English Channel#By swimming

Channel Swimming is a special type of long-distance swimming in a designated as a channel waterway as either crossing ( English Channel ) or along it ( Halle ( Saale) and others).

• 2.1 Halle / Saale
• 2.2 Hamm / Westphalia
• 2.3 Osnabrück
• 2.4 Gelsenkirchen
• 2.5 Hildesheim / Sehnde
• 2.6 Sète ( France)
• 2.7 Scheerwolde (Netherlands)
• 2.8 Munich

English Channel Swimming

Route

In general, the distance from Dover ( England) to Calais Cap Griz Nez or (France) will be swum, with 32.31 kilometers, the shortest distance between the two coasts. The actual distance traveled is often much longer, because the swimmers are exposed to strong currents in the English Channel, not least caused by the tidal range. Due to the stricter legislation in France attempts to start from Calais barely.

The English Channel is one of about 500 ships per day of the busiest waterways in the world. This is sometimes not without problems for the swimmers. To make matters worse, that even in summer the water temperature barely rises above 17 ° C, thereby threatening hypothermia, and are subject to weather, wind flow and often unpredictable changes.

In addition to the solo route Dover -Calais and the double distance Dover -Calais - Dover is swum. Also triple crossings, there have been several times. Every year about 100 people are now trying, swimming the English Channel solo and "conventional way ", ie without passing through a wetsuit and buoyancy aid, increasingly added squadrons. By mid-2011 over 1217 swimmers have made ​​a total of 1660 solos. The success rate of 20 percent 20-30 years ago is due to better communication and technology ( inter alia, weather forecasts, exchange of experiences among swimmers ) increased significantly, some support boats give a success rate of over 70 percent for solos and scales together on.

Organizer

From 1927 to 1999, all official crossing experiments were monitored by the Channel Swimming Association (CSA) and accompanied by booting to perform necessary rescue measures and register times and records. The CSA is based in Aylesbury ( UK). In November 1999, the original CSA was converted into today's CSA Ltd., to which the " Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation " ( CS & PF) was formed in 2000 from former members of the original CSA, so that since then two organizations monitor the channel crossings and certify. The CS & PF has been specially created to accompany unorthodox channel crossings.

History

The first successful English Channel swimmer shall be the English captain Matthew Webb, the then 27 -year-old swam across the channel from Dover to Calais in August 1875. Because he had incorrectly calculated swell and current, he laid back well over 70 km and needed for more than 21 hours. He was accompanied by a boat from Dover, on which six helpers and four journalists from the Illustrated London News were. By reporting this newspaper he gained a certain notoriety in the British public, 1883, he came in trying to swim the Niagara Falls, died.

In fact, however, Webb was not the first channel swimmer. Already in 1815 withdrew from the Italian soldier of Napoleon I, Jean Marie Saletti from Malesco, his capture by the English at the Battle of Waterloo by a quick jump overboard just before the transport ship reached Dover. He swam through the night towards the French coast, where took him near Boulogne a fishing boat. This channel crossing was never recognized as Saletti had formally established the starting point and destination is not followed correctly.

Even before Matthew Webb, in May 1875, swam the American Lifeguard Paul Boyton the English Channel. However, in his 23stündigen crossing he wore an air filled rubber suit and used a paddle. In 1911 the Englishman Thomas Burgess swam in his 19th attempt the first double the distance. He needed for the route Dover -Calais - Dover about 23 hours.

The Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman professional tried several times around 1915, to swim across the English Channel, always in vain. Nevertheless, it was in the United States by swimming to show a celebrity. The then fledgling film industry in the United States she discovered as an actress.

As the first woman created a channel crossing floating, (1906-2003), the sport swimmer, multiple world record holder and Olympic gold medalist (Paris 1924) Gertrude Ederle out in the annals. In 1926, she needed only 14 hours and 31 minutes, which were almost two hours less than the previous best of men. Was financed by the company of the Daily News and the Chicago Tribune, which provided for a triumphant reception of the swimmer in the United States.

In July 2006, the British comedian David Walliams ( " Little Britain " known from ) swam across the English Channel in 10 hours and 35 minutes for Sport Relief Organisation and collected as over half a million pounds for an orphanage in Ethiopia.

Official Records

Official records that have been registered by the Channel Swimming Association Ltd (CSA ) and the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation ( CS & PF):

With 43 ​​crossings in the years 1982 to 2008, the record for most crossings is held by the British Alison Streeter - including a non-stop triple channel crossing in 1990 in 34 hours 40 minutes. The man with the most crossings is Brit Kevin Murphy, who has in the years 1969 to 2006 swum the English Channel 34 times (Michael Read 33 times).

In 1978, the US-American Penny Lee Dean with a sensational time of 7 hours and 40 minutes the old record for a crossing for more than an hour.

It was not until 16 years later, in 1994, succeeded the Americans Chad Hundeby, the time to beat. It took 7 hours 17 minutes for the distance.

On 1 August 2005, succeeded Christof ratchet wall, set up with 7 hours 3 minutes 52 seconds a new Channel record.

Since 24 August 2007, the record from the Bulgarian Petar Stoychev is held, the required 6:57:50.

More Records

On August 31, 2011, the Briton Roger Allsop took at the age of 70 years and 115 days, the record as the oldest channel swimmer when he reached the French coast after 17 hours 51 min. Since August 28, 2004 George Brunstad held this record, uncle of actor Matt Damon.

On 9 August 2007, the Berliner Margit Bohnhoff with a life time of 11 hours and 40 minutes best German swimmer was.

On 18 September 2010, the quadruple amputee Frenchman Philippe Croizon swam across the English Channel in a time of just over 13 hours. Croizon had lost his arms and legs 16 years ago in an accident and is the first person with such a disability, who succeeded in crossing the channel.

The team with the most channel crossings is the world's International Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team with 42 solo crossings, including 7 German (as of Sept. 2010).

Movies

In 1952, Annette Kellermann's life with the movie one million U.S. dollars Mermaid was honored with Esther Williams in the lead role.

1953, the feature film Dangerous when wet in the American cinema. Esther Williams played the daughter of a farmer who wants to swim across the English Channel to protect her family from poverty.

2004 became Jörg Adolphs Movie Channel swimmers much attention at the International Documentary Film Festival in Munich. In the autumn of the same year ZDF and 3sat radiated from the film in which the swimmer Adolph José Mataafa from Samoa, Bryan Finlay Canada and Christof wall ratchet from Germany in their attempts to cross the English Channel with his camera. While Mataafa must be brought to about 21 hours shortly before the French coast from the water to give up after 10 hours and the 60 -year-old Finlay, manages the multiple long-distance swimming champion wall ratchet the crossing of the English Channel in 7 hours and 20 minutes.

2005, the Scottish actor Peter Mullan embodied in the English feature film On a clear day an older shipyard workers from Glasgow, the purpose of the search for meaning swims the English Channel after his release.

In the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008, by a 68 -year-old swims the English Channel after her this was not successful as a young woman.

The French film Welcome ( 2009) deals with the fate of a 17 -year-old Iraqi refugee, all legal and illegal ways of France are blocked to England. He decides that haul floating back down and drowns.

The production company The Golden Lamb published the 2013 feature film The woman who dares, in which a woman decides against treatment of their cancer disease, in order to make true their youth dream to swim the English Channel.

Other channel swimming

Halle / Saale

From 2001 to 2007 organized by the SSC Halle (Saxony- Anhalt) Twice a year a channel swim around the Hallorenring Cup on the 35 meters wide and 4 meters deep channel regatta of the city. The race distances were 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and rarely swum 10,000 yards (10 km ) long.

It took place regularly on the 3rd weekend in July and the 1st weekend in September (only the 3000 m ) under the Hallorenring Cup instead. ( This included even on the 2nd Sunday of August the Hufeisenseeschwimmen. )

Hamm / Westphalia

The German Underwater Club ( DUC ) Hamm leads annually from a channel swim in June or July. The route length is 2,000 meters.

Osnabrück

On the race course of the Osnabrück Rowing Association ( ORV ) is a channel swim on the Osnabrück branch canal takes place every year since 2003 in the summer. The competition course extends from the lock Hollage to the boat house of the ORV on around 3,500 meters.

Gelsenkirchen

Since 1981, every year starts in June or July in Gelsenkirchen from the German Life Saving Society ( DLRG ) organized channel swimming on the training distance of the local canoe clubs in the Rhine -Herne Canal. The race courses are long depending on age 200-1200 meters.

Hildesheim / Sehnde

Since 2006, every year in July, also organized by the DLRG channel swimming place on the Hildesheim branch canal. The race course is 3,600 meters (short distance ) and 13,600 meters ( long distance). For children there is a range of 1,000 meters.

Sète ( France)

In Sète on the Mediterranean partner community of Neuburg an der Donau, each year, in addition to other competitions launched an international board of channel swimming in the St. Louis festival. The venue is the run through the old ship channel, which the Bassin du Sète ( port ) to the Mediterranean Sea.

Scheerwolde (Netherlands)

In Dutch Scheerwolde an international channel swim will be held in June. The race course is 1,250 meters long.

Munich

In Munich every year is aligned at the start of the Oktoberfest from Munich, the Isar DLRG swimming since 2005. Because of the water quality, this event was long not possible.

Publications

• Wenzel, Philip: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in swimming: comparison of performance and physiological parameters of the economy between channel swimming and free swimming. Dissertation University of Freiburg (Breisgau ) 2003
• Scharenberg, Swantje: using the channel swim from historical- anthropological perspective. Culture everyday society, born 5, Issue 3, Austria 1997
• Krauss, Martin: swimming. History - Culture - practice. Publisher The Workshop, Göttingen 2003
• Pahncke, Wolfgang: Swimming in the past and present. Historian collective, DDR 1979
• Cleveland, Marcia: Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel. MMJ Press, Canada 1999
• Jarvis, Margaret A.: Captain Webb and 100 years of Channel Swimming. David & Charles, Newton Abbot, Devon, England 1975
• Rockett, Sam: It's Cold in the Channel. Hutchinson, London, 1956