Pat Gallant Charette of Westbrook, Maine, had to terminate her attempt on August 1 after swimming 32 miles (the crossing is 21 miles) in 16 hours because she could not break through the currents on the last 2 miles on the French side. She asked for ice in her drinks during nutrition breaks.
www.mypeakmultisport.com/news_story.php
According to the top page of USMS site, most Channel crossers this year will be making the attempt between August 7 and 16, so there will be more drama in the news.
VB
Monday, July 28, Clara Bennett of Indiana (?), age 19, finished in 11 hours 12 minutes.
southbendtribune.com/.../article
And on July 30, a retired French carpenter came "agonizingly close" to being the first one-armed swimmer to complete the swim but was ordered into the boat by the captain within sight of the French cliffs. A "rigorous diet of chips and beer" helped him gain 22 lb before the swim:
www.reuters.com/.../idUSL019603120080730
Hoping to join the tiny group of those who have both climbed Mt. Everest and swum the English Channel (three so far) are two Americans, Neal Mueller of Minnesota and Charlie Wittmack of Iowa, who have their swims scheduled for this summer.
www.peakandpond.com
Here's an interesting tidbit from 10kswimmer.com: a Channel chart showing locations of ships and boats, updated frequently in real time:
www.10kswimmer.com/.../locating-swimmers-in-english-channel.html
If you know the name of the boat, you can follow the progress. Mike Oram and his son have four registered to them: Aegean Blue, Sea Satin, Gallivant, and Deep Six Two. Other registered pilots and escort boats are listed on their Web site:
www.channelswimming.com/escort-boats.htm
VB
I train with Catheryne Di Prete, who left for the UK on Friday and will be making her attempt during the August 7-16 window. She's an incredibly talented, dedicated and driven swimmer. She's been a personal inspiration to me (not to swim the Channel, but definitely to work hard for my goals). I wish her the and all other USMS swimmers making the attempt the best. Setting aside the accomplishment of swimming the Channel, the training that Catheryne put in over the last several years in preparation for this attempt is nothing short of amazing.
Mallory Mead, also of Indiana and good friend of Clara Bennett, also successfully crossed the English Channel Saturday July, 26 in 10 hours 34 minutes. Check out Mallory and Clara's blog at swimmingthechannel.blogspot.com/.
Here is Mallory's dad, checking in!
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
I train with Catheryne Di Prete, who left for the UK on Friday and will be making her attempt during the August 7-16 window. She's an incredibly talented, dedicated and driven swimmer. She's been a personal inspiration to me (not to swim the Channel, but definitely to work hard for my goals). ....
Reading Marcia Cleveland's Dover Solo and Lynne Cox's Swimming to Antarctica certainly made me focus on having a swimming goal, and how to get there. That in turn has helped my coach design workouts. And there is much carryover to other goals in life.
VB
Mallory Mead, also of Indiana and good friend of Clara Bennett, also successfully crossed the English Channel Saturday July, 26 in 10 hours 34 minutes. Check out Mallory and Clara's blog at swimmingthechannel.blogspot.com/.
Updating what's happening with USMS (and other) swimmers' English Channel 2008 attempts:
Liz Fry: On or about August 17, was pulled from water after 24 hours in a two-way attempt:
hoffyschannelswim.blogspot.com/.../dover-2008-week-16-6-hour-swim-in.html
"Arriving at 10.00pm, we headed for a pint of Guinness at the White Horse. As soon as we walked in I heard American accents and found out that they were non other than Liz Fry and her crew. Liz, had literally hours earlier, been pulled out at "The Varne" in the channel after swimming for 24 hours on a two-way attempt. This was a fantastic effort, and we chatted for about an hour about her valiant attempt."
Dori (Miller?): August 9, 2008, completed swim. Her blog:
www.overtheboundingmain.blogspot.com/
Viva la France
"Thanks for all the messages! I made it to France, to the light house, in 10:13 or 10:16. I left some skin on the rocks for good measure. I was seasick about 3 hours in and left some snacks for the gulls and fishes. Felt much better after that. Crew was seasick with me. I am safe and happy. A good hot bath is in order."
Jeffrey/Jeffery Hulett: July 13. 10 hours 30 min (unratified)
Brent Hobbs (Kelowna, BC, Canadian Masters): Monday, July 28
englishchannelogopogo.blogspot.com/.../celebrating-finish-with-dolphins.html
"We swam across the English Channel today in 10 hours and 43 minutes--witnessed by the dolphins that escorted us part of the way back to Dover. It was magical for all of us. I say "we" crossed the channel because it was the support of friends, family, colleagues, boat crew, the Channel Swimming Association, and good weather conditions that enabled me to achieve my dream of swimming the channel. I will never forget this experience!"
