel.

Jon's 38 hour and 27 minute triple-crossing included a 10 hour and 10 minute first leg, a 13 hour and 14 minute second leg and a 15 hour and 13 minute third and final leg.

Thrice As Nice - Jon Erikson's Epic Channel Swim

Jon Erikson was the first person to complete a triple crossing of the English Channel in 1981 with a historic 38 hour and 27 minute effort. An honoree in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Jon swam the English Channel in 1969 and a double-crossing in 1979 with his first leg as the fastest crossing of the year.

The son of the legendary Ted Erikson, Jon also did many professional marathon swims in Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Ted and Jon are the only father-son pair in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. Nearly three decades after his incredible swim, we caught up with Jon and asked him to take us back to that epic swim in 1981.

10Kswimmer: Was the triple crossing of the English Channel your hardest marathon swim ever?
Jon: Yes.

10Kswimmer: Why?
Jon: Because the English Channel is the open water swimming’s Mount Everest proving grounds. It is rich in history from the first individual who crossed the Channel in 1875, Captain Webb, to athletes who call themselves a marathon swimmer. Like life, there are no guarantees when swimming the English Channel because of the unstable British weather, the strong tides, the cold water, the ubiquitous jellyfish and the vast amount of shipping traffic. Success of failure can occur due to these obstacles. The 21 miles of sea between England and France are, without a doubt, the impartial judge.

Throughout my swimming career, I competed in numerous marathon swims and the obstacles I encountered in the English Channel were the toughest of all. Multiple crossings just throw more variables into the equation and make it more difficult to solve. For example, on single crossing – which is the easiest form of a channel swim – one can set the swim to take advantage of the tides and the distance swum. If a tide is missed, which is enhanced with multiple crossings, it doesn't matter if you are Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps, you are not going to get to shore against that tide.

10Kswimmer: Had anyone ever considered a triple-crossing before you did it?
Jon: In 1965, at Dover's Hubert House, Greta Andersen and Ted Erikson were contemplating double-crossings. Greta's attempt preceded Ted’s and failed. Ted made the first double-crossing. In the following years, double crossings became common and was presumably considered by some. However, Jon wanted to better Ted's sixty-mile swim across Lake Michigan in 1963. This prompted him to tackle the 63-mile triple crossing.

10Kswimmer: What kind of pre-swim planning did you do – especially before the age of GPS?
Jon: Ted Erikson made two attempts using computer modeling of the tides at the IIT Research Institute, where he worked, and incorporated several start times and directions to take the most optimum course at his swim speeds. Their failure rested in the inability to accurately monitor in-situ channel currents and position. I believe it would be resolved with present-day technology as spring tides can aid one's course. My swim was based on the captain's knowledge.

10K swimmer: How in the world do you train for a triple-crossing?
Jon: That's easy. Simply swim a lot. Ted Erikson was surprised by his son's training success which was generally quality, interval training. Ted strove for quantity, with the rigors of six miles kicking with a board for three days, ten miles of pulling with a leg float for five days, and twelve miles of swimming for four days, all non-stop, for his sixty-mile swim from Chicago to Benton Harbor across Lake Michigan. My success was achieved at considerably less rigor.

10Kswimmer: Can you describe the first leg of your triple-crossing? How was the weather? How were the conditions? How long did it take? How did you feel?
Jon: The recorded cumulative times were 10 hours and 10 minutes at the end of the first England-France leg, 23 hours and 24 minutes at the end of the second France-England leg and 38 hours and 27 minutes at the end of the third England-France leg. Rosemary George, my trainer, was one of three official Channel Swimming Association observers required for this swim.

The weather was wonderful for first and second crossings with a light wind and sunshine. At the first crossing, I hit Cape Griz Nez perfectly and, although there was some difficulty in finding a suitable rocky ledge to climb, I immediately began the return crossing. The second finish was near the Foreland Cliffs in early afternoon. Ted attempted to launch a windsurfer that was aboard to take me in, but wind was too light to maneuver. I was then accompanied in with the Zodiac. All seemed a ‘go’ for the third leg. But, the wind picked up a bit and darkness descended as we approached the Cape. And I just missed it. The spring tide carried us miles to the east. This was the most difficult part for the crew, but I thought, "After all this, I am not quitting now! I'm good to go."

The shore of France near Calais on a nice sandy beach was the final destination. On the journey back to England, attempts to warm me up were difficult. I shivered most of the way. Rosie George, the official Channel Swimming Association observer and my dad were happy, but concerned. The champagne at the Dover dock was a nice touch for the crew, but I wanted only a warm bed and broth.

10Kswimmer: How did you feel when it was over?
Jon: When I finished the three-way, I felt tremendous! My dream of accomplishing a major athletic challenge, something that had never been done before by another human being, made the culmination of all my years of my swimming – since the age of 5 – worthwhile and uniquely meaningful.

To accomplish a goal of this scope, I believe that one must have a mentor. That is, someone who has inspired you to follow your dreams – to truly reach beyond your grasp. For me, that person was, and still is, my dad, Ted Erikson, one of the greatest marathon swimmers to ever pass through the water and an even greater dad!

I'm extremely proud of this first three-way crossing of the English Channel because it is a record that cannot ever, and will not ever, be broken because like Roger Bannister's [first] sub-4 minute mile run, there is only one first. [Roger] was the pioneer and inspired others by giving them the confidence that this goal is humanly achievable.

I trust that as my Dad has inspired me, my three-way channel swim has done the same, inspiring other swimmers and instilling in them the self-assurance that their goals can be reached.

10Kswimmer: What did you eat right after you finished?
Jon: I didn't eat right after the swim. The most important aspect then is to get into a warm bath and thaw out. When I did eat, it was skinless roasted chicken, small portions because after feeding, every 45 minutes to 1 hour for the last 38 hours, on liquid foods (Nutrament, tea, coffee and soups all mixed with 400 calories of glucose), you don't want to shock your GI-tract.

10Kswimmer: What advice do you have for anyone who is doing a single-crossing of the English Channel?
Jon: If you can swim ten miles non-stop at a steady pace, you will have a better than 50% chance of a single English channel crossing. Double this for a double crossing and triple this for a triple.

It must always be understood that the remaining [percentage of success] is dependent on the weather, the start time, your captain and crew, your handlers and the other obstacles that you encounter: jellyfish, freighters, darkness, storms, etc. You have to be prepared to pay your nickel and take your chances.

10Kswimmer [to Ted Erikson who was on Jon’s escort boat]: Any other comments on the triple crossing?
Ted: Jon was very proud to receive a Rolex watch for the fastest single crossing on August 19, 1979 on his way to a double crossing. It bettered John Kinsella’s [crossing who was] in the water at the same time, going for a single. Needless to say, I have been impressed and humbled by my son's achievements.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

It's A Small World

Michael Read, the former King of the Channel®, once said that open water swimmers have greatly benefited from the use and improvement of technology. Everything from GPS and AIS transponders to Google Earth and intercontinental jet transportation has helped open water swimmers plan and succeed at their solo challenges and marathon swims.

With the advent of online communications, especially email and social networks, open water swimmers throughout the world have been able to much more easily and quickly communicate with one another and with race organizers and escort pilots than in the previous century.

Up until the mid-1990's, open water swimmers primarily communicated via letters, faxes and telephones. Before then, it was regular postal mail. In contrast, global communications are now nearly instantaneous and convenient. Twitter, Facebook, email, blogs, websites, online forums, Google Groups, online travel sites and mobile communication devices of all sorts have supplanted the post office and the home phone as the communication tools of choice.

Instead of waiting for a letter from one's escort pilot, Blackberries and iPhones provide immediate linkage to the global open water swimming community. Its benefits are immediate and profound.

One example of the immediate positive effects of the contemporary real-time communication is the recent appeal by Bruce McCoubrey (shown above) of Vancouver, Canada. Bruce sent a simple email to the Channel Swimmers on Google Groups, broadcasting his interest in joining a relay for a 2009 English Channel attempt.

Within hours, Bruce received feedback from numerous teams from around the world. These people had never met each other, but there was an immediate bond between each other. They did not doubt each other's intentions or abilities. They immediately established a mutual trust primarily - or perhaps exclusively - because they were all members of a Google Group for Channel Swimmers.

Bruce is now choosing what team to join and made the same appeal for a Catalina Channel relay crossing and a Maui Channel relay crossing. As a result, Bruce sitting at his home in western Canada, was able to have multiple choices in what international teams to join in swims from Hawaii to the English Channel.

Additionally, when swimmers travel around the world, they are able to track down open water swimming groups. On a trip to Bermuda, Bruce was able to find a group of swimmers who swim every morning at 6:30 am at various locations in Bermuda. The locals, members of the English Channel group, had invited Bruce via email to join their daily open water swims. The Internet's usefulness is even more profound in Bermuda: depending on the weather and water conditions, all the swimmers in the local Bermuda group are notified via email of the next day's swim spot.

Just as Walt Disney envisioned...it's truly a small world ... and getting smaller.

Lower photo is of the winning team of the Santa Barbara Channel 6x6 Relay Race.

Describing the English Channel to the World

The English Channel swimming season has started - thousands of open water swimmers around the world are now focused on preparing for and planning an attempt, either for 2009 or beyond.

The English Channel aspirants speak nearly every language in the world.

We asked many local open water swimmers to provide us with a list of how "English Channel" is translated in their languages. This is what we found:

In Dutch: Het Kanaal or Nauw van Calais (aka Dover Strait) as in "Ik heb de Nauw van Calais overgezwommen"

In Flemish Dutch: Het Kanaalas in "Ik heb het Kanaal overgezwommen"

In Bulgarian: Аз преплувах Ла Манша

In Swedish: Engelska kanalen

In Brazilian Portuguese: Canal da Mancha as in "Eu cruzei o Canal da Mancha"

In Hebrew: תעלת אנגליה (Tealat Angelia)

In Spanish: Canal de la Mancha as in "He nadado el Canal de la Mancha"

In Afrikaans: engelse kanaal as in "Ek het die engelse kanaal geswem"

In Portuguese: Canal da Mancha as in "Eu fiz a travessia do Canal da Mancha a nado"

In German: Ärmelkanal that can be explained as "Ich bin von England nach Frankreich geschwommen"

In French: La Manche as in "J’ai fait la Traversée de la Manche à la nage"

In Italian: Traversata della Manica as in "Egli ha attraversato la Manica"

In Icelandic: Ermarsundið as in "Ég synti yfir Ermarsundið"

In Russian: Пролив Ламанш, pronounced as
Proliv Lamansh, as in "Я переплыл пролив Ламанш" (Ya pereplil proliv Lamansh)

In Chinese: 英吉利海峡 as in "我游过了英吉利海峡"

In Japanese: ドーバー海洋 as in "ドーバー海峡を泳いで渡った" where the translation literally means "Dover Strait" and is pronounced "Do-ba- kaikyo o oyoide-watatta"

In Irish: Muir nIochet as in "Rinne mé snámh an Muir nIocht" where the translation literally means the "Straight Sea" and is pronounced "Rin-eh may snauv trass-nah on Mwir nYucht!"

Of course, there is also the following:

Australian English: English Channel as in "I swam the bloody English Channel, mate"

In Irish English: Da Ditch (slang)

Note: The Portuguese translation 'mancha' means 'stain', but the French translation 'Manche' means 'sleeve' or 'Manga' in Portuguese.

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Swimming

Conditions in the English Channel

For information about the water temperature, wind and air temperature in the English Channel, check here. This website shows updated information from the Sandettie Lightship in the Channel and is maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Data Buoy Center.

Cannibals in the Channel

The Discovery Channel produced a fascinating look at Paul Hopfensperger's 13 hour 52 minute crossing of the English Channel in 2007 for a program called The Human Body: Strength - Endurance.

The Discovery Channel described the production as, "Push it to the limit and your body will hit the wall and then start to cannibalise itself..." Paul's charity challenge across the Channel was sponsored and filmed by Dangerous Films Ltd..

The URL is http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/video/human-body-strength-endurance.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

English Channel Awards and Heroes

The English Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation held its annual awards dinner this week to honor the following individuals:

The Eurotunnel Award for the fastest CS&PF English Channel Swim of 2008: Doreen Miller (USA) from her England-to-France 10 hour 17 minute crossing.

The Gertrude Ederle Award for the most meritorious CS&PF English Channel swim by a woman in 2008: Elizabeth Fry (USA) for her England-to-France 12 hours 1 minute crossing and her attempted second leg from France-to-England in 11 hour 44 minutes.

The Des Renford Award for the most meritorious CS&PF English Channel swim by a man in 2008: Marcel Degreef (Netherlands) for his England-to-France 19 hour 50 minute crossing.

The Frank Richards Endurance Award for the unsuccessful CS&PF endurance English Channel swim of 2008: Rosalinda Hardiman (UK) for her England-to-France in 25 hour 14 minute swim where she was taken from the water exhausted 700 meters from France (see photo on left with Frank Richards).

The Audrey Scott Award for the youngest successful CS&PF English Channel Swimmer of 2008: 23-year-old Rajesh Shinde (India) for his England-to-France 14 hour 46 minute crossing.

The Ray Scott Award for the oldest successful CS&PF English Channel Swimmer of 2008: 54-year-old George Hunihan (USA) for his England-to-France 16 hour 30 minute crossing.

The Alison Streeter Award for the fastest successful 2-way CS&PF English Channel Swim of 2008: Doublin Fire Brigade (Ireland) for their England-to-France 9 hour 55 minute first leg and their France-to-England 11 hour 17 minute second leg: Brian McLoughlin, Tony Cruise, Rachael Lee, Tom Healy, Brenden McGratten and Greg O’Dwyer.

The Barrie Darling Award for the CS&PF Pilot crew member of 2008: Paul Foreman, skipper and pilot of Pace Arrow (shown to left with Alison Streeter).

The Dover Straits Award for the Fastest CS&PF Standard Relay English Channel Crossing of 2008: Dover Lifeguards Club 2008 (UK and Slovakia) for their England-to-France 10 hour 2 minute crossing with Dan Seagrove-Castle, Dominika Szucsova, Sophie Tills, Tessa Dunford, Danielle Pryor and Katie Brown.

The longest CS&PF Standard Relay English Channel Crossing of 2008: Serpentine Afghan Appeal (International) for their England-to-France 23 hour 16 minute crossing with Sophie Rutenbar, Maree Mitchell, Clare Doyle, Anne McAlpone-Leny, Lorraine Jones and Martha Fray.

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

The CS&PF Observer of the Year Award: Jennie Hanson (shown to left with renowned Kevin Murphy, the retiring CS&PF president).

The CS&PF Sunny Lowry Special Thanks Award of 2008: Irene Wakeham.

The Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club Award for the successful CS&PF English Channel Swim "Against all Odds" of 2008: Benjamin Greensmith (UK) for his England-to-France 15 hour 25 minute crossing.

The most meritorious Special Category CS&PF Relay English Channel Crossing of 2008: Three Birds & a Boat for their England-to-France 11 hour 30 minute 50 second crossing with James (Jemima) Boucher, Emma France and Samantha Jones (shown on left between Alison Street, the new CS&PF President, and Kevin Murphy).

The Seafarer Award for the fastest solo CS&PF English Channel Swim by a British Person in 2008: Katie Goodall for her England-to-France 10 hour 23 minutes 34 second crossing (shown to left with Alison Streeter).

The Leo Cox Award for the Fastest CS&PF Junior Relay Team English Channel Crossing of 2008: Clissold Swimming Club - Team 2 for their England-to-France crossing with Daniel Morgan Melville, Ella ORegan, Tao Geohegan Hart, Matlida Cornwell Jones, Devon Vitalis and Thomas Grylls.

Retirement presentations were awarded to Frank Richards who retired from observing after 37 years of selfless efforts and over 400 crossings. Dave Whyte, pilot, and Joan Beach, first officer who both retired from piloting after 22 years.



The Peter Adams Award for the successful CS&PF endurance English Channel swim of 2008: Denise Richards (UK) for her England-to-France 22 hour 6 minute crossing.

Congratulations to all who succeeded, attempted, piloted and helped administer the English Channel swims of 2008.

Photos courtesy of Michael Oram.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Pro English Channel Races of the 1950's

With the credible rumors that major international races will be held in the English Channel in 2009, it calls to mind the professional English Channel races that were held in the 1950's.

The first race was held in 1950 and was limited to 20 participants from around the world, sponsored by the London Daily Mail. A 41-year-old Egyptian by the name of El-Rheim won the first race in a then-record of 10 hours and 50 minutes over an international field.

In 1951, another Egyptian, 34-year-old Hamad, won the race in 12 hours 12 minutes by just one minute over Frenchman Roger de Morvan who had also placed second in 1950. In addition to France, England and Egypt, swimmers also came from Canada, Argentina, Sweden, Peru, Greece, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Between 1953 and 1959, the pro races across the Channel were sponsored by Billy Butlin of Butlin's Holiday Camps.

The 1953 race was plagued by inclement weather and poor conditions and had no finishers. The 1954 race saw Portugal's Periera win in 12 hours 25 minutes over Egypt's Hamad in 12 hours 49 minutes. The 1955 race was won by Egypt's formidable Abdel-Latif Abo-Heif in 11 hours 44 minutes over America's Tom Park in 12 hours 2 minutes. In 1956, Park came back and shared the winning prize with Ireland's Jack McClelland for swimming the furthest, but the swim was called off after 11 hours due to poor weather and water conditions.

Greta Anderson, an Olympic gold and silver medalist in pool swimming, battled the world's best men in many pro marathon swims around the world, and became the only person to win two English Channel races. She won in 1957 and 1958. During the 1957 race, the conditions were terrible and only two swimmers finished with Greta finishing in 13 hours 53 minutes over England's Ken Wray in 16 hours.

In 1958, the men and women were formally separated into two different races...but that did not stop Greta from winning overall in 11 hours 1 minute over Pakistan's Brojan Das in 14 hours 52 minutes, England's Ronald Tarr (15:12), France's Raphael Morand (16:22) and Mexico's Ramon Ocana (17:05).

The 1959 race was won by Argentina's Alfredo Camerero in 11 hours 43 minutes over Herman Willemse (12:49) and other top swimmers including Greta (15:25) who could not complete a three-peat.

No races have been held since so the open water swimming community is very much looking forward to August 2009. Photo (by Pei Qingsheng) on left shows current English Channel record holder Petar Stoychev.

Photo of Greta Anderson finishing her historic Catalina Channel swim by the Long Beach Press Telegram. Data from the English Channel races from Conrad Wennerberg's authoritative book Wind, Waves and Sunburn: A Brief History of Marathon Swimming.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Big News from the Channel

We heard credible rumors that an established group is organizing a 2-day international English Channel race between August 19-24, 2009. An international press presentation and release is expected to be made from London early February.

On the first day, eight of the world’s top male swimmers will compete in the first group and six of the world's top female swimmers (including Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist Cassandra Patten), plus two celebrity-athlete relay teams, will compete in the second group. On the second day, up to 12 charity relay teams will compete.

More details to be announced later by the race organizers in London. Exciting!

Shining Stars

Michael Oram, Honorary Secretary of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation sends his holiday wishes to the global open water swimming community with this wonderful photo of an open water swimmer leaving Shakespeare Bay as the sun rises over Dover Harbour with a meteor shower in progress (note the three shooting stars towards the top of the photo).



Michael, an inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, has piloted over 450 English Channel attempts since 1982 including Christoph Wandratsch's 2005 world record solo swim of 7 hours 3 mins 52 seconds, Petar Stoychev's current world record solo swim of 6 hours 57 mins and 50 seconds, Yvetta Hlavacova's 2006 fastest female crossing of 7 hours 25 mins 15 secs in 2006, two triple crossings (one by Philip Rush and one by Alison Streeter), the crossings by the oldest man and woman, a quadruple relay crossing led by Des Renford and many others.

Onwards to a wonderful 2009.

Very Cool Swimming Websites – Part 2

In July 2008, we listed 20 Very Cool Websites (see below), but the number of websites providing valuable information in a visual dynamic manner continues to increase.

A second list of 25 unique, educational and informative websites is below for your viewing pleasure (listed in no particular order).

If your favorite open water swimming website is not shown, please share the link with our community.


1. Midmar Mile: a comprehensive portal to the world’s largest open water swimming event.
2. New Zealand Ocean Swim Series: a comprehensive portal created by Scott Rice, one of the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominees
3. Kristel Köbrich: a Spanish-language website of a top pro swimmer from Chile
4. Damian Blaum: a Spanish-language website of a top pro swimmer from Argentina.
5. Manhattan Island Foundation: comprehensive portal to open water swimming in and around New York City.
6. European Open Water Swimming Championships: a website covering the European Open Water Swimming Championships by the accomplished group at Deep Blue Media
7. Lewis Gordon Pugh: multi-lingual website of an incredible open water swimming adventurer and environmentalist.
8. Lac St-Jean: a bilingual French-English website of the famous Lac St-Jean pro swim.
9. Santa Fe-Coronda: Spanish-language website of the pro Sante Fe-to-Coronda race in Argentina.
10. Aqualoja: a bilingual Portuguese-English website that combines event coverage with an online swim shop.
11. Finnish Winter Swimming Championships: a bilingual Finnish-English website of cold water swimming in Finland21.
12. Edith van Dijk: a Dutch-language website of a remarkable pro swimmer who is a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year:
13. Global Open Water Swimming: the world’s most comprehensive open water swimming news portal with excellent coverage of European open water swimming events.
14. Hoffy Swims: personal open water swimming blog of Paul Hopfensperger.
15. Cape Swim: an open water swimming site for Cape Town, South Africa.
16. Ana Marcela Cunha: a Portuguese-language website of a top pro swimmer from Brazil.
17. Cook Strait: facts and figures on the Cook Strait in New Zealand.
18. Channel Swimmers: for those who want to swim, or have swum, the English Channel.
19. FINA: FINA information on open water swimming.
20. Bulgarian Open Water: information on Bulgarian open water swimming
21. Outdoor Swimming Society: outdoor swimming in the U.K.
22. Beaufort Wind Scale: from the US National Weather Service.
23. Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association: a description of events in the Santa Barbara Channel by Emilio Casanueva, a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year
24. Great North Swim: website of the Great North Swim series in the U.K.
25. Pacific Swims: website of open water swimming events in the South Pacific.

From the July 2008 list of unusual, beautiful or informative websites:

1. Open Water Photography: great open water swimming photos.
2. Natalie du Toit: incredible South African Olympian
3. Maarten van der Weijden: inspirational leukemia survivor.
4. Water World Swim: San Francisco Bay swims.
5. Fiji Swims: open water swims in Fiji.
6. St. Croix Coral Reef Swim: open water race in beautiful St. Croix.
7. Irish Channel: Irish Channel swims.
8. Swim Across America: charity open water swims.
9. Tiburon Mile: world’s most competitive pro race.
10. Swim Trek: open water swimming holiday adventures.
11. La Jolla Cove Swim Club: California open water swimming club.
12. Britta Kamrau: top pro swimmer Britta Kamrau of Germany.
13. Marcos Diaz: top Dominican Republican swimmer.
14. Carina Bruwer: top South African marathon swimmer.
15. Lynne Cox: renowned Lynne Cox.
16. Angela Maurer: top German Olympic swimmer, Angela Maurer.
17. Swim Vacation: British Virgin Islands open water swimming vacations.
18. Rottnest Channel Swim: world's largest channel race.
19. Ocean Swims: worldwide resource on open water events.
20. All about Open Water: educational open water swimming site.

Photo of Joe Orman in San Francisco Bay during New Year's Day Alcatraz Swim. Photo by Colin A Gift.