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 2025. Please note that CS&PF registration and swim fees are a separate item to your pilot fees.

CS&PF Fees

2025 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 -- £170
Relay -- £210

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 -- £195
Relay -- £235

2025 Swim Fees, payable with all swim applications

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

1-way attempt £200.00
2-way attempt £400.00
3-way attempt TBC

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.

2025 Membership Fees

Annual membership: £30

New membership will run from the acceptance date of membership to 31st December 2025. All 2025 members are entitled to a vote at the 2025 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 2025 CS&PF administration and swim fees for a 1-way SOLO swim are:

Administration: £170 (£195 if posted after 30 April) plus
Swim Fee: £200 plus
Annual membership: £30

Total fees for 2025: £400 (£435 if posted after 30 April), including annual membership.

The 2025 CS&PF administration and swim fees for a 1-way, 6-person RELAY swim are:

Administration: £210 (£235 if posted after 30 April) plus
Swim Fee: £200 plus
Annual membership: 6 x £30 = £180.

Total fees for 2025: £590, (£615 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 3 years 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 in the range of fees charged by pilots:

£3,500 for a 1-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.

CS&PF Fees

27 Feb 2025
2025 Notice of CS&PF AGM & Motions
Notice of CS&PF AGMFor the year ended 31st December 2024To be held atThe Channel Suite, Leas Cliff HallThe Leas, FolkestoneCT20 2DZ1pm on the 15th March 2025 Officer and committee positions due for election in 2025 President: Mike Ball (nominated by the CS&PF committee)Vice-President: Michael Oram (nominated by the CS&PF committee) The ChairmanThe SecretaryTwo Committee member positionsNotices of Motion Motions:Motion 1) Proposed by Tony Kenyon; seconded by Eddie SpellingThe committee discussed the need to raise the swim administration fees to cover increasing costs. It was agreed to increase the administration fees by £30. A revised CS&PF rule is required to be ratified at the AGM.The following rule revision is proposed to reflect the increased administration fee.Revised RuleCS&PF fees:2026 Administration fees payable with all swim applications. Administration fees cover the costs of running the 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 - £200Relay £240Applications 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 £225Relay £265Motion 2) Proposed by Kevin Murphy; seconded by Tony KenyonThis AGM requests the committee to:i) Institute honorariums for the offices of CS&PF Secretary and CS&PF Treasurer;ii) Consider at what level these honorariums should be set.Motion 3) Proposed by Tony Kenyon, seconded by Kevin MurphyReplace the existing Clause “8 Management paragraph B” of the published CS&PF rules. The current wording was found to be unclear by the committee.Proposed wording:B. President and Vice PresidentThe positions of ‘President’ and ‘Vice President’ shall be nominated by the elected members of the CS&PF Committee. Only the committee nomination for the roles shall be put before the next AGM for ratification.Either or both positions can remain vacant if the committee does not make a nomination, or if a nomination is not ratified by the membership at the next AGM.The Vice President is expected to work in conjunction with the President. When the President completes their term, the Vice President is familiar with the role to step up. A former President is not permitted to be nominated for a future role as Vice President. If ratified at the AGM the appointment of these positions is for three years from the date of ratification. If they are not ratified, the committee will reconsider their nominations at the next committee meeting.The ‘President’ and the ‘Vice President’ shall be considered full members of the CS&PF Committee. They will receive notice and be invited to each committee meeting and be counted in the quorum with full voting rights.The maximum term for both of these positions is two consecutive appointments. Once this maximum term has been reached the incumbent must step aside from that role for at least three years, preferably six (equivalent to two consecutive terms). Eligibility to be considered for subsequent nomination for either role after the maximum term has been reached is at the discretion of the elected members of the CS&PF Committee.At the discretion of the elected members of the CS&PF Committee a retiring President may be given the honorary title of ‘President Emeritus’. This title is used to denote perpetual status of individuals who made significant contributions to the CS&PF.Motion 4) Proposed by Cliff Golding, seconded by Mike BallProposed amendments in red Assessment swims - (solos)All swimmers taking part in a solo swim must complete a self assessment swim of at least 6 hours in open water at a temperature of no more than 61F/16C. Such a swim should be carried out either as a training swim or as an organised event which the committee considers (in its discretion) to be a suitable alternative. In either case, the assessment swim should take place no more than 18 calendar months prior to the 1st June in the year of the application. Winter Swim Assessments. If a swim is registered to take place between 1 November and 30 April, the qualifying temperature for an assessment swim will be 12c or less, or as defined by the pilot.Assessment swims - (relays)All swimmers taking part in a relay swim must complete a self assessment swim of at least 1.5 hours then leave the water for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 1.5 hours at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 16°C. They must then return to the water and swim for 1 more hour in open water also at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 16°C. These two swims should be carried out either as a training swim or as an organised event which the committee considers (in its discretion) to be a suitable alternative. In either case, the assessment swims should take place no more than 18 calendar months prior to the 1st June in the Year of application. If a relay swimmer carries out a training swim, or takes part in an event lasting 4 hours or more at a temperature of no more than 61°F / 61°C, the Committee will consider that a suitable assessment swim for a Channel relay swim.Winter Swim Assessments. If a swim is registered to take place between 1 November and 30 April, the qualifying temperature for an assessment swim will be 12c or less, or as defined by the pilot.Every application for a solo or relay swimmer must complete a Swim Assessment Form available for download from the CS&PF web site and submit this together with supporting proof/ratification of the self-assessment swim or (if an organised event wherein satisfactory participation is a matter of public online record) the website address at which such proof is evident. Voting will be by paper ballot for any contested positions or motions. Read more