Observed and verified by the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CS&PF), the Chiltern Tritons swam from Shakespeare Beach in Dover to Cap Gris Nez, France, in 15 hours and 42 minutes with support boat Gallivant.
This was a first-time channel swim experience for all five Tritons, and a huge mental and physical challenge that saw them overcome not just the cold sea water. The swim was non-wetsuit and the team had to start acclimatisation back in April in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. Jellyfish and seaweed were dodged along the way, and the last six hours were in the pitch-black night.
The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers passing through and 200 ferries and other vessels going across daily. Although the shortest distance of the channel is 21 miles, the boat moved many miles from side to side with the ebb and flow of the Tide, hence the path looks like a letter ‘S’.
