Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation - Swim Story

30 Jul 2004Anne Cleveland

Anne completed a 2-way English Channel swim on the 30th July 2004

What's it like to turn around and swim back?

July 30, 2004

"I popped my head up, hoping to see land. To my surprise, I could see the beach in the moonlight. A few strokes later, I was standing on soft sand waving at my crew – under the lighthouse, but 'round the corner in the bay... what wild ride would the tides take me on now?

'Don’t think about swimming to England. Just see how far you can swim. Do it one feed at a time.' Freda’s words rang in my head. I remembered Nora’s advice. My swim starts now and is finished when I crawl out of the water onto a beach in England. Bolstered by that thought, I slid back into the dark, chilly water and started the second leg of my swim from France back to England. Little did I know the hell that awaited me...

Many hours later...

I was shivering and swimming at the same time and did not dare stop moving during the feeds, for fear the shivering would overtake me and I would not be able to swim anymore. 'Kick your legs!' my crew admonished me. 'It’ll keep you warm!' With all the energy I could muster, I kicked and swam. Nevertheless, I felt desperate and forlorn in that cold, dark hell. Many times during that return leg, I found myself on the verge of tears, but could not cry. Channel swimming provides us with a mirror to take a long, hard look within ourselves. As I pushed myself beyond my imagined limitations, I found the core of my being to be the source of my strength. One stroke, then another stroke – put one arm in front of the other. Pull the water. Breathe...

The wind against tide had caused the seas to become like a washing machine again, with an uneven rhythm which made swimming almost impossible. Instead of going from feed to feed, I focused my attention on each stroke. Pull the water as efficiently as you can. When you turn your head to breathe, make sure not to swallow any water. I had begun to do the swim one stroke at a time.

The white cliffs of the English coast were visible to me now. Each time I looked at them, it seemed as though I were swimming past them, parallel to the coast. They never seemed to get any closer. What I did not know then was that the tide was pushing me north, and I was swimming along the coast, easing my way in toward a beach in England to land.

As I came in for a feed, Lance pointed out the Aegean Blue not far away. He told me Laura Lopez-Bonilla had just started her channel swim from St. Margaret’s Cliffs. Although curious about what we were doing that far north of Dover, I was elated at the thought of seeing another swimmer in the water. My stroke picked up as I made my way to Laura. Calling her name, I waved my arms to get her attention. According to channel swimming rules, we could not touch each other. We waved greetings instead, and then I turned and waved vigorously at Mike Oram and the crew on the Aegean Blue. They were waving back and I could hear them cheering me on. Laura and I wished each other well. 'See you back at Dover Beach,' and we were both off in opposite directions. This exchange gave me the boost I needed to keep fighting to the finish.

I swam by St. Margaret’s Cliffs. Massive and white, they glistened in the sunlight. The morning’s gray clouds had disappeared, and the channel had become smooth as glass. I was still very cold, chilled all the way through to the bone and shivering lightly, but when Lance told me I had only two feeds left to go, I knew I would be able to finish.

On the final feed, I expressed my new concern to Lance. 'I’m so hypothermic. I’m worried I won’t be able to get back onto the boat when I’m finished.'

'Let me take care of that. Keep swimming – you’re almost done. Remember – don’t try to stand up when you get to shore. Crawl out of the water.' I put my head down and swam, knowing now that it would only be a short time before I would finally be able to get out of this freezing cold water.

The moment I had not dared to hope for was finally at hand. There was a beach in front of me, just meters away. I swam those final strokes and crawled out of the water onto a pebbly beach. Relief. It was over."

Time and tide have faded my memories of that day, but I'll never forget that beach at Kingsdown. My English Channel swims have been transformational in my life. I am not the same person who stepped off the beach at Abbott's Cliff in July of 2002, was first to sign the wall at the White Horse with Aussie Peter Bardoel and dared to dream that I could swim a two-way. I've written about it and soon you'll be able to read more... stay tuned to my website www.annecleveland.com for details about my book; in the meanwhile, you can see what I'm up to and read my blog there if you like. My long distance open water swimming adventures are still continuing. I'm no longer the swimmer, but am coaching and mentoring swimmers now. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a community of crazy, daring and unsinkable human spirits.

Anne Cleveland

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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