CS&PF Fees 

All fees are paid in £ sterling. All payments by cheque or draft should be made out to "CS&PF" or Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation. All fees come into effect on 1 January 2024. Please note that CS&PF registration and swim fees are a separate item to your pilot fees.

CS&PF Fees

2024 Administration Fees, payable with all swim applications

Administration fees cover the costs of running CS&PF office and general CS&PF expenses.

Applications submitted to the CS&PF Office before the deadline of 30 April will be charged a discounted administration fee of:

Solo  --  £145
Relay -- £180

Applications received, by the CS&PF Office after 30 April will be deemed to have exceeded the time allowed for postage and will be charged a full fee of:

Solo --  £170
Relay --  £220

2024 Swim Fees, payable with all swim applications

Swim fees cover the cost of observer expenses and CS&PF Observer liaison officer. 

1-way attempt    £160.00
2-way attempt    £360.00
3-way attempt    £450.00

Swims/ crossings greater than 3-way, or for other swim courses not by the "direct route" are to be determined by the General Committee on their merits and the duties of the observer. Fees for extraordinary swims not covered above to be by negotiation.

2024 Membership Fees

Annual membership: £20 

New membership will run from the acceptance date of membership to 31st December 2024. All 2024 members are entitled to a vote at the 2024 CS&PF AGM. Every swimmer is required to become and remain a member from no later than registration of a swim until after the swim has been completed at the earliest. New membership will run from the acceptance date of membership to 31st December in the year of the swim, all members from the previous year are entitled to a vote at the CS&PF AGM in the immediately following year.

Ten year individual membership: £160

Summary of Registration:

The 2024 CS&PF administration and swim fees for a 1-way SOLO swim are:

Administration: £145 (£170 if posted after 30 April) plus
Swim Fee: £160 plus
Annual membership: £20 

Total fees for 2024: £325 (£350 if posted after 30 April), including annual membership.

The 2022 CS&PF administration and swim fees for a 1-way, 6-person RELAY swim are:

Administration: £180 (£220 if posted after 30 April) plus
Swim Fee: £160 plus
Annual membership: 6 x £20 = £120.

Total fees for 2024: £460, (£500 if posted after 30 April). The exact total depends on the number of swimmers in a relay.

Return or Forfeit of CS&PF fees:

The CS&PF Swim Fee may be reclaimed by no later than 31st of December in the year of your scheduled swim, if your pilot confirms to the CS&PF office that the swim did not take place due to the pilot’s decision for a cause unrelated to you (such as the pilot’s decision not to let a swim proceed solely due to adverse weather conditions during your tide).

Any repayment will be subject to the deduction of a [£25] supplemental swim fee (unless waived by the Swim office in its discretion). If no valid re-claim is sought by this date, the Swim Fee shall be forfeited and shall not be liable to be repaid.

NOTE: Repayment by the CS&PF does not imply any obligation on a pilot to repay fees – this is a contractual matter strictly between you and your pilot.

Pilot/Boat Fees

Pilot or Boat Fees are payable directly to the swim pilots. The CS&PF is not involved in the amount charged, due dates for payment, collection or handling of payments or for any other terms and conditions regulating your relationship with a pilot. In particular, the CS&PF cannot intervene on any issue relating to the terms on which pilot’s fees are to be forfeited or repaid.

The fee-estimates and processes provided here are indicative only and in no way bind the pilots. Fees and other contract terms will vary between the pilots and will need to be settled with the pilot for each swimmer.

All solo swimmers and relay swims will have a separate contract with the boat pilot where these fees and payment dates will need to be agreed and clearly listed.

Reservation fee: For booking-reservations made more than 12 months in advance of the season, pilots typically require a non-refundable reservation fee of several hundred pounds, which will be credited as part of your Deposit, but must be paid when you confirm you want to have a position reserved

Deposit: this is a significant percentage of the total Escort fee, probably up to 50% (taken in combination with the reservation fee) for a 1-way crossing, typically payable before the end of the year of your booking. The percentage will probably be less for a 2-way crossing.

Total Boat/Pilot escort fee (inclusive of reservation fee and deposit): typically the balance of the all-inclusive total due from you to the pilot, which invariably must be settled prior commencement of your swim, is likely to be in the region of the following amount, (but you will always need to seek a quote from the pilot direct):

The below figures are APPROXIMATE fees charged by pilots: 

£3,150 for a 1-way crossing

£6,300 for a 2-way crossing. 

Please note that, barring exceptional circumstances, pilots are unable to agree to a swimmer and/or any member of the swimmer’s party disembarking in France beyond the need to comply with the Rules during a swim. Any such disembarkation would then only be at the port of Calais and would necessitate prior arrangement with, and additional payment to, the pilot.