Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation "Nothing great is easy", Captain Matthew Webb

30 Aug 2012Channel Aspirants twiddle their fingers

Channel Aspirants twiddle their fingers

Another neap tide passes with no swims.  However, preceeding springs see success.

The weather has not been the friend of aspiring Channel swimmers yet again this Summer.   The entire end of August neap tide has been 'weathered out', leaving plenty of swimmers twiddling their fingers, trying to find something to occupy themselves.  However, there was some decent weather on the preceeding spring tide, and a number of swimmers made it to France:

Sunday 18th August
Five teams raising money for Diabetes UK were successful.  Four were 6-man teams, but the 'Rubber Ducks' had only two swimmers and were the fastest to France in 15 hours and 1 minute.

Sunday 19th August
Alyson Phippen - Solo - Successful in 15:37.53

Thursday 23rd August
Mike Humphreys - Solo - Unsuccessful
Mark Workman - Solo - Successful in 20:16 *
Steve Green - Solo - Successful in 19:25 **
Greg Kearney - Solo - Successful in 13:39.30
Kevin Blick - Solo - Successful in 14:54 

Mark Workman - The 'coolest' Channel Swimmer!

* = Mark was meant to have swum in July, and endured a tortuous wait.  He also had a false start, when three days before he successfully swam, he attempted the Channel in very 'iffy' conditions, and stopped after 45 minutes as it was just too rough.  His pilot was kind enough to class this as a training swim, and took him again on the 23rd.

** = Steve Green was weathered out last year, so had to come across from the States for a second year to get the job done.  He is in the photo above (2nd from left - and the only boy), with Vicki Neilson (left), the legend Carol Sing (3rd) and new Channel Swimmer Barbara Held (CSA - Peter Reed - Fri 24th July - 12:10) on the right.

Sandettie Lightship Observations

8am, 28th March 2024


Water: 49.3 °F (9.6 °C)

Air: 47.5 °F (8.6 °C)

Wind Speed: 26.0 kn (48.2 km/h)

Wind Direction: SW (220°)

Channel Weather 

The CS&PF President, Mike Ball and all the committee are deeply saddened by the passing of Ady Brown.… https://t.co/E17pLxZwgw

11 months ago